Endorsements

Endorsements From Churches That Hired Greg As A Church Secret Shopper:

“Greg Atkinson is smart, detailed, thorough and saw things that we would never notice.  His feedback was invaluable and we are making several strategic changes as a result of his visit.  We will use him again.  I encourage you to do the same.  In a word – he’s the best.” – Ray Johnston, Senior Pastor, Bayside Church, Sacramento, CA

“Visitors to your church are more often than not people who don’t know Jesus and are looking for an excuse to not come back.  Greg’s evaluation of your church helps you dig into where you can significantly improve a guests 1st time experience.  He makes you think and leaves no rock unturned.  Probably the best money we’ve spent all year long.” – Ashley Wooldridge, Senior Pastor, Christ’s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ

“Greg was able to bring things to our leadership team’s attention in areas that we had missed. His perspective and ideas have helped us develop new strategies to help us grow and reach more people. As we take the ideas for improvement and implement them we look forward to seeing more people come to connect with God, grow and learn to live generously.” – Steve Smothermon Sr., Senior Pastor, Legacy Church, Albuquerque NM

“Greg came into Grace Community Church and gave us a top to bottom look at who we are as a church to the people we are most trying to reach.  He is thorough and detailed in his report but tries hard to be helpful, explaining his findings in a context that fits with the church culture.  He knows that culture well because he knows churches, people and he does his homework.  This is money well spent!” – Ron Edmondson, CEO and President, Leadership Network, Former Senior Pastor, Grace Fellowship Church, Johnson City, TN

“I highly recommend Greg as a “Secret Shopper” for your church. He helped us see things we had missed and confirmed what we were already working toward. His insight will help your church feel like a home.” – Brady Boyd, Senior Pastor, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO

“Greg’s ministry provided a really valuable perspective on our weekend experiences as a church.  His heart for the Kingdom and passion to see every church reach its maximum potential is a gift to those of us who care deeply about seeing our churches thrive.” – John Ortberg, Senior Pastor, Menlo Church, Menlo Park, CA

“Greg has a great ability to see and assess ministry detail. His work in many churches brings considerable experience and insight to your staff team. Greg’s church Secret Shopper process offered us a fresh set of eyes to help us take excellence to the next level. Very helpful!” –  Dan Reiland, Executive Pastor, 12Stone Church, Lawrenceville, GA

“Greg Atkinson helped us look at our weekend services with fresh eyes. His feedback was intelligent, balanced, and helpful.” – Steve Stroope, Lead Pastor, Lake Pointe Church, Rockwall, Texas

“Greg brought a fresh perspective to our campus and offered a frank assessment of where we were honoring our guests and where we might need improvement.  It’s easy for us to miss the obvious when we experience it week in and week out.  But Greg knew what to look for and where to find it!  His input has shaped a key area of our strategic development.” – Danny Carroll, Senior Pastor, Water of Life Community Church, Fontana CA

“Greg did an excellent job of observing our guest experience and worship environment in a fresh and insightful way. Subsequently, he offered verbal and written evaluations that were both affirming and challenging. He provided practical ways to make the experience of our church more welcoming and accessible. He also gave us key insights into how we can enhance the overall leadership of our church. We were greatly blessed by Greg’s presence and insights.”  – Rev. Michael White, Pastor, Church of the Nativity, Timonium, MD

“Greg Atkinson has been called to help build the Church and truly desires to see every local church maximize its ministry.  Greg provided detailed and thorough feedback regarding his experiences before, during, and after his visit to First Baptist Dallas.  He helped confirm some things we already knew or suspected, and brought others to our attention for the first time.  Greg will help you make sure you are doing everything possible to reach as many as possible for Jesus Christ.” – Ben Lovvorn, Executive Pastor of Operations, First Baptist Dallas

“You want your church to Thrive?  If so, pay attention to the little things.  They add up to big impact!  Greg can help your church become more effective in just one visit!” – Dr. John Jackson, who at the time was Executive Director, Thriving Churches International and Executive Pastor at Bayside Church and is now the President of William Jessup University

“It is easy to get lost in the day-to-day operations of the church and not see some of the glaring issues you may have in your church. Greg has the unique ability to look at the church from a “first-time guest” perspective and communicate with you that experience. His insights were invaluable.” – Scott Wilson, Lead Pastor, The Oaks Fellowship, Red Oak, Texas

“We recently had the privilege of having Greg Atkinson “Secret Shop” our Sunday morning services at NorthStar.  After sitting through our review of his experience, we found his insights not only helpful but super beneficial as we try to create a great experience for guests on Sunday mornings!  He helped us identify some of our “blind spots” and there is no doubt we will be better in the future because of his time with us!  There is no doubt, NorthStar will be a better place because of our time spent with Greg! Thanks, Greg!” – Mike Linch, Senior Pastor, NorthStar Church, Kennesaw, GA

“Our mission within Guest Services is to provide an outstanding experience from “The Street to the Seat.”  Greg provided us invaluable feedback as he experienced what our guests experience.  Greg provided us a comprehensive assessment and was then able to articulate the impacts to our Senior Pastor and leadership.  I have no doubt that his assessment will improve our guest experience for years to come.” – Mark Nuaimi, Sr. Staff Director of Operations – Guest Services & Assimilation, Water of Life Community Church, Fontana CA

“We used Greg Atkinson as a “secret shopper” just before we launched a multi-site and church planting initiative. We wanted to make sure we had a “third” eye to make sure our processes and systems were in place and would be transferable. We wanted an experienced, non-biased, and honest assessment of our services, staff, facilities, and atmosphere. Greg was a tremendous asset in our process. We gained great insight and discovered some things we were doing right and some things that needed improvement. We would recommend that any church needing a consultant that is informed and talented, use Greg.” – Artie Davis, Lead Pastor, Cornerstone Community Church, Orangeburg, SC and Director of the Sticks Conference

“Greg’s approach is thorough and holistic.  From the conversations before the visit to the detailed report following, you can tell Greg knows what he is doing and that he cares deeply for the local church.  Our weekend services benefited a great deal from his critical feedback and observations.” – Ted Vaughn, Consultant, and Chief Creative Officer, The Rock Church, San Diego, CA

“Greg Atkinson “secret shopped” our church recently.  His subsequent insights into our situation confirmed some things we knew needed to change and opened our eyes to consider other changes, some of which were significant.  His extensive experience with the Church around the country, his up-to-the-minute understanding of Church practices and his kingdom mentality have helped us refocus our dollars and our future plans for the campus.  I’m grateful to God for Greg—he’s become a consultant to us and friend to me.  I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone who needs a keen set of outside eyes to look inside your organization.” – Mike Honeycutt, Senior Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rock Hill, SC

“Greg’s visit was exactly what we were looking for. I was impressed by how insightful and accurate his insight was considering he had never previously been to our church. He not only gave his careful observations but helped us think about the right strategic questions to ask as we move forward. I could list four or five changes we are implementing right now because of his feedback. This was money very well spent and we would recommend him highly.” – Rob Sweet, Teaching Pastor, Grace Fellowship Church, Johnson City, TN

“Because we only see our church services from the perspective of “I like it this way,” we often miss out on how others may like to see church. Unless you get an expert that knows what an effective service, children’s department, and worship experience should look like, you may never find what it is that brings in and holds the community. Greg Atkinson has that kind of experience. Invest in your church by having Greg share his insights with you and your staff.” – Billy Hornsby, Former President of ARC (Association of Related Churches)

ENDORSEMENTS OF GREG’S STAFF TRAINING AND SEMINARS:

“Thanks, Greg!  Your seminar was great.  Our staff really enjoyed your insights. I appreciate you very much.  Your expertise is a gift to the Church.” – Rick Muchow, Worship Pastor, Saddleback Church

“Greg Atkinson is a gifted communicator, but his communication skills go far beyond what you hear. Greg’s creative eye, relevant perspective, and technical skill enable him to provide other communicators with tools to deliver their message.  Greg understands the heart of the Christian mission and helps to present the message of the gospel in a way that is clear, moving and life-changing.   It’s worth your time to spend some time with Greg.” – Dr. David H. McKinley, Teaching Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church

“The weekend with Greg was exactly what my team needed.  It gave us a chance to sit down with Greg and his team to talk through current processes and dream.  It quickly revealed some gaps in our ministry and his team gave us a fresh and clearer direction.  We covered too much for me to list it all.   Some of the topics were regarding volunteer structure, leadership recruitment, connection cards, and best practices.  We grew in our time together as a team and walked away with clear goals to set for the next year.  I cannot recommend this enough!” – Heather Wooten, Connections Team Lead, Forest Hill Church

“Great gathering.” “Inspiring speaker.” “Information so helpful it made my head spin and my heart leap.” “We want him in our church.” “I’ve got to go back to my church and rethink everything we do to show hospitality to first-time guests.” These are just some of the comments we heard when Greg came and spoke with our pastors and staff members. People have used his secret shopper book, ordered multiple copies, and we will have him back.” – George Bullard, Director, Columbia Metro Baptist Associaton, South Carolina

Endorsements Of Greg’s Ministry In General

“Greg is one of the brightest, most insightful leaders I know. His knowledge of what is happening in churches around the country in worship and the arts, and in the church in general, is unmatched. Greg’s creativity and ability to think outside the box are a huge asset to any organization he works with. And his love and passion for the local church motivate everything he does. Greg built a thriving technical arts ministry for our church, and also led the transition to a 3300-seat state-of-the-art auditorium with a flawless transition from our old space.” – Scott Dyer, Worship Pastor, Bent Tree Bible Fellowship

“Greg is one of the most influential behind-the-scenes leaders to the Church for authentic worship and practical management. Greg has a pastor’s spirit of encouragement and transparency.” – Rex Miller, Author, and Speaker

“Greg Atkinson has been helping the Church engage the culture for years and he’s making a significant impact. In the digital age, when I need advice, I look for Greg Atkinson.” – Phil Cooke, President and Creative Director – Cooke Pictures

“Greg Atkinson has his hand on the pulse beat of worship.  He’s creative, innovative, and most importantly loves the Lord Jesus and is humble and meek.  I love his ideas and how he wants to serve the Church. I wholeheartedly endorse him and his ministry.” – Kim G. Noblitt, G3 Worship Music & Worship Pastor, FBC Springdale, AR