By Trayce Stewart, AOP ’11 Minister in Residence at New Song Community Church
If you’ve ever visited Cleveland, Ohio then you have likely driven past a sign which reads Cleveland Clinic. Consisting of 41 buildings on 140 acres of land, it is safe to say they are a major entrepreneurial enterprise and greatly impact the economic stability of the area. As a native of Cleveland, I am proud to say they hold the title as the fourth best hospital in the country.
Over the years I have had to make several trips to one of the campuses to visit and support friends, family and church members. In addition to their overall hospital rating, they strive to be a five star institution in their customer service. If customer service is about providing individuals with the best and most positive experience while receiving a service, then I would reason that all of life is about customer service.
When you arrive to a Cleveland Clinic location you are greeted by people in red jackets and smiling faces. They take the time to look up from their task and acknowledge your presence. They are there to point you in the right direction to find your loved one or get you to your appointment on time. They will walk with you or do what is needed to make your visit as pleasant as possible given your circumstances.
Sometimes it is the friendly smile, sometimes it’s a Kleenex to wipe your tears and other times it is bringing you a cup of coffee after you’ve sat in the same chair waiting for the surgical update. Now while these may not sound like major things I can recount several encounters at restaurants, hotels and stores where the customer service was less than what I had hoped for.
Considering that entrepreneurs strive to be the best at what they offer, I pause and think about what it would mean if our churches and its leaders strived for the same mark. As one who seeks to lead a congregation I think about what “customer service” should look like. Rather than letting first time visitors wander around aimlessly looking for restrooms or the sanctuary, what if we had greeters who actually lived up to their name and title? Instead of being an exclusive and elitist country club, what if we took time to learn what people are really “shopping” for instead of offering a one size fits all gospel. In striving to be a five star church we can no longer be keepers of the status quo but must remember the same Jesus who cleared the temple of its unclean practices.
While turning to my call as a gospel preacher I also strive for five stars. Five stars doesn’t mean preaching for a certain length of time, the audio response of the hearers or if people joined the church that particular day.
I remember a line from my AOP sermon this year, “I’m looking for preachers who will do the hard work of finding the good news, and not for ones who are interested in making people shout based on clichés and emotions”. Five star preaching demands a response from hearers, but it is the transformation of their lives and their walk with their Savior.
I am crazy enough to believe that although the church is made up of imperfect people we can still earn five star ratings. Certainly if the world and its institutions can do it, we can as well.