Hospitality and the Next Steps
How We Move From Visitor to Involved
One church with a growing modern worship service had a declared “policy” that the last two rows of the sanctuary were reserved for first-time visitors. You could only sit back there if you were visiting for the first or second time. So before service began twice a month a band member or one of the college students with a big smile would tell people that if they need to move up two pews so everyone could free up the back two pews for visitors.
I have told this story for 15 years. Church people give the stink eye to this idea. The key is it worked in that church community. It was fun. It encouraged the idea that it took only 2 visits to now be part of the fun that was Sunday worship.
Stink eye is a common response to suggesting that a Sunday worship be known as fun. As if the God of waterfalls, grouper fish, bungee jumping, rabbits, and the smell of babies is not fun. This God is fun and so much more.
Not all worship services need to be fun. All churches should be filled with the hospitality that brings people from first-time visitors to an active part of the church community.
Integrating New People into the Community
How do we integrate visitors into our spiritual community?
Here are five easy entry-level things your church can try:
Become a congregation that wears their nametags and offers free nametags to anyone who wants them - of any age.
Use a common hallway to post pics of the community and change the pics twice a month so you can include pics of new people (with permission).
Twice a month invite anyone who would like to get a weekly text link to a “5 Things to Know at Trinity This Week” page to text to this link to be connected.
On Sundays with a bake sale or pancake breakfast, make sure your core members are looking for people at worship to invite back to enjoy these church events.
When doing a Major League Baseball game or broadway touring show have three couples/single people who want to be the “host” for new families/single people who may sign up. Advertise that these people are here to help new people enjoy the event.
What is Joining?
Let us be aware that lots of people want to be integrated into your faith community who have real reservations about joining the church. Have an alternate step available. So new people can choose to join the church membership or join the church community.
Define what being a part of the community is. Let people join whichever feels best for them. Lots of people don’t want to join the membership but do want to be a part of the community.
What about Stewardship?
Have stewardship education be included in the class for joining the community and for joining the membership. I have seen lifetime attendees who give, serve, teach, and learn, but will never join the membership of the church. Let’s give these people an informal way of integrating with the body of the church.
The Welcome
When the new members join the church or join the community find fun ways to celebrate this. You can do it all together or on separate Sundays. If you choose different Sundays have it in different months so it doesn’t feel like a lesser joining.
One church used a welcome breakfast for all the elder/deacons and families and the new members. A pastor would speak a brief welcome and the leader of the welcome would speak. But most of the time was eating and the introduction of the new people by the host who would walk with them for the first year of their new church membership or church community.
In Conclusion
Integrating new people into the life of a congregation can be difficult if the congregation sees this as a pastoral responsibility. Or if they see it as someone else’s responsibility. We all create a welcoming place. We all contribute to an accepting and friendly congregation.
What ideas does your church have for living out Christian hospitality? Add these ideas in the comments, please.