Ward’s ministry to churches is exceptional. He has a heart for people and he showed that through the whole time that he worked with our church to [provide an Unannounced Visitor Service with an evaluation report] and then develop a Welcoming Ministry Manual. He spent hours meticulously going over the needs of our church. He counseled our leadership to help us develop a more welcoming church culture.
Our church was in a time of transition as our Senior Pastor had left for a new pastorate. The Welcoming Ministry Manual, along with Ward’s regular counsel, was what our Greeters [Welcomers] and Ushers Ministry needed during a time of transition to help us stay strong in the area of Welcoming while people were concerned about the church staying strong. After we handed out our Welcoming Ministry Manual to our large team, we had a working document that shows everything that needs to be known for a welcoming team member. Our church attendance went up and we had a joyous atmosphere in our congregation! The people were staying because they felt cared for. The [Welcomers] could tell that there was a structure to the way we do welcoming because there was a [written] handbook provided by an expert (Ward Utterback). We are very thankful that Ward helped our church be the best that it can be!
Pastor Scott Shaw
Connections Ministry Leader
Cornerstone Community Church
Marshfield, WI.