Allen Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

“The greatest disease in the West today … is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for,” Mother Theresa once said. “We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.”

Luckily, welcoming hospitality is at the heart of the hopeful Gospel. In this post-COVID world, churches should be perfectly positioned in our lonely, hyped up, and stressed out generation to satisfy that deep hunger.

Let’s be honest. By mid-week, most people do not remember their pastor’s three main sermon points. What they will remember is a bright, upbeat welcome they received before entering the church. They will remember an easy, warm conversation they shared with people over coffee. If we want people to come regularly to worship our God, we first need to get them coming back.

First impressions count. According to a Barna Research Group study, 70 percent of people visiting a church make up their mind about coming back before the pastor gets up to speak. In fact, visitors form an opinion about whether the congregation is friendly within the first two minutes of the service. That’s a critical decision about whether they stay.

Long before they settle in the pew, they need to feel the warmth of the congregation. To effectively spread the Good News, we need to be as intentional about our greeting ministry as the pastor is about sermon preparation. I believe it’s time we renewed our vision and understanding of a really effective greeting ministry.

How to jumpstart your welcoming ministry

Fill your welcoming committee with energetic and outgoing people who love to smile and engage with others. Encourage them to be intentional about saying “Hello” and “Goodbye” to young and old alike. Is someone wearing what looks like a new dress/shirt or hair style? Comment on how nice it looks. (Kids, and their parents, love having their new red sneakers noticed.)

Plan tiers of greeters (even in a small church): outside in the parking lot, inside the church, and coffee-time greeters. Position a greeter outside, well away from the front door—you want to start connecting with visitors in the parking lot. Their job is not to open the church door, but to greet people with an emotionally uplifting smile and a brief chat as they move toward the church door. Is it raining outside? Go out into the parking lot and bring people in under a big, colourful umbrella.

Greeters inside the church merely continue the friendly welcoming. The goal: set the newcomer or regular church member at ease, regardless how hectic their morning has been. Light-hearted, affable banter always generates a smile. Greet people using their first names wherever possible. It’s a natural way to build friendship. Say anything to give them a short, unexpected emotional boost.

At the end of the service, smiling greeters at the back of the sanctuary invite people to stay for refreshments and delicious goodies. All it takes is a brief comment, (“The coffee’s hot and the cookies sweet”) to redirect most people. You want to give everyone the strong impression that they are important and wanted.

After the service, look for people standing alone. Introductions come easy over a cup of coffee. This job is perfect for good listeners who are naturally interested in learning about other people’s interests, hobbies, and upcoming vacations.

Mother Theresa was right about today’s all-pervasive societal loneliness. So let’s thoughtfully redouble our efforts to gather the lonely and despairing into Christ’s community of hope and love. Our church greeters are frontline workers in this Good News ministry.