Church

No Room in the In-Group

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In last week’s post I made the not-so-subtle suggestion that your church probably isn’t as friendly as you think. Even if you have all the expected contingencies – greeters, welcome stations, stand-and-greet sessions in the worship service, etc. – your church probably is not near as hospitable as you imagine. The reason is that when you walk in the door you know enough people and enough people know you that it feels like a family reunion. It feels that way to your visitor’s, too. It’s just not their family reunion they are walking into. Which always feels weird. This week, … Read more…

Your Church is Not as Friendly as You Think

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I bet you think your church is friendly. It’s probably the friendliest church ever. You have greeters in the parking lot, in the lobby, even in the sanctuary. Every Sunday you see lots of handshakes, hugs and little groups of people huddled up in corners talking, laughing and loving on each other. And just in case someone wasn’t properly welcomed, you have an official stand-and-greet time somewhere in the service. Your church has practically institutionalized friendliness. If someone visits your church and doesn’t agree that it’s friendly – well – it’s probably because they were sending out some non-verbal cues … Read more…