As the author, I get to hear various reasons why people buy How to Welcome Church Visitors.
Why they are looking to improve their hospitality ministry in their church?
- Fear that someone 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.â€
Results not guaranteed
How’s that for a shocker.
The risk is assuming that the “how to†inside this book is a formula that will guarantee the results.
“If I perfect the system, I’ll get the results. .. â€
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.
Church’s come in different sizes, shapes, local cultures, and different theological traditions. What works in one, may not work in another context.
For example, a personal visit to the house 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 build relationship.
The goal is relationship.
The goal of your hospitality is to facilitate emotional and relational connections with the church family.
The goal of your greeting and hospitality ministry is to remove easy barriers to making that happen.
It is 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, the principle of it all.
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.
