First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences In Your Church (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I'm sitting in Starbucks, and I love it..." (more)
Key Phrases: first impressions ministry, first impressions team, hospitality team, Granger's Model, New York, Rick Warren (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Before a service even begins, first-time guests usually decide whether they'll return to your church. This means church leaders need to create no-fail; practical ways to ensure a visitor's first impre

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Group Publishing(CO) (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764427571
• ISBN-13: 978-0764427572
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #1 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Ministry & Church Leadership > Church Materials
  #19 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestantism > Pentecostal
  #24 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Worship & Devotion > Charismatic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Landmark Book for Churches, February 6, 2005

By	Tim Stevens - See all my reviews

Mark Waltz takes common sense "customer service" principles and applies them seamlessly to the church. This book will serve as a great "aha" for many churches as they discover what it means to really value the new people who come through their doors. And, by doing so, the number of new people will multiply. Mark's experience both in the business world, and in one of the fastest growing churches in the country, shines through each chapter. It is full of illustrations and is easy to read. Highly recommended.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful addition to the church leadership library..., June 19, 2006

By	Chad Oberholtzer (Boalsburg, PA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mark Waltz has done church leaders a favor by writing this engaging and insightful book. There are a number of good books written for businesses and marketplace leaders about how to deal with customers. However, most church leaders are uneasy when using words like "consumer" to speak about new church attenders. Waltz does a fantastic job of drawing out key customer satisfaction principles without losing the appropriate heart of the gospel. This book remains biblical to the core, yet manages to shake some of the old churchy ideas that have kept people from trying or returning to the church for many years.

I plan on using this book as a basic resource to guide my leadership of our First Impressions ministry teams. There are sections on print communications that will speak directly to some questions that our communications team is considering. There are a number of sections that will speak to our ushers and greeters.

The biggest asset of Waltz's work is that it is both inspirational and practical. It gives me more motivation to know that the small choices that we make from weekend to weekend have huge implications, while giving me a number of tools to help us do a better job of allowing people to worship in a comfortable, distraction-free environment. If we get this right, the outcome for the Kingdom will be awesome!!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, March 9, 2006

By	Dean J. Libby "pastor exploring the emerging ... (Flower Mound, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gave me numerous ideas on how to improve, strengthen, and streamline the hospitality ministries at my church. The book has also inspired me to strive for the "WOW" for every new face that come to my church.