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The Ministry Wife

Welcome to Father’s House, Part 2

A Practical Guide for Taking the First-time Guest from the Door to the Core

By Arlene Patterson

How do you take a first-time guest from the door to the core?

A multifaceted hospitality ministry can include but is not limited to:

Parking Lot Attendants

These people greet guests as they get out of their cars, assist with umbrellas in inclement weather and in some churches provide valet parking or a shuttle service.

Greeters, Hosts and Hostesses

Greeters, hosts and hostesses need to be at every door each service. A major difference between a greeter and a host or hostess is the greeter never leaves the door. The host or hostess stands several feet behind the greeter and takes guests where they need to go—the sanctuary, nursery or a Sunday School class. They should always escort guests. Never give verbal directions and expect guests to find their own way. Walking with your guests is an excellent way to get to know them better.

Sanctuary Door Greeters

Sanctuary door greeters are necessary in case people were not greeted at the door when they entered the building. These greeters can also help the ushers find comfortable seats for guests or regular attendees. Some large churches have five or six doors leading into the sanctuary, making a sanctuary door greeter indispensable.

Ushers

The usher ministry can be challenging. Excellence and professionalism are important. We need dedicated, trained people who view this ministry as a crucial public relations role.

Dial-a-Visitor

Dial-a-Visitor is a telephone ministry. A trained member of your laity calls each local visitor within 24 hours of his or her visit. If possible, these calls should be made Sunday afternoon to invite the visitor back for the Sunday evening service. This makes a huge statement to the visitor who just left your church a few hours before. This is not a theological call, but rather a “thank you for being our guest for worship this morning.”

Letters

On Monday, a letter from the senior pastor is mailed to every guest who filled out the guest register. Enclosed in that letter are two items: First-Timer Response Card and a printed invitation to the Newcomers Class.

Newcomers Class

This is a 45-minute review of the church’s ministries. This includes Sunday School classes, service times, youth and children’s programs and outreach ministries. The Newcomers Class is taught each Sunday as a Sunday School class. An announcement about the purpose and location of this class is mentioned in the bulletin each Sunday. Staff pastors, the senior pastor and deacons drop by this class to meet guests. Refreshments are served and each guest receives a gift. The probability that these people will join the church rises considerably as a result of attending the class because they now:

• understand the mission of the church
• know what Sunday School class or small group they want to visit
• are personally introduced to many of the pastoral staff and leadership.

Several couples can alternate hosting this class so the same couple is not hosting every Sunday. Hosts need to be professional and have a good understanding of the facilities and the ministries of the church.

Coffee with the Pastor

Coffee with the pastor is held once a quarter. This works well following a Sunday evening service. The entire church staff and deacons with their families share a time of food, fellowship and introductions. This is a time for newcomers, staff and the leadership of the church to get better acquainted. The hospitality ministry of the church is all about building relationships.

Hospitality Center

The hospitality center should be manned before, during and following services. Guests will gravitate to the center for information. Having a phone at the hospitality center is a plus and greatly aids the congregation when there is an emergency.

Dinners for Eight

This ministry of hospitality is held in the homes of your regular attendees. Newcomers are invited to participate. The meetings can take place four to six times a year depending on the groups’ preferences.

Fifth Sunday Fellowships

Fifth Sunday fellowships are held each month that has five Sundays and are hosted by a different adult Sunday School class each time. This gathering provides time for fellowship between regular members and newcomers. Remember, the regular, faithful members of your congregation need fellowship as much as the guests.

Family or Benevolence Meals

Meals are provided for families in bereavement, with serious illnesses, or who have had surgeries. This ministry to the entire church falls under the hospitality ministry.

Offsprings of Church Hospitality

Family Spotlight

Have a five-minute segment on Sunday evenings to spotlight a family. Use new families, established families and singles.

Hospitality Coordinator

Have a hospitality coordinator for each adult Sunday School class. This frees the teacher from becoming a social director.

Operation Blessing

Operation Blessing is a ministry to help the needy and train workers to help with Convoy of Hope, a local mission or a homeless shelter.

Designated Seating

Designate areas in the sanctuary for hosts to sit and watch for newcomers. Choir members can scout the audience for new people while they sit in the choir loft and make a concentrated effort to greet them immediately following the service.

Everyone in the church needs to be taught to become a self-appointed greeter, and not to assume someone else greeted a newcomer. Your warm and sincere greeting to a person who is feeling down may be the catalyst that brings a victory into their life.

Welcome Wagon

A Welcome Wagon can be used for the church as a whole. The youth can take part in this ministry. Members of the Welcome Wagon take a small gift to the home of a newcomer. These gifts can be cookies, a devotional book, a telephone-address book or a video of your church ministries. Include information in the packet about hospitals, doctors, dentists, grocery stores, drivers license information, a map of the city (free at the local chamber of commerce) and other information a new resident needs.

Adopt-a-Student

The Adopt-a-Student program works great in a college town. Springfield, Missouri, has seven colleges. Churches in this town try hard to be the students’ home away from home.

Adopt-a-Grandparent

I recently read about a church that has an Adopt-a-Grandparent program for senior adults who do not have family in town.

Hospitality for a church never ends if we are interested in building relationships. Hospitality in your church starts with you and your leadership and a passion to reach and keep your community and world for Jesus. When a congregation truly understands the meaning of Christian hospitality and puts it into action, it is amazing what this ministry will do to strengthen the body of Christ.

As you develop this ministry, people will invite their friends, neighbors and coworkers to come to church and experience what God is doing in your services. When these guests come, greet them in the parking lots, at the doors, sit with them in church, walk them to the altar and pray with them for their needs and situations.

May the hospitality ministry of your church be filled with people who radiate the love of Jesus. And on each Lord’s Day, may we be present, willing and trained to be servants for Him in His house so we can joyfully say to every person who enters, “Welcome to Father’s house.”