Greeting visitors at church is such an important part of the hospitality ministry of the church.
Church Greeters are part of the ministry team and form part of the first impression that a visitor receives.
Failures of Church Greeter
I know of a couple that quit going to church 40 years ago because no one said hello.
Another man told me his own story here: “No One Said Hello.”
Check out some of these Church Greeter Fail Tweets:
- Just remembered a greeter at church slipped me a note with his number in it. I guess I have to be polite…call & let him down easy.
- You’re a greeter at church, but you don’t like people? Why?
- Nothing like being a church greeter then having shaken hands w/someone who tells you about their hospitalization for an intestinal bug.
The Impact of Church Greeters
However, my tutor told me her story of welcome in a church — the welcome that she received changed her life. She found Christ because people accepted her.
Greeting people as they enter the facility is more than a handshake and a smile.
It is an opportunity to express God’s love through Christ and help set the tone of the upcoming worship service.
Church Greeters have more impact than they think.
10 Awesome Tips for Church Greeters
Here are 10 tips for greeters. Remember, it’s more than a handshake. Feel free to share this list as long as you link back to this page.
- Smile.
- Fresh breath.
- Make eye contact
- Take initiative and greet.
- Don’t ask “Are you new?”
- Don’t ask “Is this your first time?”
- Offer a bulletin if your church uses them.
- Personal warmth — look like you enjoy welcoming people.
- Say “I don’t think I’ve met you yet, I’m {insert your name here}”
- If they are new, offer to show them where the restrooms are and offer information about childcare if necessary.
EvangelismCoach Resources for Church Greeters:
I’ve written a book for leaders of church greeter ministry. Click on these links to read more (at Amazon).
- Church Greeters 101 in Paperback
- Church Greeters 101 for Kindle
- 2 DVD Combo Set of Greeter Training DVDs from the store.
- Also, see this tutorial on fixing your greeter ministry.
Video Version
Let me ask you this?
What advice would you give those in your church to greet visitors?
What do your greeters do that make a visit special?
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Those are good points for greeters.
Russ:)
Do you also have any good pictures of greeters at the entrance to a church, especially a Presbyterian Church (USA)?
I do not have a website. Sorry.
As i started to read he articles ,i must say i have learnt so many things that i never thought about,in our church we don’t have greeters,but i can see the point of having them and this points are great
Thank you dear Chris for having put the effort to bless us and encourage us to do this hospitality ministry to those who visit the churches we are pasturing. The only problem that I got with video # 1, the sound wasn’t clear it had waves
in it and it was off and on. It was very hard to comprehend Otherwise thank you so much. Looking forward and remembering you in prayer. God bless you. Hope to use those materials to train church greeters. Pastor Christopher B. Kl’a Ug