I was recently on a trip when I began to notice something. Most everywhere we went, the common name of “employees” had been changed. At a thinking game store called Marbles, workers were called Brain Coaches. At the Lego Store, employees were called Brick Specialists. At the Rain Forrest Cafe, servers called themselves Safari Guides. They were Professors at Lego Discovery Land, Runners at Bubba Gump and Co-Workers at IKEA.
I like the idea of it. They are all still employees of the companies, but their names helped focus them on their goal for customer service. This focus helps both the worker and the customer.
I know some of the above titles sound a little corny, but in the heart of the city, these world class businesses not only referred to themselves in this way, they believed it. It was written out in statements, on cards and on name tags. What if you renamed your role to help specify the importance placed on reaching people? What would it be?
So, just for fun, I took the some of the roles for Sunday morning church and tried to think of a new name. Many of the roles in church life are already active names that indicate we are serving people. So, again, this list is purely for enjoyment.
Usher: “Worship Service Host”
Greeter: “Your Friend” as in “Good morning, my name is ____________ and I’ll be your friend today.”
Info Booth Staff: “Information Lifelines”
Food Hospitality: “Belly Fillers”
Parking Team: “Spot Finders”
Video Team: “Visual Pleasers”
Audio Team: “Ear Pleasers”
Music Team: “Heart Warmers”
Preacher: “Word Distributor”
Nursery Staff: “Kid Magnet”
Sunday School Teachers: “Bible Lesson Specialist”
Again, I’m not suggesting you change to these names. But my experience on the trip caused me to think about how titles can really help focus on serving people.
What are some of the creative names you give to people / roles in your congregation? I’d love to hear them.
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