Ministers Desk 30 October

There are two great misconceptions that members of churches make when it comes to welcoming and including new comers.

The first is that people think that it is someone else’s job.  People say things like “I don’t know what to say”.  Alternatively, they excuse themselves saying that they are too busy with other tasks that need to be done.  Whilst these may be legitimate, they do not excuse each one of us from expressing simple hospitality when it comes to meeting, welcoming and including guests to our church.  I’ve said in recent weeks that it is up to each one of us to help guests feel and know that they are welcome and can find a place to belong in the life of our church.   

The second misconception that some people hold is that guests do not want to be spoken to, invited for morning tea or told about the activities of the church.  Some church members hold a fear about swamping a guest and therefore err on the side of ignoring them.  Simple hospitality is the answer to this.  Every guest to our church is open to someone speaking to them.  When we do speak to them we need to be sensitive in what we say, what further invitations are made and how long we share in conversation with them.  It is highly unlikely that a guest will leave with a bad impression of our church if they are politely spoken to.  However, it is highly likely that they will leave with a bad impression if they are not spoken to at all.

When we are able to overcome these misconceptions we are able to offer hospitality to guests that reflect the hospitality that Jesus shows to people.  A key message of Jesus’ ministry was the radically inclusive nature of his kingdom.  Paul picks this up when he writes, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).  We welcome and include guests because this is the church of Christ, to whom all belong.

What then are some of the fundamentals of welcoming?  These could include things like:

·        Warmly and genuinely greet all people, remember to introduce yourself;

·        Invite them to record their names and addresses in the visitor’s book;

·        Offer guests a welcome pack (found underneath the information desk);

·        Engage them in conversation, asking them questions about themselves, without looking as though you’re interrogating them;

·        Introduce guests to other people;

·        Introduce them to Harlee, Wendy and myself;

·        Offer them morning tea (if you’re at one of the morning services);

·        Ask if they’d like any further information about the church;

·        Invite them to come back the following week, and then when they do, follow them up.

These are some simple suggestions.  It may not be possible to do all of them.  Allow the guest to guide the pace and format of the conversation.

Ministers Desk 23rd October 2011

Many churches and people within churches think that when we are talking about welcoming new people, that we are only talking about the warmth and extent of the greeting that we give them in our worship services.  A warm welcome, that expresses genuine interest in a guest is essential.  However, it is only the first stage to helping a person move from being a guest to a member. 

The bible talks about the church as a network of relationships.  Images such as a body, a building, a family all indicate that we are meant for connections with each other.  We are not able to be Christ’s church unless we are seeking to build healthy relationships with people who are new to our congregation. 

Within our congregation we have many opportunities to develop and build these relationships.  Our fellowship and small groups are places where people can participate in the life of our congregation and get to know others far better than the rushed and crowded times on Sunday morning or evening.  There is no group that takes place in this congregation that is not open to all people.  Certainly, new members of the group have to respect the purpose of the group and adjust to the culture and norms of the group.  Equally so, we as existing members need to be open and accommodating, eager to include and incorporate new members.

What responsibility do you take to invite people to your fellowship or small group?  The onus is on each one of us to be people who offer invitations to new comers to join our groups.  We cannot assume that people will naturally gravitate to our groups, nor that others will do the inviting.  I have written in recent weeks that simply by walking into our front doors that our guests have already gone to significant lengths to build relationships with us.  Once they have taken that step it is up to us to meet them, and assist them to feel and know that they are part of this congregation.

It is not difficult to invite someone to a group.  A polite, genuine invitation provides the opportunity for the guest to accept or decline.  A positive response to the invitation can be encouraged by describing the group, being excited about the group and the invitation, and offering to escort them into the group.  We can improve their experience of the group by acting as their host, introducing them to others, helping them understand what is happening and ensuring that they always have someone to talk to.

The outcomes of making this invitations are very worthwhile.  Guests will feel included, new members will be added to our group.  People will be able to express their gifts and release the potential that God has for them.  Our proposed purpose (Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage) envisages a time when each Christ follower is experiencing ongoing growth and maturity in their spiritual life.  For those who are new to our congregation, this can happen as they experience a warm welcome and are intentionally included into the life and activities of our congregation.

Ministers Desk 16 October 2011

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the biblical basis of welcoming and including new people into the congregation.  God’s very nature is that of someone who radically, decisively and continually seeks to draw people into an ever deepening relationship with him, through his church.  As his disciples we are committed to growing into the character and nature of God and reflecting his life in the world.  Welcoming and including new comers points to the life of Christ in us and demonstrates our love for him and others.  Yet there are other reasons why welcoming and including new comers is an important task for each one of us.

First, it is important that we think about others.  Anyone going into a new and unfamiliar situation will feel anxious and they need to be put at ease.  By the time a guest walks through our doors they have already committed themselves to going to an unfamiliar place and encountering and speaking to unfamiliar people.  They have done more than half the work.  We can respond to their efforts by engaging them in conversation, and helping them feel welcome and included.

Second, our society is becoming increasingly mobile.  Just about every guest we have welcomed in church over the past couple of years has come here because they have moved house.  The disruption in their lives from moving house means that they are open to new ideas, and equally so, are very susceptible to abandon patterns of past behaviour.  We have the opportunity to engage and reengage them in the life of God’s church.

Third, our society is post-denominational.  When people look for a new church they are not committed to staying with their denomination.  They look for a church that appeals to them.  This includes  factors such as warmth, friendliness, cultural relevance, style and commitment to the mission of God.  We cannot assume that people will join us just because we are a Uniting Church, and they’ve come from a Uniting Church.

Fourth, many people are starved of community.  Our neighbourhoods are becoming increasingly impersonal.  People are looking for ways to encounter and experience healthy relationships and genuine community.  Most of the New Testament images for the church are communal or community ones, the family, the flock, the household, the nation, the body.  The church is meant to be the type of community that people are looking for.  We need to ask and challenge ourselves as to how we are showing this to the guests who are our guests.  When they find a congregation that is caring, loving, open, welcoming and inclusive, they will want to belong. 

Please consider your behaviours and think how you are and can express the including and  welcoming character of God in the way you approach guests.

Ministers Desk 9 October

Thank you for the feedback we are receiving on the proposed purpose (Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage).  I want to respond to two of the comments that have been made.

At Elders on Monday night we talked about the gift of limits.  Too often we find that we are pushed to do more things than we are called to do.  In the book The Emotionally Healthy Church, Pete Scazzero writes, “Emotionally healthy people understand the limits God has given them.  They joyfully receive the one, two, seven or ten talents God has so graciously distributed.  As a result, they are not frenzied and covetous, trying to live a life God never intended.  They are marked by contentment and joy.  Emotionally healthy churches also embrace their limits with the same joy and contentment, not attempting to be like another church.  They have a confident sense of God’s ‘good hand’ on their church ‘for such a time as this’ (Esther 4:11 – 14).” 

There is so much that we can do, much that we should do, but there is a limit to what God calls us to do.  We believe that the call Jesus makes to his disciples is to continue to grow in our faith in him and deepen our relationship with him.  We will do that through regularly and frequently worshipping God, being part of a small group, having at least one avenue of service where we use our spiritual gifts and rely fully on God and have at least one intentional relationship where we are able to share faith with the belief that God will lead the other to faith in him.  The purpose asks each individual to do four things as a means of growth.  At the same time it provides a clear scope for the activities that our church will and will not pursue.

The challenge in this is to go narrow and deep.  Limiting what we do allows us to commit quality time to significant ministries.  It allows us to reflect on our practices, develop new skills, commit intentional time to pray, reflect theologically on what we are doing and respond obediently to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  Limiting the things that we do, broadens the scope of how God can change and transform us through what we do.  So rather than being restrictive, the challenge presented by our proposed purpose leads us further into the life of Christ in us.

Some people have commented that they feel inadequate to the tasks that are being asked of them, particularly sharing faith.  Over the coming years we will provide opportunities to learn and develop skills to express our purpose.  These will happen in worship and small groups primarily, but we’ll also find other appropriate means.  At the same time we’ll also concentrate on reducing some of the fears and inhibitions we have.  As we do this we’ll realise the abilities we already possess.

One small group responded that they saw this as a challenge.  The challenge requires each individual to rise to meet it, when this happens the whole congregation will grow and mature.