What to Say to Church Visitors: Examples and Conversation Starters for Greeters

How often have you heard this excuse for not having church greeters?

Greeting church visitors is every one’s responsibility.

However, you know this doesn’t always get done.

Thus, many churches have organized greeting teams to serve for a few weeks in a row, and I can almost guarantee that some of your your new volunteers may not be sure what to say to church visitors.

In my experience, sometimes people who are recruited as church greeters may not be sure exactly what to say or how to give a greeting.  Read: 20 Crazy Things Church Greeters Say.

You’ll need to find ways to improve the greeting ministry of your church.

My friend Was A New Volunteer

For example, a personal friend of mine was asked to serve as a front door greeter at the 9am service the next day.

She had never served as a church greeter before.

Hear what she said to me:

• I did not want to say no.
• I wanted to serve and do good.
• Instantly, I felt awkward and nervous.
• Would I mess up?
• Would I embarrass myself or my church, or the church visitor?
• I couldn’t rest well that night.
• I was nervous and wanted to do a good job.
• What could I say to the group of 200 people walking in through this door?

Your Greeters Might be Nervous

It can be a little embarrassing to say “I don’t know how to do this” so in the privacy of their own home, they search the Internet for

• “How to say a welcome to a church visitor”
• “Welcome Scripts for Church Guests”
• “Greetings to 1st time visitors at church”
• “A word of welcome for church visitors”
• “How to Say the Welcome Greeting at a church“
• “Words of welcome to/for church visitors”
• “What to say to welcome visitors in a church”
• “How to greet visitors at church”
• “How to say a welcome to visitors at church”
• “Tips on welcoming First timers in Church”
• “Welcome address to visitors in Church.”
• “Church Welcome Address to Visitors.”
• “Examples of church greetings”
• “Church greeter phrases”

This list above comes from my search logs just in the past 3 days.

So let me share some possible starting scripts that you can use yourself, or develop more fully into a resource you can use at your church.

If you are a church greeting coordinator, perhaps you might want to consider giving a script to your new greeters.  Once people say something a few times, they might feel the liberty to relax and put their own flavor to it.

You can give your new greeter permission to mess up.  Consider these as guidance to offer them. When volunteers admit they feel awkward, remind them church hospitality is not performance. It’s about presence. A simple “good morning” said warmly is often enough to open a door for conversation later.

At the Door: Simple One-Line Greetings

Sample one line greetings for parking lot or entry greeters or for your members to say in a hallway:

Welcome to [church name] this morning!

God bless you.

We’re glad you are here this morning.

Glad to see you this morning!

Welcome Home!

I’ve not met you yet!  Welcome.

Coach’s tip: Encourage greeters to find a line that fits their own personality. Authentic beats rehearsed every time.

From the Front: Words of Welcome During the Service

During the worship service, the leader can say something like the following to welcome visitors.

We are glad that you are here with us this morning.

If this is your first or second Sunday with us, we are grateful that you have come to be with us this morning.  It is our hope that you experience the love of Christ this morning and His presence during our worship.

If your church does the passing of the peace handshake ritual, the worship leader can go on to say this to help the church greet visitors (See #5 in this list of 10 practices to welcome church visitors).

Get up, turn and greet someone that you’ve not met yet. Shake their hand, introduce yourself, and take a few moments to welcome them to God’s house.

See more tips at How to Say the Welcome Greeting at a church.

Want your greeters to make every guest feel at home? Download 7 Secrets to Great Hospitality — a free guide to help you train a welcoming team.

After the Service: Starting Conversations with Guests

During the fellowship reception time after the service, church members can be encouraged to look out for and intentionally greet people they haven’t met.

I have find it helpful to break the ice and initiate the conversation by saying:

“I’ve not met you yet.  I’m Chris.”

With that, I offer my hand to shake and I continue with a conversation.

Follow up: 20 Blunders in Welcoming Church Visitors.

Real Church Greeter Phrases Shared by Others

I asked some peers in some of my networking groups:

Is there something more Church greeters can say than “Good morning?”

What are some of your suggestions? Please comment on site and join the discussion.

Here were some of the answers:

Here are some responses from my the groups:

Steve: I like to get high fives from all the kids…it wakes them up a little and gets the parents smiling. Also, I’m starting to have custom t-shirts made to spark conversations. “Where are you serving?”. “Ask me how to become a member”, etc. Anything that might strike up a conversation when they stop to read the shirt. Of course, the best thing I have found is really getting to know people and greeting them by name. Recognizing when they haven’t been attending regularly, when their spouse might not be there, that someone was sick the previous Sunday. Just a few ideas that seem to work well for me.

Gregory: Many times we don’t see things from the visitor’s perspective so we say the wrong thing, or we do not say anything at all. The article reminds us of the need to be intentional in our training for real ministry in the church. The fact that a visitor forms an impression of the church in the first minutes that he is on the campus is indicative of the help Chris has been to all of us.

Rick: We have a very small parish (approximately 30 active members) and it’s obvious when someone new comes to visit. Often, the pastor will actively introduce them but usually by then, at least half the congregation has already talked to them.

Lani: Here’s what we say at Abundant Life Ministries in Waikoloa, Hawaii: “Aloha-Welcome, great to have you with us today!” Hi I”m ________________, what’s your name? Where you from? How did you hear about us?

Victor: Welcome. Thank you for coming. Enjoy the service. How can I help or direct you? God bless you. And yes, good morning works well. Above all, be welcoming and genuinely loving.

Steve: Before worship service I would walk through the sanctuary greeting everyone, shaking hands, making conversation. With visitors, I would recognize that they were new or a church usher would let me know. I would talk with you and connect with someone nearby who offer to help them navigate the service and accompany them to coffee afterwards. Several parishioners were designated and trained to greet/meet visitors.

Clive: I would tell new visitors my name & ask them theirs,tell them about our Church & ask them about themselves. No set words but it is good to be friendly & take a genuine interest in all folks at Church including new visitors, not to just be a clique with the friends you know. As Steve says some new visitors won’t want to say much but still be friendly & make sure they know they are very welcome & where they do show interest make sure they are aware of other Church Groups,Events & Activities which they would be very welcome to attend.

Steve: Last Sunday, I was manning my post, out front greeting folks as they came in, and some 1st time visitors came up. I knew they were 1st timers since they parked in the designated visitors parking spaces (convenient for me!) and I didn’t recognize them. As they walked up, I greeted them and introduced myself and asked what brought them to our church that morning. I then gave them a quick rundown of who we are and the basic layout of the place (we meet in a school auditorium), then invited them to our New Connections dinner we have once a month-ish that we use to connect new people to the Elders and staff. But…I have found some visitors don’t want to talk. They are coming as an obligation to someone else or something, so I just try and read their body language and know that there are some that will not respond to me but will prayerfully, respond to the Holy Spirit while in service. Just a few thoughts. I take Sunday morning greeting very seriously! :)

A Greeter Who Made It Personal

A pastor has a Sunday off. He visits another church and wrote about his experience. (Link Lost). What captured me was the same that captured him — an informal greeter — who said something entirely different.

The best part of Watermark, however, was the guy sitting to my right.

He came in, with his Full-Throttle caffeinated beverage – and in the meet and greet time asked if we were new.

Later, after the service, he asked us how we liked it and then he said this; “I have been coming for a year and a half and Jesus has changed my life through this place.”

He had a little of the ‘other side of the tracks’ look to him – and he then proceeded to offer me his mini-testimony and God showed up. This guy was real, and through Christ, changed. Like his church he was simple, transparent, and as a redeemed sinner more Biblical perhaps than he knew.

This wasn’t the polished and trained greeter, but rather someone who took the initiative to say hello and give a small story.  Do you have greeters like this?

Train Your Church Greeters to Feel Confident

A greeter’s words matter less than their tone. If they’re unsure what to say, try short roleplays during your next greeter meeting. Practice introducing themselves, giving directions, or asking simple questions like “How did you hear about us?”

For those of us who have been doing welcome ministry a long time, this kind of confidence building may seem natural, or perhaps even basic. But, based on my search logs for my website and the search ideas that bring people here, know that such skills are sought after online.

Read more in Improve Your Greeter Ministry.

Find other ways to improve the greeting ministry of your church.

More Real-Life Situations:

• What to Say to Latecomers to Church
• What to Say to Returning Church Members
• Conversational Questions for Church Greeters
• 20 Crazy Church Greeter Comments

Special thoughts for Ministry Leaders

You could develop this list more fully into a resource you can use at your church.

If you are the person responsible for the church greeters ministry, consider giving this list of statements your new greeters.

Once your welcome volunteers say something a few times, they will relax and put their own flavor to it.  Help them find a starting point.

Also, give your new greeter permission to mess up.

Finally, encourage the church greeters to pray before serving, asking God for wisdom at the moment.

Your Turn: What Do You Say to Church Visitors?

Every church develops its own rhythm of greeting guests. The key is helping people feel known and valued.

• What phrases or questions have worked best in your church?
• What things do you say to greet visitors to your church? 

Add your thoughts below. Your example might encourage another greeter team to take that next step toward hospitality.

Reignite Your First Impressions Ministry

We all want our church visitors to come back. But to get that to happen you need to improve your first impression ministries.

But where do you start?

Get these 7 Secrets to Effective Church Hospitality to give you starting points and ideas that you can implement this weekend.

Download it now

Photo Credit: Roswell_UMC via cc  original photo lost

Editors Note: First published in 2008, updated in 2015, 2018, and again in 2025 to reflect further searches and to merge in a few related pieces that no longer needed their own spot.