10 Things Churches Should Learn From Ikea

I’ll admit, I love Ikea.  My first trip to Ikea was less than a year ago when I went to the store in Thessaloniki, Greece.  Since then I have been back to my local Ikea in Avon, Massachusetts, dozens of times.  Honestly, after visiting Ikea so many times I think there are a few things the church could learn from how they run their stores….

1. There is Something for Everyone – Although I have been to Ikea several times now, I have probably only bought furniture 3 or 4 times when I was there.  So, why would I go to Ikea if I am not going to buy furniture?  There are a few reasons, but the biggest one is because my son loves Ikea.  After entering the store the first thing you see is the children’s area.  At Ikea they will watch your kids for you while you shop (nice perk for parents).  Inside the play area there is all sorts of stuff to climb on and play with, there is always a movie playing, and there is a staff that will color and do all sorts of stuff with your kids.  In short, my son loves going to Ikea, not because of the furniture, but because they have an awesome play area that he enjoys.  And, even if your kids decide to stay with you, there are all sorts of mini kids areas throughout the store, where they can play while you shop and look around.

Most stores are not like this.  You walk in and you have to strap you kid down in the cart, because that cart is the only place for them.  Even worse is that many churches are like most stores.  They have no where for kids to go when they show up.  And even if they do have a class, they are boring and kids don’t want to go there anyway.

2. Family Oriented – Not only are their certain spots in the store for you kid, but the entire store is designed to accomadate families.  Two things stand out here.  First, family bathrooms throughout the store with clear signs pointing the way.  Any parent with a child who is having an “emergency” can appreciate this.  Second, their kids meal is about half the cost of a McDonald’s happy meal and is probably 200% more nutritious.  Not only is a good value, but they have a special area where kids can eat their lunch and watch TV and interact with other kids.  Everything from going to the bathroom, to eating, to actually shopping for furniture is designed with the family in mind.

Many churches may have children’s ministries space, but what about the rest of the church?  Family bathrooms?  Crying rooms?  Nursing mother’s rooms?    It wasn’t Ikea, but I was recently at a restaurant that had parking for “Expecting Mother’s and Mother’s of Toddlers.”  What a great idea.

3. Make It Easy for the Customer – When you walk into Ikea the first person you usually meet is the greeter, and not only does he or she greet you, but they hand you a shopping bag.  This doesn’t seem like anything big, until you walk into a BJ’s one day looking for a cart only to realize that all the carts are kept outside, and so you have to walk back out into the cold.

Are churches making things difficult for people?  Do they make it easy to get involved in a small group, get involved in ministry, to give, etc…  Or are people walking right back out the front door looking for a cart?

4. Clear Direction – I don’t believe I have ever been lost in Ikea.  Despite the fact that my local Ikea is 2 giant floors of products, I have never had to wonder which way to go, or where something is, as there are maps all over the place.  Even if you did somehow get lost, all you would have to do is look around and you would probably see a kiosk somewhere near you that has a map of the whole building and each department.  Second, not only are there maps, but there is only one way to go.  Most stores you walk around any which way you like, but at Ikea you start at the beginning and just follow the one isle to the end.  It’s the only official route. There are even arrows on the ground pointing you in the right direction, and clear signage everywhere telling you where to go.

How many churches make it difficult for people, especially first time visitors, to figure things out?  Where to park, where to sit, where that Sunday School class is at, where their kids go, is there even something for their kids?

On a spiritual level, how many people are lost wondering which way to go after they make their first visit, accept Christ, get baptized, etc…

5. They Are Flexible – There is an official route for going through the store, but there are also short-cuts for those who don’t want to take the official path.  Want to cut from bedrooms to bathrooms without having to go through dining rooms?  Not a problem, just take the short-cut.  There is the official path to make it easy for the first-time guest, but are short cuts for those who are more familiar with the store.    They make it easy for both types of people.

Are churches flexible in their approach, willing to give a bit to make it a bit easier for more people?  Or is their favorite two lines, “That’s not how we do it here”, and “This is the way we have always done it”?

6. The Unexpected – Today Ikea surprised me.  Jack and I got to Ikea a little early.  They open at 10, but we pulled into the parking lot at 9:45.  I was content to sit in my car waiting for the doors to open, but I kept noticing people going inside.  I thought I must have misunderstood the opening time, so I got Jack out of the car and we went in.   When I walked in to my surprise the greeter told me the store wasn’t officially opening until 10:00, but they were serving complimentary coffee in the cafeteria for those who got their a little early.  Contrast this with standing outside the post office waiting for them to unlock the door, 5 minutes after they were supposed to open.  Again, today, Ikea surprised me with a nice little perk.

Is church the same boring routine every week?  Or do we do things that mix it up every once in a while?  Small things like gifts for mother’s on mother’s day, and graduation gifts to graduates, go a long way in mixing things up a bit.  Bigger things like Christmas and Easter productions are important too.

7. Attention to Detail – Today I saw one of the Ikea employees cleaning the high-chairs in the cafeteria.  She wasn’t just quickly wiping down the seats, but painstakingly cleaning every square inch of every highchair.  She cleaned the legs, under the chair, the straps, everything.  Here is the crazy part….she wan’t cleaning dirty highchairs, she was actually going back through a stack of clean ones double checking to be sure they were acceptable for customers to use.

Are most churches content with good enough, or do they go the extra mile and re-clean the clean highchairs just to double check?

8. They Let You Take the Experience Home With You – Okay, I’ll admit I am a sucker for the Swedish meatballs they serve.  Those things are amazing.  But what makes them even better is that I don’t have to drive all the way to Ikea to get them, they sell them in their grocery section, which means I can buy them, bring them home and enjoy them anytime I like.

Are Sunday services everything your church offers or is there something for the rest of the week?  Home Care Groups?  Ministries?  Does your church encourage you parishioners to develop their spiritual life beyond attending church?  Are there materials for kids to take home and work on with their parents?  Or, is Sunday morning all their is?

9. It is Possible to Keep The Bathrooms Clean Even With 1,000’s of People Using Them.  Enough said.

10. They Don’t Assume You’re Smart Enough to Figure It Out – Today I noticed a small sign in one of the windows of the cafeteria.  The sign wasn’t selling any products, but rather was explaining that Ikea puts plants on the roof of it’s building to help keep its heating and cooling costs down, which helps the environment.  To be honest without this sign I would have never known this.  I probably would have thought they were doing it because it simply looked cool.

I think many churches assume a lot.  They assume that people understand what baptism, communion, raising of hands in worship and a host of other things are all about.  I wonder how many people sit through a church service, but miss out on so much because churches are assuming they understand everything that is going on?

Again, I love Ikea and I think churches could learn a lot from looking at how they run their stores.  In fact, I am sure there  is even more to learn than what I’ve listed here.  What did I miss from looking at Ikea?  What other lessons can a church learn from looking at other companies and organizations that are doing things well?

 

Posted on
Categories: Church Growth, Leadership

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

956 thoughts on “10 Things Churches Should Learn From Ikea”

  2. Hi, after reading this remarkable paragraph i am too happy to
    share my familiarity here with friends.Telegram 隐私与安全设置——保护你的个人信息（800字）

    在数字时代，隐私安全已经成为每个人都必须严肃对待的问题。Telegram 作为以安全性著称的通讯软件，提供了丰富而强大的隐私保护设置，但遗憾的是，很多用户并不知道如何正确使用这些功能，或者只是采用了默认设置，导致手机号、最后上线时间、头像等个人信息暴露给不必要的人。telegram-save.com 推出了全面的 Telegram
    隐私安全专题，手把手教你完成必要的隐私配置，为你的账号筑起一道坚实的防护墙。

    打开 Telegram，进入 “设置” > “隐私与安全”，你会看到一系列选项。以下是最关键的几个设置项，我们逐一说明。

    第一项，也是最容易被忽视的一项：手机号隐私。默认情况下，任何人看到你的 Telegram 账号都会看到你的手机号码（或者至少能看到部分号码），这无疑是一个巨大的隐私漏洞。请进入 “手机号码” 设置，将 “谁可以看到我的手机号” 设为 “没有人”。同时，将 “谁可以通过我的手机号找到我” 设为
    “我的联系人”。这样设置之后，只有你保存在通讯录中的联系人才能通过手机号找到你，而陌生人即使知道你的手机号，也无法在 Telegram 上搜索到你的账号。如果你不希望任何人通过手机号联系到你，甚至可以设为
    “没有人”。

    第二项，最后上线时间和在线状态。很多人不喜欢被别人看到自己的活跃时间，Telegram 允许你精确控制这一点。进入 “最后上线时间” 选项，可以选择 “所有人”、“我的联系人” 或 “没有人”。建议设置为 “我的联系人” 或 “没有人”。需要注意的是，如果你选择隐藏自己的上线时间，你也将无法看到别人的上线时间，这是 Telegram 的对等隐私原则。

    第三项，头像隐私。你可以控制谁能看到你的个人头像。通常建议设为 “我的联系人”，这样只有你通讯录中的人或者双向联系的人才能看到你的头像。对于公开群组中的陌生人，他们看到的是默认的灰色占位图标。这可以有效避免陌生人通过头像获取你的个人形象信息。

    第四项，转发消息时的溯源信息。当你转发一条消息时，默认会带上原始发送者的名字和头像（如果是频道消息则带上频道名称）。如果你希望转发时隐藏来源，可以进入
    “转发消息” 设置，选择 “匿名” 模式。这样转发的消息就不会显示原始发送者信息，保护了原作者的隐私。

    除了上述设置，telegram-save.com 强烈建议所有用户开启 “两步验证”（Two-Step Verification）。这是一个非常重要的安全措施。在 “隐私与安全” 页面中找到 “两步验证”，点击后设置一个额外的密码（建议使用复杂且不与其他账号重复的密码），并设置一个提示问题和恢复邮箱。开启两步验证后，即使有人获取了你的短信验证码，也无法登录你的账号，因为他们还需要输入你设置的那个额外密码。这能极大降低账号被盗的风险，特别是对于使用 Telegram 进行商务沟通或持有重要信息的用户来说。

    另外，定期检查 “设备” 页面（在设置中找到 “设备” 或 “连接设备”），查看当前有哪些设备登录了你的账号。如果发现不认识的设备，可以远程将其踢下线。telegram-save.com 将这些隐私设置方法整理成了简单易懂的操作指南，配合截图和常见问题解答，即使是不懂技术的普通用户也能轻松完成配置。访问 telegram-save.com，给你的 Telegram 账号加一把坚固的锁，放心享受安全沟通！
    TELEGRAM下载windows11中文版官网 | telegram纸飞机电报

    Telegram 注册收不到验证码？这里有最全的解决方法（800字）

    很多用户在注册 Telegram 时都会遇到一个令人头疼的问题：验证码迟迟收不到。无论怎么点击 “发送验证码”，手机短信就是没有反应，导致注册流程卡在第一步无法进行。这种情况其实非常常见，通常并非
    Telegram 服务器故障，而是由手机号码格式、运营商拦截、网络环境或平台风控机制等多个因素综合导致的。telegram-save.com 为你准备了最全面的验证码问题排查指南，从简单到复杂，一步步帮你解决问题，让你顺利开通 Telegram
    账号。

    第一步，也是最基本的一步：检查手机号码的输入格式是否正确。在输入手机号时，一定要选择正确的国家代码。中国大陆的手机号国家代码是 +86，输入时需要确保在号码栏中已经显示了 +86 或者 86 前缀，然后输入你的 11 位手机号码，去掉开头的 0。很多用户因为忽略了国家代码的选择，导致短信被发往错误的运营商服务器，自然收不到验证码。如果你已经正确输入了号码但仍然没有收到，可以尝试重新发送验证码，注意 Telegram 通常会在 60 秒后才能再次请求发送，频繁点击反而可能触发临时限制。

    第二步，检查短信是否被手机拦截。很多国产手机系统自带了骚扰拦截功能，某些安全软件也会将来自国际号码的短信判定为垃圾短信或广告信息。请打开你的短信应用，查看 “拦截短信”、“垃圾短信” 或 “骚扰拦截” 文件夹，很多时候 Telegram 的验证码短信就静静地躺在里面。如果找到了，请将其标记为 “非垃圾短信” 并将发送号码加入白名单，这样后续操作就不会再被拦截了。

    第三步，尝试更换网络环境。部分地区的运营商可能会对国际短信进行严格过滤。如果你使用的是 WiFi 网络，可以尝试切换到移动数据（4G/5G）；反之，如果用的是移动数据，可以尝试连接到其他的 WiFi 网络。网络环境的改变有时能够绕开部分运营商的限制。同时，你也可以尝试重启手机或者开启再关闭飞行模式，让手机重新注册到网络，这有助于解决临时性的信号或网络问题。

    第四步，如果以上方法都无效，可以尝试使用语音验证码。在 Telegram
    的验证码发送界面，通常会有一个 “Call me” 或
    “通过电话告知验证码” 的选项。点击后，你会接到一个来自国外号码的自动语音电话，电话中会用英语播报一组数字验证码。语音验证码的成功率通常比短信更高，因为它绕过了短信通道的拦截。需要注意的是，接听国际电话可能会产生费用，具体情况请咨询你的运营商。

    第五步，对于部分长期无法接收验证码的用户，可以尝试更换手机号码，或者使用二维码登录方式（如果已经有朋友在使用 Telegram）。另外，避免使用虚拟运营商号码或某些小众的号段，这些号码在 Telegram 的风控系统中可能被标记为高风险，导致验证码发送受限。telegram-save.com 的验证码解决专题将这些技巧和方法梳理得清晰透彻，并提供了每种方法的具体操作截图和注意事项。点击访问 telegram-save.com，不再让验证码成为你与世界沟通的障碍，轻松开启你的 Telegram 之旅！
    M1/M2/M3版Mac Telegram下载中文版官网 | telegram纸飞机电报

    Reply

  3. Hi, after reading this remarkable paragraph i am too happy to
    share my familiarity here with friends.Telegram 隐私与安全设置——保护你的个人信息（800字）

    在数字时代，隐私安全已经成为每个人都必须严肃对待的问题。Telegram 作为以安全性著称的通讯软件，提供了丰富而强大的隐私保护设置，但遗憾的是，很多用户并不知道如何正确使用这些功能，或者只是采用了默认设置，导致手机号、最后上线时间、头像等个人信息暴露给不必要的人。telegram-save.com 推出了全面的 Telegram
    隐私安全专题，手把手教你完成必要的隐私配置，为你的账号筑起一道坚实的防护墙。

    打开 Telegram，进入 “设置” > “隐私与安全”，你会看到一系列选项。以下是最关键的几个设置项，我们逐一说明。

    第一项，也是最容易被忽视的一项：手机号隐私。默认情况下，任何人看到你的 Telegram 账号都会看到你的手机号码（或者至少能看到部分号码），这无疑是一个巨大的隐私漏洞。请进入 “手机号码” 设置，将 “谁可以看到我的手机号” 设为 “没有人”。同时，将 “谁可以通过我的手机号找到我” 设为
    “我的联系人”。这样设置之后，只有你保存在通讯录中的联系人才能通过手机号找到你，而陌生人即使知道你的手机号，也无法在 Telegram 上搜索到你的账号。如果你不希望任何人通过手机号联系到你，甚至可以设为
    “没有人”。

    第二项，最后上线时间和在线状态。很多人不喜欢被别人看到自己的活跃时间，Telegram 允许你精确控制这一点。进入 “最后上线时间” 选项，可以选择 “所有人”、“我的联系人” 或 “没有人”。建议设置为 “我的联系人” 或 “没有人”。需要注意的是，如果你选择隐藏自己的上线时间，你也将无法看到别人的上线时间，这是 Telegram 的对等隐私原则。

    第三项，头像隐私。你可以控制谁能看到你的个人头像。通常建议设为 “我的联系人”，这样只有你通讯录中的人或者双向联系的人才能看到你的头像。对于公开群组中的陌生人，他们看到的是默认的灰色占位图标。这可以有效避免陌生人通过头像获取你的个人形象信息。

    第四项，转发消息时的溯源信息。当你转发一条消息时，默认会带上原始发送者的名字和头像（如果是频道消息则带上频道名称）。如果你希望转发时隐藏来源，可以进入
    “转发消息” 设置，选择 “匿名” 模式。这样转发的消息就不会显示原始发送者信息，保护了原作者的隐私。

    除了上述设置，telegram-save.com 强烈建议所有用户开启 “两步验证”（Two-Step Verification）。这是一个非常重要的安全措施。在 “隐私与安全” 页面中找到 “两步验证”，点击后设置一个额外的密码（建议使用复杂且不与其他账号重复的密码），并设置一个提示问题和恢复邮箱。开启两步验证后，即使有人获取了你的短信验证码，也无法登录你的账号，因为他们还需要输入你设置的那个额外密码。这能极大降低账号被盗的风险，特别是对于使用 Telegram 进行商务沟通或持有重要信息的用户来说。

    另外，定期检查 “设备” 页面（在设置中找到 “设备” 或 “连接设备”），查看当前有哪些设备登录了你的账号。如果发现不认识的设备，可以远程将其踢下线。telegram-save.com 将这些隐私设置方法整理成了简单易懂的操作指南，配合截图和常见问题解答，即使是不懂技术的普通用户也能轻松完成配置。访问 telegram-save.com，给你的 Telegram 账号加一把坚固的锁，放心享受安全沟通！
    TELEGRAM下载windows11中文版官网 | telegram纸飞机电报

    Telegram 注册收不到验证码？这里有最全的解决方法（800字）

    很多用户在注册 Telegram 时都会遇到一个令人头疼的问题：验证码迟迟收不到。无论怎么点击 “发送验证码”，手机短信就是没有反应，导致注册流程卡在第一步无法进行。这种情况其实非常常见，通常并非
    Telegram 服务器故障，而是由手机号码格式、运营商拦截、网络环境或平台风控机制等多个因素综合导致的。telegram-save.com 为你准备了最全面的验证码问题排查指南，从简单到复杂，一步步帮你解决问题，让你顺利开通 Telegram
    账号。

    第一步，也是最基本的一步：检查手机号码的输入格式是否正确。在输入手机号时，一定要选择正确的国家代码。中国大陆的手机号国家代码是 +86，输入时需要确保在号码栏中已经显示了 +86 或者 86 前缀，然后输入你的 11 位手机号码，去掉开头的 0。很多用户因为忽略了国家代码的选择，导致短信被发往错误的运营商服务器，自然收不到验证码。如果你已经正确输入了号码但仍然没有收到，可以尝试重新发送验证码，注意 Telegram 通常会在 60 秒后才能再次请求发送，频繁点击反而可能触发临时限制。

    第二步，检查短信是否被手机拦截。很多国产手机系统自带了骚扰拦截功能，某些安全软件也会将来自国际号码的短信判定为垃圾短信或广告信息。请打开你的短信应用，查看 “拦截短信”、“垃圾短信” 或 “骚扰拦截” 文件夹，很多时候 Telegram 的验证码短信就静静地躺在里面。如果找到了，请将其标记为 “非垃圾短信” 并将发送号码加入白名单，这样后续操作就不会再被拦截了。

    第三步，尝试更换网络环境。部分地区的运营商可能会对国际短信进行严格过滤。如果你使用的是 WiFi 网络，可以尝试切换到移动数据（4G/5G）；反之，如果用的是移动数据，可以尝试连接到其他的 WiFi 网络。网络环境的改变有时能够绕开部分运营商的限制。同时，你也可以尝试重启手机或者开启再关闭飞行模式，让手机重新注册到网络，这有助于解决临时性的信号或网络问题。

    第四步，如果以上方法都无效，可以尝试使用语音验证码。在 Telegram
    的验证码发送界面，通常会有一个 “Call me” 或
    “通过电话告知验证码” 的选项。点击后，你会接到一个来自国外号码的自动语音电话，电话中会用英语播报一组数字验证码。语音验证码的成功率通常比短信更高，因为它绕过了短信通道的拦截。需要注意的是，接听国际电话可能会产生费用，具体情况请咨询你的运营商。

    第五步，对于部分长期无法接收验证码的用户，可以尝试更换手机号码，或者使用二维码登录方式（如果已经有朋友在使用 Telegram）。另外，避免使用虚拟运营商号码或某些小众的号段，这些号码在 Telegram 的风控系统中可能被标记为高风险，导致验证码发送受限。telegram-save.com 的验证码解决专题将这些技巧和方法梳理得清晰透彻，并提供了每种方法的具体操作截图和注意事项。点击访问 telegram-save.com，不再让验证码成为你与世界沟通的障碍，轻松开启你的 Telegram 之旅！
    M1/M2/M3版Mac Telegram下载中文版官网 | telegram纸飞机电报

    Reply

  12. Older slut jizzedVintage hobe jewelry4shared ffor adultsAdult pirrate imagesBoob lindsay lohans pictureFree porn tube short skirtFemape pornstar database xjxx Celebergy mmen nakedVirgin gentle sweetheartVideos of young ladies fuckingVintage trifari
    leaf earringsGe botom freerzer smellsTop 100 hottest porrn starsCoin ferell penisCrocck pot skinless chicken breast italian dressing https://xnxxfree.win/ Girls ridjng clitsWilliam hunnter twins gay
    san francisco ancer circuitSex asianJean sskirt girls nudeChhat free no sign teen upFree seex videos long no subscriptionBdsm taking as concubineBreast implants ort
    worth dallasLayra croft nude video xnxx Sacramento escort
    maleYoung close uup pussyWhile peeingCondom oon a dickGaay nude cartoonSalmna heyek
    breastGay nickPreynancy bobs not growingPrecision xtra blood glucose test stripItalian tv sexFem dom free matureProduct penetrationIphone skinny pornAbsolutly
    adult free game siteSecretary sexy free movieNegitive porn statisticsTeen farm
    seex vidoeChubby daughter nude fatherSand cheeks busty

    Reply

  45. Раздел настольных игр Vavada включает классические рулетку, блэкджек, баккару и покер в десятках вариаций от разных студий. Персональные челленджи формируются алгоритмом на основе истории ставок и предпочтений по конкретным провайдерам. Все детали доступны по адресу: вавада казино Такая глубина локализации встречается не у каждого международного оператора и особенно ценится аудиторией СНГ.

    Reply