Study: Welcoming Congregation – Week 3

Aug 24, 2016

WEEK 3 – August 30, 2016

PART 1: The Roots of Hospitality

 

CHAPTER 3: Worship

STUDY NOTES

Best Practices: Worship

Don’t barrage guests with pleas for money. (Would you do this to guests in your own home?)

Lighten up. Humor and a personal touch are important in helping guests feel at ease in a new situation.

Choose accessible hymns and songs.

Try to keep the length to no more than an hour.

Make sure the bulletin spells out what guests need to do, including when the congregations sit, stands, or joins together in prayer.

Have church members, not guests, identify themselves by wearing name tags.

Best Practices: Avoiding “Club Religion”

Take time in your services to include practical instructions for guests who may not know what is expected.

Be sure that your “teaching messages” are directed more to guests than to church members.

Remember to celebrate your guests, not just tolerate them.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Sam Lloyd of Washington National Cathedral promises that worshipers will be shaped as disciples of Christ. How does this add value to the worship service?

  2. Washington National Cathedral, Cedar Ridge and Saddleback all have techniques for moving people through the gateway of worship to a place of meaningful connections. Which approach appeals to you?

  3. What is most nourishing about your congregation’s service of worship? What are you doing to make sure everyone is being fed? Are there opportunities to make a “pay what you can” response ?

  4. When do you fall into “club religion”, and how can you get out?

  5. How can your worship be a participation in God’s own hospitality? What can you do on Sunday mornings to widen the circle of God’s inclusive love?

Action Plan:

Send teams of two to attend worship at other churches and to make notes of what they find to be confusing and off-putting as first-time visitors. have them look for ways that neighbor congregations are helping their visitors to feel welcome through spoken words, printed instructions, and teaching moments in the service. Take a close look at your own worship bulletin and mark the places where the clarity of the service could be improved. Report all these findings to your church’s worship team or committee in the spirit of making a high-quality service accessible to all.

SEE ALL PUBLISHED STUDY NOTES