Think your church bathroom is just a place for quick pit stops? Think again. Join Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as he uncovers the surprising impact your church bathrooms have on first-time visitors. Todd shares eye-opening anecdotes and insights, making a bold statement: the state of your bathrooms reflects your church’s values and overall health. This episode will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about hospitality, from cleanliness and modern aesthetics to thoughtful amenities that make visitors feel genuinely welcomed and cared for.
Is your church bathroom a sanctuary or a nightmare? Todd guides you through key areas that every church leader should evaluate, like cleanliness, aesthetics, and essential supplies. He even shares a personal story about a thoughtful touch he encountered in a men’s room that left a lasting impression. Don’t miss this episode and discover how something as simple as a well-stocked, clean, and inviting bathroom can profoundly shape a visitor’s experience and perception of your church community.
Think your church bathroom is just a place for quick pit stops? Think again. Join Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as he uncovers the surprising impact your church bathrooms have on first-time visitors. Todd shares eye-opening anecdotes and insights, making a bold statement: the state of your bathrooms reflects your church’s values and overall health. This episode will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about hospitality, from cleanliness and modern aesthetics to thoughtful amenities that make visitors feel genuinely welcomed and cared for.
Is your church bathroom a sanctuary or a nightmare? Todd guides you through key areas that every church leader should evaluate, like cleanliness, aesthetics, and essential supplies. He even shares a personal story about a thoughtful touch he encountered in a men’s room that left a lasting impression. Don’t miss this episode and discover how something as simple as a well-stocked, clean, and inviting bathroom can profoundly shape a visitor’s experience and perception of your church community.
All right, today we're talking about church bathrooms. What are you talking about, todd? Here's my hypothesis. Your church bathroom tells your first-time visitors a lot about your church. Let's talk about it. Okay, thanks for joining us here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name's Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders at chemistrystaffingcom. I know what you're thinking, todd. Bathroom seriously, isn't that a little bit too much, tmi? Hear me out. Again. Here's my hypothesis.
Speaker 0:
Your church bathrooms are more than just a place to. They're actually a good reflection, a good first impression of your church's values and culture and maybe even your overall health. All right, so let's dig in. Let's think about it. When a brand new person, when a visitor, steps into your church bathroom for the first time, they're forming an impression. Now they might not be going walking in your door and say I'm going to go check out the bathroom because I want to see what these people are like. That's not what I'm talking about, but everybody has first impressions and those first impressions are really hard to buck. That first impression can shape their entire experience of your church, and here's what I mean. A clean, well-maintained bathroom sends a message of care and respect and attention to detail. But a dirty, outdated, poorly stocked bathroom can leave a lasting impression. So what do you do? And I've recently started attending a new church and I knew I was going to record this but one of the things that they do in their bathroom, their bathrooms are spotless, but in the men's room I don't know what they do in the ladies' room, but in the men's room they have a nice little station razor going out the door. It's got some little packets of gum in it. It's got some boy. What does it have in it? I don't even know what it has in it. I didn't take any of it. It's got some hand sanitizer. It's got some maybe some little cologne or something. Has just a personal care kit that you can grab on your way out to freshen up. But it was just a nice touch that you don't see in many church bathrooms. But you know what? I wasn't going in trying to make an opinion of the bathroom, but at the same time it made an impression, right, and I'm here. I guess I'm here talking about it.
Speaker 0:
So what do your bathrooms say about your church? Here are a few areas to consider. First of all is cleanliness, and let me encourage you, it's just like signage and carpet and everything else in your church. You see this and the people that go to your church, your board members, your staff, you guys see your facility every day, so you don't see these areas that really need work. You use the bathroom, probably at your church, every day and you don't think twice about it. But a new time, first time visitor will. So are your bathrooms clean? If they're dirty, you might not even notice it, but are they sparkling clean or do they smell like a locker room after a football game? I give you permission pause this podcast or, if you're listening on your phone right now, go into your bathroom and see how clean it is. Is it sparkling clean or does it smell like a locker room after a football game? Could be that your youth pastor was just in there, so you might have to wait a little bit, but a clean bathroom will show that you care about your guests and their comfort and their well-being. So check that out.
Speaker 0:
Aesthetics Are your bathrooms modern and inviting? Do they look like they haven't been updated since the 70s? Well, I've been in a few of those. A fresh coat of paint, a few new fixtures, some tasteful decor can go really a long way in creating a welcoming atmosphere. Supplies Are your bathrooms stocked up with plenty of toilet paper and soap and paper towels? This seems really silly to be talking about, but, seriously, you know what I'm talking about. You've been in bathrooms, even in churches, that feel like you're in a gas station. Running out of essentials can be a major inconvenience to your guest and, believe me, it's going to create. They're going to go out and they're going to go to whoever they're with. They're going to go.
Speaker 0:
Accessibilities Are your bathrooms accessible to people with disabilities? It's not just a matter of compliance with the law, but it really comes down to showing love and respect and hospitality to everybody. And then, are there any little touches that you've done, anything that goes above and beyond what I was saying? They offer a little package of gum. I take some every week because halfway through the sermon I feel like I need a piece of gum. A vase with some little fresh flowers, maybe a basket of toiletries or a changing table for babies All those things can make your bathroom feel extra special.
Speaker 0:
Now, I'm not suggesting you need to remodel, drop everything you're doing, remodel your bathrooms tomorrow, but I am encouraging you to take a critical look at them because maybe you just haven't thought about them for years and ask yourself what message are we sending our guests? Your bathrooms are a reflection of your church and probably make an even bigger impression than your lobby does. So by making them clean and inviting and well-stocked, you're not just providing a basic necessity, you're demonstrating your commitment to excellence, hospitality and creating a welcoming environment for everyone. So maybe you're thinking at this point, todd this. I don't know. I don't know about this. I encourage you, just put on your visitor hat and go check out your bathroom and see if it is an accurate portrayal of what you want it to be for first-time visitors. You don't get this kind of content anywhere, hopefully in your bath, but I hope it's been helpful. Go check out your bathroom and join us again tomorrow right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. We're here every Monday through Friday and I hope you enjoy this again tomorrow.