Friday, August 26, 2016

Hospitality Ministry (Introduction)

Hospitality Ministry 
(Also known as Greeters Ministry)

God has called His followers “as they are going” to take the gospel with them, Matthew 28:18-20. At the same time, we read in 1 Corinthians 14:23-24 and James 2:2-4 about how unbelievers may come into the assembly and have an impression of God. We are representing God at all times and we can constant learn how to improve our impression for our creator. At every assembly we have precious opportunities to share God's love through our words and actions because we are the body of Christ.

 

You are a "somebody"
Sometimes you hear that "nobody is doing anything" and we call attention to the "somebodies" who are representing our Creator. Sometimes God put's an impression on a Christian's heart that says, "somebody" needs to welcome or serve a guest or Christian. God loves "somebody" and you are a great somebody. Thanks for being the somebody who represents God well.

Did we have any first-time Guests attend last Sunday or today? How many have we had the past month…the past year? Those Guests were God’s gift to us. How did we receive them? Did we show God our appreciation for these gifts? Did we treat those gifts as they deserved to be treated by having a plan in place to integrate them into the body of Christ, or did we just say a quick thank you and move on? Not one of these Guests showed up at our doorstep haphazardly. By leading that Guest to us, God is giving us the privilege of working with Him to move someone forward in their journey toward Christ. How can we accomplish the goal of making a first-time Guest into a productive member? The methods and strategies of this service have proven to be one of the best ways in the country of advancing a first-time Guest to a second-time Guest to a regular attender and finally to a productive member of not only our congregation, but of God’s kingdom. By all of us being on the “same page” and presenting a consistent feeling, we can improve our odds of keeping the “seekers” here and not letting them slip through the cracks. Let’s begin thinking together…
I’ll never visit your church again! These are words no church wants to hear. Do you know that your guests will make this decision within seconds after walking in our door?

The church is a family that is expecting Guests. What do we do when we’re expecting Guests into our homes? We prepare. Upon arrival we show them around, show them where the restrooms are, and give them a comfortable place to sit. We do everything in our power to make sure our Guest feels welcome and respected in our home. Let’s work as a team so Guests will feel right about their choice to check out the Lord’s body.

The "Welcome" a person receives will give a person a real sense of where they belong. If they feel like they are in a place where they don't belong, then the congregation has lost a real opportunity for embracing them with the love of God. Generally speaking, when “unchurched” people enter our doors, they typically know few, if any people. They certainly hope to find warm greetings and friendly faces. First impressions are powerful. The first 30 to 90 seconds usually establish that biggest impression and most will have decided in 7 minutes. From that perspective they will look at everything else. Every successful retail business knows the importance of being friendly. We can reflect on our own experiences at Wal-Mart, Chick-Fil-A, or your favorite restaurant etc.

When you enter a Wal-Mart store, you are met at the door by a person who has one job to do. His job is to greet you and welcome you to the store. If you have an item to return, he helps you do that. If you need a shopping cart, he gets one for you. Why is he there? It is his job to make sure you do not sneak any open packages into the store? Is he trying to make sure you are not going to shoplift? Is he there to weed out the riffraff? Of course not! He is there to welcome shoppers.

Long ago Sam Walton and the rest of the leadership at Wal-Mart realized how important it is to greet each customer. They knew that a simple smile and one or two acts of assistance would make you, the customer and consumer, much more likely to enjoy shopping at Wal-Mart. That, in turn, would make you want to come back.

The business world understands the principle of making people feel welcome. We can learn from their example. “While hotels, restaurants, and stores all around us serve their Guests with intentional care, we often let ours wander in and out of our presence with no specific intent for showing them how important they are to us.” The helpful information to follow will point out a few things that help people determine whether or not we are naturally a church that wants guests here. There are a few steps that will improve a congregation from one that outsiders view as cold and distant to one that is warm and friendly. Some has to do with natural actions, other with welcoming terminology, and some with sharing relevant information.

Christ's church should genuinely be the most hospitable place in the world. Just like in the business world, it doesn't just stop with the greeter at the door. We want our guests to get a sense throughout their experience that everyone who is connected with the organization cares about them, because God has called us to reach the lost. We should intentionally give “outsiders” and “insiders” a time to experience God and His love.

I feel the Edmond Church of Christ is blessed with something that is rarely found in some congregations. This is why we are unique to God’s kingdom. Because of our size, we are blessed with many resources and avenues to meet a wide variety of needs. Usually large churches have a corporate culture rather than a personal service and family feel. God is challenging every one of us to grow in both of these areas to continue to reach more lost people and reach more deeply into one another’s lives.

Skip to other points in this thread. Or click on the link to the side. This is my ongoing "working" of hospitality ministry.

Hospitality Ministry (Introduction)
Warm Embrace
Hospitality Takes All Kinds
Have A Positive Attitude
People Matter
Parking Shuttle
First Impressions
"First Face" Greeters
Bulletin Greeters "First Information"
Building Hosts "First Feet"
Auditorium Section Hosts - "First Seat"
Classroom Hospitality "First Family"
"Lasting Heart" Impressions
Commitment to Guests
How to Make A Great First-time Guest Impression
Welcome Center - Information Central
Training and Equipping
How to Measure the Effectiveness of Your Follow Up...
Guest Retention
First Time Guest Experience
The Visitor
Hospitality -- Open Your Circle
Embrace

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