We want people to feel welcome from the moment they get out of their car until the moment they get back into their car to leave,” said Jeff Dickey, education minister at Heritage Baptist Church, Montgomery.
So church members are making sure they are nearby the minute visitors swing their car doors open.
Dickey said the Montgomery Baptist Association church’s parking lot ministry is one of its most crucial ministries.
“Before [visitors] even enter the building, someone needs to be greeting them,” he said.
Lee Wright, an associate in the office of LeaderCare and church administration for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said it’s a ministry churches large and small should consider.
“Many churches begin to think about their parking lots in a security context but then discover they can do a lot more — they see all the possibilities,” he said.
Some of those possibilities, according to Wright and others, are:
– Guest parking spaces
“The number of guest parking spaces you have communicates how many guests you want,” said Thomas Hammond, senior director of the church evangelism team at the North American Mission Board.
These spaces must be the best parking spaces available, he said.
– Greeters
Volunteer greeters should wear name tags, be friendly, understand the value of the ministry, escort guests to the welcome center and introduce the guests by name, Hammond said.
“You put the absolute best greeters you have as your parking lot greeters,” he added.
Wright said it’s also helpful if greeters are armed with brochures about Sunday School classes, maps of the church or other relevant information when they meet guests in the parking lot.
– Zones and subleaders
“We divide our parking lot into zones and have five guys out there in those zones every Sunday,” Dickey said. “We also have a team captain for each Sunday.”
– Valet parking
At First Baptist Church, Pell City, in St. Clair Baptist Association — which holds three services each Sunday morning — parking becomes difficult, according to Sunday School director Darrell Parker.
“At the 9:30 hour when most people are in worship or in Sunday School … we have two volunteers offering valet parking to seniors or disabled people or helping them find places to park. Once spaces become available, we move the cars closer to the church,” he said.
– Weather awareness
Parker said a gesture as simple as meeting a guest in the rain with an umbrella makes a difference.
– Shuttles and traffic directors
“When you think about golf carts and major traffic, you’re probably thinking about larger churches,” Wright said. “But at these churches this is a vital ministry.”
Morrell Dodd, church administrator for Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover, in Birmingham Baptist Association, said over the years as his church grew, the need for a shuttle ministry naturally developed.
“The biggest reason is because of the size of the parking lot,” he said. “We don’t want people to be discouraged when they first get here.”
In the different aspects of parking lot ministry in all sizes of churches, Wright said the main thought to keep in mind is how best to serve guests.
“Think user friendly — think how can we be helpful,” he said. (Bryan Gill and Sondra Washington contributed)
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