If I were new to your community, how many churches would I pass from my house to your church? One, two—ten? What would make me stop at your church instead of the one down the street?

Our culture has changed, and with it our ties to traditional churches have loosened. First impressions count more than ever to people who might be looking for a church. While you can't easily change the exterior of your building, you could transform the impression it makes on passersby by adding a bit more "curb appeal."

Heart Talk
The term curb appeal, which comes out of real estate, describes the impact a piece of property has on a potential buyer who looks at it from the street. "Curb appeal comes from the head and the heart," says Leon Aalberts, a real estate agent who serves as associate pastor of Oswego Presbyterian Church in Illinois. "When people buy houses, their head says that it has to have a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms and be in a certain price range. Their heart says what it looks like when they drive up and see the picket fence or the geraniums on the front porch."

The same is true for a church. A church can appeal to the intellect by its location or denomination, but its appearance is what will appeal to the heart. The condition of the building, the landscaping, and the signs (or lack thereof) can make the difference between a church that welcomes visitors or gets ignored. Curb appeal is not about tricks; it's about removing barriers that discourage people from coming inside your church where they can experience your true ministry.

Facial Grooming
Short of rebuilding your church facade, you can do a lot to improve it by simply spiffing it up. "Curb appeal for a church means the same thing it does for anyone else: a clean, pleasant appearance consistent with what people expect to see at their residences and at their work," says David Engleman, chairman of the building committee at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Marietta, Georgia.

His committee made a concentrated effort to increase Mt. Zion's curb appeal. Over the years, the church had added new buildings in masonry of different sizes and colors. Because a consistent look is more pleasing to the eye, the committee decided to top all of the buildings with the same roofing material. The front of the church was altered a bit—the sanctuary was extended by five feet and a brick facade was installed on the chapel entrance—resulting in similar shapes and forms among buildings. The church was also painted to disguise masonry differences. And its parking lots were resurfaced.

Beyond a fresh coat of paint and a well maintained building, small touches like a floral or grapevine wreath hanging on the main door and shiny doorknobs at all entrances can generate good feelings about your church before visitors even set foot in the sanctuary.

The Right Setting
A weed-infested, scraggly lawn and untrimmed trees won't help your church's curb appeal, no matter how much effort you put into the building.

"Visitors will notice whether or not your grass is green before they notice whether you have azaleas or dwarf yaupons," says Julia Hinkle, project manager at Lifescapes, Inc., a worldwide landscape architecture and contracting firm headquartered in Canton, Georgia. "But you do want bulbs coming out at Easter and a variety of flowers all year long to keep people's attention."

Landscaping is more than just planting flowers. It can also be used to direct traffic flow. This is especially important at a church where everyone comes in the same set of doors at about the same time. "You need to guide them in the right direction with proper use of walkways and signs," says Hinkle.

Churches need to plan for more recreational space than traditional commercial properties do. "Churches are 100 percent people spaces. People are walking around every inch of a church," Hinkle says. "They need space for picnics and courtyards for meditations or Bible study meetings."

Hinkle recommends that churches include such outdoor gathering spaces in a master plan drawn up for them by a landscape architect. "They need to put together a five-year plan for landscape enhancement, looking at what areas will deteriorate in that time," she says.

A landscape architect can also help with practical decisions such as the placement of handicapped parking or ramps. These additions may determine whether your church is friendly or forbidden to physically challenged guests.

St. Thomas of Aquinas Catholic Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, recently did such a master plan. Situated on 19 long, narrow acres, the church's only spot for additional parking space was at the back of the property. To make a long walk seem short, the architect advised creating a garden between the parking lot and the church. Trees, flowers, plants, and rocks help quiet people and put them in a mood to worship says Mary Ellen Macke, business manager. In addition, the flowers are reminders of the liturgical season. "We use gold, purple, and white pansies for Lent; gold and white for Easter, and special plants for Christmas," Macke says.

A Clear Signal
When Anna Lee Hisey-Pierson went for an interview to Neighborhood Church of the Brethren in Montgomery, Illinois, she drove past the church, thinking it was an apartment building. When she became pastor, she tried to make the church more inviting.

She had the church install a large sign with the church's logo on a high-traffic corner of the property. At each entrance, additional signs were placed to welcome visitors to the church. Lighting made the signs visible at night.

First Things First
There are so many ways in which to improve the curb appeal of your church that you might feel overwhelmed. Begin by concentrating on the side of your church that is most visible to passersby. Work on improving that. Then move on to less-visible areas till every side of your church welcomes people inside.

If you would really like to know how your church looks to newcomers, pair up with a church in a distant but similar community. On an appointed day, visit the other church while its members visit yours. Make notes, then get together and compare your results. Then work on the suggestions. The efforts could reap eternal rewards.

"The expenditures toward curb appeal add a dimension of beauty, and at church, beauty is part of what we celebrate," Aalberts says. Curb appeal can communicate that your church is a caring place, which in turn can stimulate people to be more active in church.

That's what people at St. Thomas Aquinas discovered. Minor changes on the outside of the church resulted in major changes on the inside. Macke attributes a growth in attendance and an 18 percent increase in contributions mostly to the church's new landscape setting. Now that's an investment that makes a good impression!

This article originally appeared in Your Church magazine.