When we arrived in Missoula, Montana, in spring 2019 to begin planting Summit Church, one of our first priorities was building relationships so we could begin building a team. Teams are essential to any church ministry.
In our unique circumstances, arriving in a community where we knew no one meant building a strong team was vital. While there were many considerations in building a team, stability was the most important factor. We quickly realized we were outsiders in a community that does not like outsiders. We needed locals who had spent their life in the greater Missoula area to become part of our volunteer teams at Summit Church. A local team would instantly give us the stability and credibility we needed to become insiders in the community.
Once we identified locals as a priority in our team building, the focus shifted to determining the specific types of teams we needed to be successful at Summit Church. After much prayer, visiting local churches, and researching the area, we decided to make a strong “first impressions team” our priority. We discovered most first-time guests decide within five minutes whether they will return a second time. We learned a church can survive some nervous teaching, a few missed music notes, or a boring sermon series, but it cannot survive an unfriendly, unwelcoming church environment.
Understanding we only had five minutes to influence our guests, we realized we needed to start the welcoming experience right in the parking lot to create more opportunity to make a positive impression for Christ on their lives. We did this by creating first-time guest parking spots and ensuring our first impression team was waiting outside the church building to greet guests and regular attendees. This was difficult at times, with the harsh, Montana winters. But even in the winter, our first impressions team was faithful to be outside greeting guests. We also realized closed doors give a negative feeling, so our team always held the doors open so guests would feel welcomed.
It didn’t take long to realize coffee is a way of life in Missoula. We knew we needed free, high-quality coffee at church every Sunday and decided to build a coffee team at Summit Church. So, after welcoming them in the parking lot, our first impressions team walked guests into the coffee area and handed them off to the coffee team.
I realize this all may sound strange — maybe even like we are watering down the power of the gospel by “enticing” people to church with good coffee and friendly faces. Those thoughts are something we prayed through. Ultimately, we realized greeting people in the parking lot with the first impressions team and welcoming them brought their anxiety levels down about visiting church. Then, when the first impressions team handed them off to the coffee team, who served them a hot cup of Summit Blend Coffee, their anxiety continued to drop, and they began to feel more comfortable. Once they felt welcomed and comfortable, we noticed guests began to hear and receive the gospel with less worry and fewer distractions.
Our goal as ministry leaders should be to create a welcoming church environment where the gospel can thrive and be replicated. At Summit Church, our first impressions and coffee teams have been a huge part of seeing people come to know Jesus.
Having proper volunteer teams in place is critical to both the success of the pastor and the growth of the church. Tap into your community and your congregation. You may not need a coffee team at your church, but understanding your area’s unique needs and your congregation’s specific strengths will allow you to discern the type of teams you should consider building to effectively engage your community and reach them with the gospel.
About the Guest Columnist: Josh and Kimberly Hampton are church planters at Summit FWB Church in Missoula, Montana. Josh, the son of fellow Summit planters Clayton and Tammy Hampton, felt a strong calling from the Lord to plant a church in this widely unreached region. Together, the Hamptons and their team are making a tremendous gospel-impact in their community. Josh and Kimberly have two children: Taylor and Colton.
