In his book, Purpose Driven Church, Pastor Rick Warren says “…. since the church is a living organism, it is natural for it to grow if it is healthy…If a church is not growing it is dying...” This can be scary for a small local church.
Most churches will agree that some of the keys to successful church growth are: Create a Welcoming Experience, Create an Inviting Atmosphere, Care for Church Members – sometimes easier said than done. However, the great news is this: having a qualified, quality church safety and security team that is less subjective, more objective (written plans, policies and procedures), will promote all of the keys to growth, and make your church a more welcoming church.
"A successful church safety and security team should think of itself as the customer service department and those that serve in the ministry are customer service professionals." - Guy Beveridge
A successful church safety and security team should think of itself as the customer service department and those that serve in the ministry are customer service professionals. The people that attend your church, visitors and members are like customers – the better the customer service the more they will keep coming back and the more they will tell others. and isn’t that what we really want? With buyers more than five times likely to buy from companies that provide a better customer experience, your success hinges upon it, and the growth of the church depends on it.
In the church safety and security role you must have a plan in place to help the church place customer needs first – or possibly risk losing to the competition – meaning have families and people leave your church, maybe for good.
On Being a Customer-Centric Church
I’ve found that by serving others first and paying attention to the 5 core principles, leadership will impact the ability to deliver a superior customer experience.
Guy Beveridge
As the Chief Executive Officer at Protector’s Toolkit, I’m incredibly customer obsessed. But, to spread that customer-centric focus throughout the organization requires more than fancy titles. In my professional background, I’ve found that by serving others first and paying attention to the core principles listed below, leadership will impact the ability to deliver a superior customer experience.
***remember when you see the word customer below that means everyone that interacts with your church. Whether they are a first-time guest, visitor, a founding member or a visiting pastor***
Principle #1. Church Safety and Security is a Biblical Responsibility
There are spiritual forces around us we do not see, evidenced by so many stories of miraculous and seemingly unexplainable interventions in moments of war, unexpected violence, natural disasters, physical confrontations and accidents. To simply pass these off as coincidence is unacceptable to a Christian – and violates the Word of God if we do.
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us; “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”
Principle #2. Set your team up for success
Whether you have one service or five services over two days, your church safety and security team’s most precious resource is time. Decreasing friction points, increasing efficiencies and removing routine tasks from your team, you give team members back time in the day – time that can be better spent engaging with and serving customers.
This requires that they have the tools and technology to be effective and productive at their job. It is also vitally important that they have communication to gain understanding of their duties and responsibilities. Click HERE for Related Resource on Volunteers
Principle #3. Leadership is Responsible
Leaders lead and managers manage. People are led, things are managed. These axioms of business were drilled into me head at various stages of my career and in various roles. Leadership’s responsibility is to lead the safety and security effort, the team in a sustained and consistent way, establishing goals, requiring accountability for performance, and providing the resources necessary for achieving success. Leaders also set the tone for the team as well as fully illustrating what success looks like.
Principle #4. Build a Community of Servant Warriors
In every major event in the bible where God needed to get something done, he used warriors. Not warriors in the sense that they wore armor, drank beer and had beards. But warriors that were steadfast and loyal and always worked for the greater good.
While a safety and security team is (and should be) its own ministry, the team should work in such a way that it is constantly building positive and meaningful partnerships for problem-solving through the whole church. The team should agree to address the conditions that give rise to safety and security concerns, by working in constant collaboration with the church groups and campus community, who are an extra set of eyes and ears.
Principle #5. Positive Engagement
Ensure that the team enthusiastically protects, serves and educates the church campus and community with the highest degree of professionalism. Check that they exercise flexibility and discretion in providing services; they lead by example and are committed to proficiency, reliability, innovation, efficiency and excellence, in all aspects of their conduct and performance.
**BONUS**Principle #6. Teamwork
A good team trusts first in the Lord, then in each other. An effective team works together with trust, and with positive open minds, to create new ideas and identify and resolve problems. Successful teams foster camaraderie by supporting one another through cooperation, collaboration, inclusiveness, praise, and encouragement.
The goal of church safety and security is that we honor God in everything that we do, that we as a team create a safe and secure worship environment where incidents and injuries are prevented, and every visitor, guest and attendee returns home to their loved ones.
Schedule your Free Needs Assessment!
A needs assessment will help identify the gap between where you currently are and where you want to be with your Safety & Security Ministry.
Shalom Guy!
Thank you for keeping us focused.
Keep the faith and stay safe!
J. Paul <
Well said. A long time ago, I sat through a management training seminar which emphasized that we are all customers and suppliers in all our interactions. I’ve never forgotten that.