5 Top Tips for Being a Welcoming Church
Helen Thorne | Aug. 18, 2011
We all want our churches to be places where people feel at home. But in the busy-ness of the average Sunday morning it’s all too easy to let newcomers wander in and out without any meaningful interaction taking place. So here are our top 5 tips to help you welcome visitors to your congregation:
- People who are primed
When you walk into a new church there’s nothing worse than being ignored! It’s great to have people on the door greeting visitors with a smile. And it’s even better to have others who give out books and show people to their seats. But what’s really needed is an ethos of welcome ... a whole congregation primed to look out for new people and willing to put aside conversations with their friends to go and be with those who are looking lost.
Priorities that are gospel-centred
While it is very convenient to be able to sort out rotas and agendas after the morning service, it’s more important to be showing the love of God to others. People trump paperwork! So be willing to put off the bureaucracy until Monday and focus on having encouraging conversations ... maybe even invite visitors to lunch.
Packs that are clear
It’s useful to be able to put a welcome pack into a visitor’s hand – something that will help them get a feel for who’s who and what the church is all about. So why not buy some plastic wallets and in them place: a welcome letter from the church leadership; details of the next evangelistic course and social event; a response card on which people can request further information and maybe something fun like a bar of chocolate?
Posters that help people navigate
Churches, especially larger ones, can be complete rabbit warrens. So make sure each room is well signposted so visitors don’t get lost!
Pop-round ethos
Once someone has taken the huge step of coming to your church, do make the effort to contact them. Whether it’s a hand-written note through their door, an email or a visit, make sure they know that you enjoyed having them with you and would love to see them again.
