As the author, I get to hear various reasons why people buy my book on church hospitality, How to Welcome Church Visitors.
Why are church hospitality committees (Read: What do Church Hospitality Committees do?) looking to improve their hospitality ministry in their church by buying my book?
- Fear that a visitor to their church will come a few times and still not feel welcome.
- Fear that a church visitor will be overlooked.
- Fear that a first time church visitors will not welcomed because of the actions of untrained church greeters.
- Fear that their church greeters will be too overzealous and drive visitors away.
Readers find that these fears are calmed somewhat by this practical “how to book.”
In it they find over 60 practical hospitality ideas for new church visitors and how to organize their church hospitality.
Results not guaranteed
You might be thinking – If I buy your book, will I see results?
Yes, but with qualification.
The risk is assuming that the church hospitality ideas found inside this book are a formula that will guarantee the results.
“If I perfect the system, I’ll get the results. .. ”
That’s flawed thinking.
This thinking might work for weight loss, making money on line or fixing your golf swing, but not building your church.
Churches come in different sizes, shapes, local cultures, and different theological traditions.
Hospitality ideas in the church may works in one place, but the same church hospitality idea may not work in another context.
For example, a personal visit to the home of a first time visitor that Sunday afternoon, unannounced, may still work in some places, but would be considered intrusive in others.
Identifying visitors by making them stand up, wear a visitor badge, or sign a guest book might work in some places, but fail miserably in others. (By the way, I don’t recommend any of these ideas).
The point is, technique doesn’t automatically build relationship.
The goal of your hospitality is a second visit
The goal of your church hospitality ministry is to facilitate emotional and relational connections with the church family.
The goal of your greeting ministry is to remove easy barriers to making that happen.
Hospitality ministries are one of many pieces – ministry events, small groups, etc — to help that process happen.
Techniques help, but if your congregation isn’t truly friendly to your guests, you still won’t get the result you are looking for — growth.
Think of the goal first.
Then work backwards and ask yourself –
- Does this hospitality practice help or hinder that goal?
- What additional practices can we do to facilitate relational connections with the congregation?
Order your copy of How to Welcome Church Visitors.
2 Keys for Reaching a City for Christ
Thanks for this article. You made it clear. It is about relationships. As a goal oriented person you made clear to me that the goal always has to be the real relationship and to deliver real value through this relationship to other people