We're glad you're here...really!

I've been reading through our communication cards from our services and have found one consistent remark. I wish I could say it was, "The message was the best I've ever heard!' or even, "That's the best band I've ever heard." And while many did compliment the music and the message, nearly every card had a comment like, "Loved the friendly atmosphere," or "Very welcoming."

I think the dynamic of a good worship experience works like this- you might do a great job welcoming people, but if you don't give them anything else, you're only setting them up for disappointment. On the other hand, you might actually have the best band and best speaker around, but if people don't feel welcomed, forget about it. But I would also venture this guess- if you do a really great job welcoming people, helping them feel accepted and comfortable, letting them know that you really are glad they came- that can cover a multitude of mistakes. People don't sweat the little mistakes in the media presentation, the little buzz in the sound system, the lighting that wasn't quite perfect. Now this is not an excuse for a poor program and presentation, but if you do hospitality well, the other parts come into better perspective.

I've tried to come up with a better word for this, a more contemporary word. But some words just can't be replaced, and hospitality is one of them. You need the word, but more importantly, you need the reality. You need to have a culture of hospitality. I don't mean to slam any churches, but I recently visited a very new church with great facilities and a great program. But I ended up parking in the wrong lot, entering a door without any greeters, walking past people in lobby having conversations, finding a bulletin and seat for myself. I did happen to bump into some people I knew who were likewise visiting, so we ended up together.

As I left I realized that not once did someone who represented the church itself welcome or talk with me.

There are some many small things that can be done to control this: use parking attendants or have lots of signs, station greeters at every door, put name tags on your volunteers. Nobody wants to be hounded when they visit a church, but I think they want to be welcomed by the host. I know connections isn't perfect, and people have probably fallen through the cracks already, but I pray that we really can "Cultivate a Connecting Culture" (our preview series theme) where people experience genuine hospitality- a greeting that let's them know that we really are glad they came, we really want them to have a phenomenal worship experience, and we'd really like to stay connected and see them get involved.