If you attend a church regularly, you’ve probably noticed the phenomenon. A guest shows up for a worship service, but he or she never returns. It is, unfortunately, a common issue in many churches.

I did a Twitter poll to ask these first-time guests why they chose not to return to a particular church. While some of the responses were anticipated, I admit being a bit surprised with some of them.

Though my poll is not scientific, it is nevertheless fascinating. Here are the top ten responses in order of frequency

1. Having a stand up and greet one another time in the worship service. This response was my greatest surprise for two reasons. First, I was surprised how much guests are really uncomfortable during this time. Second, I was really surprised that it was the most frequent response.

2. Unfriendly church members. This response was anticipated. But the surprise was the number of respondents who included non-genuine friendliness in their answers. In other words, the guests perceived some of the church members were faking it.

3. Unsafe and unclean children’s area. This response generated the greatest emotional reactions. If your church does not give a high priority to children, don’t expect young families to attend.

4. No place to get information. If your church does not have a clear and obvious place to get information, you probably have lowered the chances of a return visit by half. There should also be someone to greet and assist guests at that information center as well.

5. Bad church website. Most of the church guests went to the church website before they attended a worship service. Even if they attended the service after visiting a bad website, they attended with a prejudicial perspective. The two indispensable items guests want on a website are address and times of service. It’s just that basic.

6. Poor signage. If you have been attending a church for a few weeks, you forget all about the signage. You don’t need it any more. But guests do. And they are frustrated when it’s not there.

7. Insider church language. Most of the respondents were not referring to theological language as much as language that only the members know. My favorite example was: “The WMU will meet in the CLC in the room where the GAs usually meet.”

8. Boring or bad service. My surprise was not the presence of this item. The surprise was that it was not ranked higher.

9. Members telling guests that they were in their seat or pew. Yes, this obviously still takes place in some churches.

10. Dirty facilities. Some of the comments: “Didn’t look like it had been cleaned in a week.” “No trash cans anywhere.” Restrooms were worse than a bad truck stop.” “Pews had more stains than a Tide commercial.”

There you have it. The top ten reasons first-time guests said they did not return to a church. I can’t wait to hear from you readers. You always have such good additions and insights.

Source and Original Content by CP

The death of Dr Myles Munroe, his wife and 6 of his team members on Sunday, November 9, 2014 has been followed by tributes from various people whose lives have been greatly influenced and impacted by the renowned speaker, author and Pastor.

Tons of unanswered questions, doubts and fears by believers and non believers alike have also trailed the cause of his death, through a plane crash. Praiseworld Radio reached out to Pastor EA Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) seeking his view on this issue.

Praiseworld Radio: Did Dr Myles Munroe impact your life/ministry in any way?

Is it God’s will for Believers to die in Plane Crashes as we have seen in the past or via extreme painful means?

Pastor E.A Adeboye: I regret the death of Myles Munroe an evangelist and deep teacher of The Word. We can not deny our grief.

Without any doubt, Myles Munroe was a great man of God. His ministry impacted several ministries and generations. He will be greatly remembered and sorely missed by the Body of Christ.

Nothing happens without God allowing it. Though God is not behind this or any other plane crash. God will still ensure everything works together for good. The most important thing is for us to make heaven. God, who is sovereign and knows everything, has allowed it to happen. He knows best and why. He will not allow it if He can not use it.

We have no choice but to surrender to the supreme wisdom of God and trust Him fully at all times and in all situations.

Praiseworld Radio: Thank you for your response, sir.

Source and Original Content by PraiseWorld Radio