This week I have been writing about what helps churches grow and some of the things that churches do to hinder growth. I've been comparing new churches that seem to grow and existing churches that are often stuck at a plateau they haven't been able to escape for some time. Today I want to focus on church hospitality and its affects the growth of a church.
When I served as an Area Minister for our denomination I was in a different church almost every week. I witnessed some excellent examples of church hospitality, and I saw examples of churches that seemed almost intentional in running off new people. More than once my wife and I were totally ignored by congregations despite it being obvious we had never been there before. In another example, an older man turned to me before a service and asked who the person was I had been talking to. When I told him that he was the pastor the older gentleman said it was his first time to be in that church and he wondered who the pastor was. The pastor never spoke to him but called me the next day to say that he didn't think his church was very hospitable to new people. You can imagine his response when I told him how he had ignored the guest sitting in front of me the day before. This was not such a big church that new people could be missed.
The first rule of church hospitality is to view your first-time guests as guests, not as visitors. A visitor is someone who shows up unexpectedly. A guest is someone you are expecting. You are expecting new people to attend your church aren't you? A visitor is someone you may not have been prepared to see. A guest is someone you prepared for. You are prepared for guests aren't you? If you're not expecting guests and you haven't prepared for them, why do you think God would send any your way?
If someone decides to attend church for the first time they have dozens of options. Most likely, there are several churches between their home and your location. God can send them to any of these churches. Is He more likely to send them to a church that is expecting them and prepared to receive them or to one who isn't expecting them and isn't prepared for them? One reason many churches do not see more guests is that they are not prepared for them.
Growing churches expect to see first-time guests every Sunday, and they are prepared for them. People have been trained to welcome them and help them become familiar with the church and the building. During their time at the church they are likely to meet several people who will make them feel welcomed. There are abundant signs throughout the church showing people the location of bathrooms, classrooms and other spaces. Often, there is a welcome center than is manned by greeters who can answer their questions and give them informational resources about the church. Contrast this with walking into a church building where no one speaks to you, you're not sure where to sit, where the bathrooms are or where your small children should go, and no one speaks to you when you leave after the service. Which church are you likely to return to?
We'll address church hospitality more tomorrow.
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