People begin joining our church before they ever come to the church campus or buildings. People who are new to the community often encounter members of the church unknowingly—where they work, at the school, at the bank, at the grocery, at the park and so forth. Like persons, churches have reputations. One church in Florida was in a highly transient area. Members were often transferred by their employers to other areas of the country. Wherever they went, people they encountered were told that if they were moving to that city in Florida, they just had to visit that church. The church had done such a wonderful job through its Sunday School in assimilating and ministering to new persons in the community, it gained a reputation as a warm, caring fellowship of believers.

 

In general, people make up their minds about a church in the first seven minutes of an experience. On any given Sunday morning, we have about three seven-minute time frames in which to favorably impress a guest—

                        

                        1. The first seven minutes they are on the church property.

                        2. The first seven minutes of the department/class experience.

                        3. The first seven minutes of the worship service.

 

 

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