FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A while ago we got our hands on a book by Mark L. Waltz titled First Impressions. This book is Granger Community Church's strategy to create lasting impressions in the lives of people who connect with their church. Mark recently posted on knightrous.com and I was glad to make an acquaintance.

This Saturday evening at 5 pm we are hosting a long awaited training of this powerful book. We have invited all of our ushers, greeters, guest services team, information teams and service oriented teams to come together for a special training. In addition several new team members will be present for training.

Training times like these provide three important ingredients:

1) Training provides feedback. When volunteering in an organization there is nothing better than feedback. In a training environment feedback can be valuable in discerning and ascertaining where a particular ministry should head.

2) Training provides inspiration. When we do the same thing over and over there is always a price to pay. Often that price is quality. When teams come together for training they are reminded of why they exist and what it means for them to win. Volunteers live off of inspiration.

3) Training improves skill. A lot of people never get involved because they don't feel like they can do a good job. Training gives volunteers the confidence necessary to lead strong.

Finally, training is fun! I am an advocate of putting the "fun" back in function. Being a part of a First Impressions type team will be fun and powerful.