Relationships are the Key Ingredient in Successful Outreach
Lewis Center Director Doug Powe writes that a focus on relationships helps a church connect with its neighbors in genuine and effective ways. Successful outreach…
Browsing: Hospitality
Articles
From Online Worship to Online Ministry
Kay Kotan says many churches embraced online worship out of necessity during the pandemic without deliberate plans for engaging new people through online ministry. Now…
3 Principles of Radical Hospitality
Yvonne Gentile and Debi Nixon believe radical hospitality means going beyond mere friendliness to surprise and delight church visitors. Three keys are letting guests know…
Episode 61: “The Art of Hospitality” featuring Debi Nixon
How can your church welcome visitors in a way that delights them and lets them know they matter? In this episode we speak with Debi Nixon of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection about the essential Christian practice of Hospitality.
3 Characteristics of Genuine Christian Hospitality
Christian hospitality doesn’t begin at the church’s front door, writes Philip J. Brooks. It extends Christlike love into the surrounding community, builds relationships, and risks change…
4 Steps to a More Welcoming Church Building
Lovett Weems reminds us that visitors often form a first impression of a church based on the appearance of the areas they first encounter, such…
First-time Visitor’s Survey Invites Feedback and Holy Conversation
When Harvest Church in South Georgia sends a follow-up message to worship visitors it includes a request for their feedback. This opens the door to…
Lewis Center Adds Two New Video-based Adult Christian Studies to Wesley Ministry Network
News Release LEWIS CENTER ADDS TWO NEW VIDEO-BASED ADULT CHRISTIAN STUDIES TO WESLEY MINISTRY NETWORK The Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary…
5 Keys to Great Online Worship Hospitality
Olu Brown says churches that livestream their worship need to be intentional about making online attendees feel welcome by showing love through hospitality. He outlines…
Welcoming Is the Top Factor in Church Choice
A recent study among spiritual seekers aged 25–49 suggests they have a strong desire for genuine community. Knowing everyone will be welcomed, making friends and…
Episode 29: “A More Engaging Hospitality” featuring Dr. Juan Francisco Martínez
How can your congregation be more attentive to those in the community? In this episode we discuss leading in a changing culture with Dr. Juan Francisco Martínez, Professor of Hispanic Studies and Pastoral Leadership at the Fuller School of Theology in Pasadena, California. His most recent book is The Story of Latino Protestants in the United States (Eerdmans, 2018).
50 Ways to Welcome New People
One key to effective outreach is making sure that worship visitors feel truly welcome. These 50 Ways will help your congregation make a good first…
3 Welcoming Strategies that Can Backfire
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff says that churches sometimes reach out to newcomers in ways that are off-putting or even counterproductive. Unfortunately, several…
First Impressions Are Formed Earlier Than You Think
Kay Kotan and Blake Bradford explain that a church visitor’s first impression is often formed long before they enter the sanctuary. So, hospitality needs to…
6 Ways to Create a Guest-Friendly Worship Service
How can you position your church for increased attendance and growth? John Zehring, author of Get Your Church Ready to Grow, suggests six strategies that…
Welcoming Change Begins with You
Simple habits of congregational life, such as always sitting in the same pew or greeting the same people after worship, might seem normal and innocuous.…
Reaching People Who Don’t Look or Act Like “Church People”
Rev. Olu Brown started Impact Church in Atlanta 11 years ago with a group of 25 people. Now, it’s one of the 25 fastest growing…
Episode 13: “Dream Big to Reach New People” featuring Olu Brown
How can dreaming big help your church reach more people? In this episode Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe, Jr., speaks with Rev. Olu Brown of Impact Church in Atlanta about how to creatively reach new people through extreme hospitality and by dreaming big.
4 Reasons Visitors Do Not Return
Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe says it’s important not only to attract visitors, but to create a space where they will want to stay.…
Welcoming Millennials by Preserving Their Anonymity
Churches often welcome young adults with such urgency and expectation that younger visitors can feel overwhelmed. Scott Chrostek, pastor of Resurrection Downtown, says it is…
5 Keys to Cultivating an Environment Irresistible to Emerging Generations
Scott Crostek, pastor of Resurrection Downtown in Kansas City, says environments that are safe and welcoming for emerging generations are characterized not only by hospitality…
Beyond Hospitality to Inclusion
David Brubaker says that most congregations are quick to welcome newcomers but slow to extend a much deeper form of acceptance — genuine inclusion in…
Pet Peeves of a Church Visitor
Churches need their most positive, smiling, warmest personalities on their front lines, says Greg Atkinson. Your parking lot team, greeters, ushers, and welcome desk volunteers…
7 Ways to Help Unchurched Guests Feel Welcome without Selling Out
Making new people feel welcome isn’t a sell out to a marketing and customer service mentality, says Rich Birch. It’s consistent with Scripture’s overarching theme…
Is Your Coffee Hour Chaotic Enough?
Researcher Kirk Hadaway has discovered that coffee hour in rapidly growing Episcopal churches is different than in the average congregation. It tends to be more…
The Tardy Guest
In an ideal world, everyone would arrive 10 to 15 minutes early for worship. They would greet five people as they walk toward the building…
All Are (Not) Welcome
Church people might see themselves as welcoming, because they run promotions claiming, “Our doors are open,” and “Our lights are on,” or maybe they hang…
10 Best Practice Tips for Hospitality Teams
Fiona Haworth and Jim Ozier, authors of Clip-In: Risking Hospitality in Your Church, offer ten tips for improving the work of your hospitality team and…
Are Young Singles Invisible in Church?
St. Bartholomew’s is a friendly congregation. It has always perceived and represented itself as a warm and caring community and is the home to some…
Host Bridge Events to Reach New People
One of the disciplines of a disciple of Jesus Christ is to establish relationships with people we do not know — the unconnected — therefore…
