First Impressions

In 1990, I attended a church growth conference in Orange County, California. It was held at a Presbyterian Church but only because the Southern Baptist church that sponsored the event didn't have their own building. They met at a local high school. About 150 people attended the conference that week. A little-known pastor named Rick Warren was the host and Saddleback Church was the name of the new church. They had experienced some success and had grown to a few thousand people in a short time so they hosted a conference to tell other pastors how they did it.

Little did anyone know, including Rick, that he and Saddleback Church would become a household name among church leaders. It was at that conference that I heard Rick say, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." I've tried to never forget that.

So, today, my bride of 25 years had to have a root canal at Augusta Endodontic Center by Dr. Emmanuel Ngoh. I have NEVER been treated like royalty at a doctor's office. We were welcomed at the door by one of his many warm and personable assistants. She told us everything that would happen and what to expect. They took Beth back immediately. After a few minutes, Dr. Ngoh (pronounced "go") came out and introduced himself to me. We spoke for a minute about church and mission trips. He offered me a soft drink, coffee, and a computer if I wanted to get online. I said, "Yes" to coffee and figured that someone would point me toward the coffee pot.

A few minutes later, another assistant asked me about the coffee. "I'll get it myself if you'll just point the way to me," I said. "No," she insisted to bring it to me. A few minutes later my coffee came to me on a silver platter in a real coffee cup, not styrofoam like I expected (and would have been perfectly pleased with, by the way.) That's it pictured above.

Beth's procedure was painless and she left there a little dopey from the sedation. Another assistant escorted her out to the car in a wheelchair and we were gone in just under 2 hours. I don't want to have a root canal done but if you ever have to accompany someone else to have one performed, I hope it's at Dr. Ngoh's office.

At TNC, Mike Fiedler, Katie Czapala and their crew take extra effort to be sure that we make a great first impression. One of the trademarks in TNC's brief history has been the remarkable job our First Impressions Team does from the parking lot to the service. People like to be warmly welcomed and treated with respect. Today's doctor's visit was a reminder to me of the importance of making a good first impression.