Using Nametags in Church
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Does your church use nametags during the Sunday morning worship service?
Several church growth books recommend name tags as one way of increasing the friendliness or openness of a congregation.
I’m not going to say you need to do one, but if you want to implement a church nametag process, you don’t want to do this half-way.
If you are thinking about implementing a church nametag program, think it through –
- How will you overcome objections to name badges?
- How will you staff the creation, distribution and collecting of nametags?
- How will you make it easy for members to get them?
- How will you help visitors fill them out?
- Will you try it for a year? 6 months? or make it permanent?
- Where will name tags be created? Who will create them?
- Where will people get their nametag?
- Blanks or pre-printed?
Techniques won’t help you grow a church, but nametags may be one way to help make your congregation members approachable.
Relational warmth is necessary to grow a church – nametags or not.
Do nametags fit your culture?
You as a church leader likely know the culture of your area.
Some of your members may think name tags are an awful idea. You might even hear their groans as you read this, hearing them say “I’ve been in this church for 30 years. Everyone knows who I am.”
Your task will be to help them see the value of nametags in helping people connect one to another and what it means to your guests.
What type of name tag?
Nametags come in different styles and shapes.
- Peel and Stick
- Pin-on badge (BAD IDEA)
- Clip-on badges
- Lanyard
- Plastic engraved ones with magnet (be careful with pacemakers)
- One church has a button maker and they make clip on buttons.
I’m still amazed that pin-ons are still available. I don’t like having my shirt poked. I don’t like accidentally stabbing myself. If it’s a humid environment, I don’t want a potential rust stain on my shirt. I still visit small churches that don’t have air conditioning.
The style you choose to use will be dependent on your budget and tolerance for upkeep and maintenance.
Some churches that choose the plastic engraved one sell them to their members who want one so that it’s not part of the church budget.
Let me ask you this?
If you started a nametag work in your church, why did you choose to do so? Discuss with us that we may learn — use the comment field below.
For more church hospitality tips on welcoming church visitors, buy your copy of How To Welcome Church Visitors.
I would add to take into account different age groups. We had this discussion at our church recently, and everyone I talked to under the age of 40 thought it was a terrible idea. In further discussion, it really came down to generational differences. Younger people thought it made the church seem more like a business seminar and less authentic, in addition to being very “un-cool” Most people 45 and up liked the idea. We decided not to do it, because we have many new visitors and younger families, and those are the people who were most against it I agree with you that you have to completely think through decisions like these. Thanks for sharing
@Mike
Thanks for adding those thoughts. Your observations get into knowing your local church culture.
To push the question further, some may use your conversations and make assumptions of their own culture, without actually asking the question — it falls under the idea that “Everyone knows.”
If a church is discussing the idea, I as the outsider would push the question back — how do you know that? This gets it out of the area of speculation.
Chris W
EvangelismCoach.org