Comments on: A Visitor’s Perspective: The Welcoming Paradox

By: Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:11:07 +0000

Welcoming booths gotta have welcoming people. This may be stating the obvious, but some people seem to forget it. Recently I visited a large church where the guy at the welcoming booth treated me like I was being processed, not welcomed. He avoided answering my questions about the church ministries and programs. Instead he was preoccupied w/ getting me signed up on the e-mail list, fitted with the “right” welcoming packet for my age and marital status, and sent off quickly to the church coffee shop w/ a coupon for a free coffee. Done. Next. Outta there.

By: onesam

onesam — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:35:43 +0000

Even if a person wishes to remain anonymous when they visit a church for the first time it’s important that people meet them and show genuine interest in them. If nobody talks to them, THAT is what they will remember.

By: revolutionfl

revolutionfl — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:36:08 +0000

As a visitor, I want at least one person to shake my hand, tell me their name, ask for my name, and pretty much feign interest in getting to know me.
I DON’T WANT THAT PERSON TO BE WEARING A BADGE, NAME-TAG, OR SHIRT WITH THE CHURCH LOGO THEREBY INDICATING THAT THEY ARE GETTING TO KNOW ME BECAUSE IT IS THEIR JOB.
Someone may want to remain anonymous to the crowd, that is fine. But at least one person should have struck up a geniune conversation with them at some point.
REVOLUTION

By: John Robinson

John Robinson — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:08:49 +0000

The frustration with going to a church for the first time is one of the reasons we started a home fellowship, more of any early church type of feel, believers meeting home to home.
It can apprehensive for a person to go to someone’s home for the first time as well, but we usually have had several email conversations with them before the first meeting, so we get a sense of what they’re they’re looking for and they get a feel of what we are about.
There have been times when people have told us that after talking to us, they’re not interested, and vice versa, after feeling some people out, I have honestly told them they probably looking for something else than what we are offering, which is fine.
The small group setting then has a different dynamic is there is little room to hide, but the positive of that is that we all get to know one another very quickly, and there’s no getting lost, like in many larger churches, and it avoids the “cliquey” feeling that many larger churches can generate as well.

By: Chris Harmon

Chris Harmon — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 06:27:37 +0000

“greeters” (churches we’ve attended called those who are at the door handing out the weekly sheets and are there specifically for guests) are a good idea, but this is very true that the sincerity and actual caring and interest from the regulars at a church show the actual community.