It's that time of year. The Christmas season, among so many wonderful gifts, also brings families, friends, loners, lovers, and the curious into churches all around the world. For many of these Christmas guests it is the once a year fix, a remnant of their childhood, a first time visit, or a response to a whisper from God. What will their experience be? Will it be life changing? Think about it. Amid the excitement and the preparation for our celebration of the birth of our Lord, let's take a moment to think about the perspective of your guests. Yes, usually we do become a bit more guest-focused at this time of year. And that tends to wane with the new year. It is important to keep in mind you will have guests ALL year. What is it like to visit your church? Not from our perspective - but theirs. Let's take a moment think about what we can do to make the guest experience a positive one. Consider this:

When a first time guest drives onto your campus, they will decide within 11 minutes whether or not they are coming back.