They Give Me No Reasons to Not Come Back (Part I)

Sunday, May 6, I peeked behind the curtain at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA, to learn how they create “environments where unchurched people want to come back.” In other words, one of their primary goals is for people who are not “church comfortable” to feel so comfortable that they want to return. North Point’s reigning status as the second largest church in America is a BIG indication that they meet this goal regularly.

My goal was to find out what makes North Point so successful in this area. And it all begins before they open the front door. At the core, North Point’s six campuses offer four welcome concepts that any group can, and should, provide church searchers so they’ll want to come back. North Point:

1. Expects guests to show up. North Point guests are greeted at the very first opportunity. They’re in the driveway making sure you’ve found a place to park and know where to enter the building. They want you to see that they’ve prepared for your arrival and entry. This makes it so easy to want to return.

2. Shows guests where the bathroom is. In other words, guests don’t go through a lot of eye clutter or conversations to find the nursery, kids’ spaces, worship area, or bathroom! I was truly amazed by North Point’s minimalist approach in its main hallways and building design. Key signage and strategically placed info stations naturally navigate guests to where they want to go. What a comfort not to look like a lost sheep and not to be consumed by swarming welcomers!


3. Creates a memorable experience. If you’ve ever been trapped at a “get to know each other” gathering where nothing was actually planned for people to get to know each other, then you know that can be a memorable experience. Painful, but memorable. Compared to a gathering where someone actually did create a memorable occasion, what makes the difference? Planning comfortable interactions by anticipating the guests’ likes, interests, comforts, and worries for one thing. Eliminating discomforts is another. North Point creates familiar “homestyle” environments for their unchurched people.

4. Provides an experience of excellence. And yeah, this is where their extra-large resource bank kicks in. It’s hard to top their media productions. The “WOW” factor, though, is really rooted in excellence. Whether or not a guest likes the style of music, the message topic, or North Point’s culture, a guest feels as though their experience is worth a second visit because something about this visit was really, really good.

So, can church searchers find other churches creating environments where guests want to return? Absolutely.

Part II helps the discriminating guest recognize a church’s guest services approach.