Let Your Light Shine

Shine Your Light Through Christian Hospitality: Be a Welcoming Church

I read the following story from January 5, 2020, Our Daily Bread Devotional reading based on Matthew 5:14-16.

Stephen told his parents that he needed to get to school early every day, but for some reason, he never explained why it was so important. They made sure he arrived at Northview High School by 7:15 each morning.

On a wintry day during his junior year, Stephen was in a car accident that sadly took his life. Later, his mom and dad found out why he’d been going to school so early. Each morning he and some friends had gathered at the school entrance to greet other students with a smile, a wave, and a kind word. It made all students—even those who weren’t popular—feel welcomed and accepted.

A believer in Jesus, Stephen wanted to share his joy with those who desperately needed it. His example lives on as a reminder that one of the best ways to shine the light of Christ’s love is by gestures of kindness and a welcoming spirit.

Stephen focused on allowing the light of Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:14-16) to shine through his hospitality (Heb. 13:2) and his effort to be a welcoming Christian. I connected with Stephen’s story because one of the Ministry by Objectives (MBOs) that will be launched in November of this year is to increase our attendance in worship and Christian Becoming Sessions. One of the strategic objectives to accomplish this goal is to focus on being a “Welcoming Church.” The MBO for this strategic plan will adapt insights gleaned from reading Thom Rainer’s Becoming a Welcoming Church (2018). In his book, Rainer argues that many churches need a “wake-up-call” about being welcoming churches. He believes that some churches have a preconceived and aspirational perspective about being a welcoming church. Thus, he proposes that “churches perceive they are a friendly church because the members are friendly to one another. But they don’t think about walking in the shoes of first-time guests. They don’t look at the facilities, parking lot, website, or friendliness from a guest perspective.” Rainer rightly points out that after we become long-time church members, we can forget what it is like to be a first-time guest.

I would like to share the results from Rainer’s survey among some first-time guests. The survey included the responses of those who would not return to a particular church and also first-time guests who would return to a particular church. I believe the results from the survey are very revealing, and can become a point of reference for churches desiring to become welcoming churches in a post-pandemic world. The following results are adapted from Becoming a Welcoming Church. We should read the results humbly and acknowledge how our churches may have failed to properly consider the authentic experiences of some first-time guests and what are some corrective solutions.

Top Ten Responses of First-Time Guests (Negative Responses)

1. The stand-and-greet time in the worship service was unfriendly and awkward.

2. Unfriendly church members.

3. Unsafe and unclean children’s areas.

4. No place to get information about the church.

5. Bad church website.

6. Poor signage.

7. Insider church language.

8. Boring or bad church services.

9. Members telling guests they were in the wrong pew or chair.

10. Dirty facilities.

Top Ten Responses of First-Time Guests (Positive Responses)

1. Someone asked the guest to sit with her.

2. People introduced themselves to guests.

3. There was clear signage.

4. There was a clearly marked welcome center.

5. The kids loved their children’s area.

6. The children’s area was secure and sanitary.

7. Guest parking was clearly visible.

8. The church did not have a stand-and-greet time.

9. The members were not pushy.

10. The guest card was simple to complete.

Rainer did not provide an exhaustive list of negatives and positives about first-time guests to our churches. However, the survey provided a basis for churches to take an introspective look at their approach to first-time guests, and the results can be an impetus for starting an ongoing conversation about how churches can prioritize becoming welcoming churches that provide a good experience for long-time members and first-time guests.

Dwight L. Moody was an American evangelist in the latter part of the 1800s. He once told the story of a little boy in Chicago who attended Sunday School at a particular church. When his parents moved to the other side of that large city, the young boy continued attending that same Sunday School even though it meant a long and tiresome walk each way. Someone asked him, “Why do you walk all that way when plenty of good churches are closer to your home?” The young boy replied, “Because they love a fellow over there.” Our churches should be places where members, and non-members of all ages feel loved and appreciated and will go out of their way to be part of our local faith community. We must never neglect to shine our lights (Matt. 5:14-16) through Christian hospitality (Heb. 13:2) that focuses on being welcoming churches.