Does your church use name tags 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 name tag process, you don’t want to do this half-way.
If you are thinking about implementing a church name tag program, think it through — [Read more…] about Using Name tags in Church
For churches that have considered and want to implement using name tags, today’s post gives you some thoughts about how to make and use name tags in church.
One church set up two large registration areas.
One has pre-printed tags for regular attendees and blank name tags for first-time guests. To get a name tag, each guest completes a registration information card.
The next week, those guests have pre-printed name tags waiting for them.
Another area has pre-printed name tags for staff and core volunteers such as the prayer team or ushers.
First time guests are somewhat easy to identify because their name tags are handwritten. This can help your ushers and greeters connect them with more information and resources about the church.
Yet, this “obvious” distinction may have an unintended consequence of showing a visitor that they are yet “different” as the name tag is not like the others. You know your local culture to be able to discern how people might feel about this.
Another church has a stack of labels every Sunday.
All members and visitors fill one out as part of their “culture.”
All are handwritten, avoiding some of the concerns of the pre-printed ones
This takes administrative burden off the staff, but requires that your regular members understand the reason for doing this every week.
One church shared with me they pre-print a theme logo, plus the branding of the church with its phone number, name, and website. Sometimes they will use an image for a special event that week, like a Baptism, or communion.
Churches need to design a system that works for them.
Some will have a board of some kind near entrances where members can obtain their name badge and return it when the service is over.
Visitor centers or guest information booths will have greeters staffed to provide name tags for visitors.
Some may have one central area near the entrance, and make announcements in the bulletin about how to return the name tag.
Inevitably, some will get ripped, accidentally taken home and put through the wash, or just somehow lost.
Part of your ongoing maintenance of a name tag initiative is replacing lost ones, torn ones, or overly doodled name tags.
I’m familiar with churches where about every quarter, leadership reminds people of the reason behind the name tags and that begins a new wave of organizing, using, and distributing.
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See also
For more church hospitality tips on welcoming church visitors, buy your copy of How To Welcome Church Visitors.
When people visit conventions, or large meetings at hotels, name tags are part of the routine.
When social clubs get together where there are potential new faces, name tags help break the ice.
Name tags in churches are not too far out of normal.
As commented on yesterday’s post on church name tags, one may need to consider if this makes your church feel like a business seminar.
Some may choose to use this in their congregation as conversation starters among members and guests.
Today, let me give you two reasons to consider using name tags in churches. The choice is yours, I’m not telling you one way or another.
Perhaps your church attendance on a Sunday morning is large enough where not everyone can know everyone else’s name.
Church branded name tags can help create a sense of community.
One church sometimes prints a question at the bottom of the name tag that is used at greeting time during the service, such as “Turn to your neighbor and ask them about their favorite teacher in grade school.” The choice of question is not random – it will often connect to an illustration during the sermon.
In other words, name tags can be conversation starters.
Read: How many relationships are you missing out on because you don’t know people’s names? I regularly read Scott Ginsberg (“That guy with the Name tag”). He’s written several excellent posts and much of his material can be useful in your church.
“When people know each other’s names, the rules change.”
For a large congregation, (over 1000 in attendance) Lyle Schaller writes in The Multiple Staff and the Larger Church:
“The larger the congregation, the more important it is for all members to wear name tags every Sunday morning.
One reason is to help members know one another by name.
A second reason is to help members identify and welcome visitors.
A third reason is that name tags have important symbolic value. They symbolize the acceptance of the fact that this is a large congregation that expects strangers to be present every Sunday, and the regular use of name tags represents a ‘Welcome, stranger! This is my name’ attitude by the members.” p. 20.
I’m not sure I totally agree with him. I know several mega churches that don’t bother with name tags. They value anonymity for church visitors as part of their culture
Some churches will monitor their name tag boards / baskets for attendance tracking. A volunteer will make note of who attended or who didn’t attend that Sunday.
Churches with multiple points of entry and multiple services may not be able to do this, but for a majority of churches that have just one main entrance, this may be easy to do.
Some will ask members to put their name tag in a special basket after the service (assuming they use pre-made ones). A volunteer will gather them for attendance tracking and note who is missing. This provides opportunity for member care.
There are other methods of church attendance tracking, but some smaller size churches may choose to use this.
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For more church hospitality tips on welcoming church visitors, buy your copy of How To Welcome Church Visitors.
As the final part of our series on how to use church name tags, here is a list of 8 tips for using church name tags:
I’d like to make at least a list of 10 – what would you add to this list?
Share your thoughts in the comment field below (Feed or email readers: click through to find the comment field).
For more church hospitality tips on welcoming church visitors buy your copy of How to Welcome Church Visitors.
As the final installment in our series on church nametags, here is a list I found from a church that chose to do this ministry.
Source: St. Paul’s Evangelical Church newsletter.
I’m not sure I agree with all of these 10 reasons to where a nametag at church, but they are things to think about.
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