Home : The Voice : August 2001 : Growing in spirit

Growing in Spirit

by Sherard Edington

Go Greeters

My parents attended this year’s graduation exercises of Columbia Seminary. The actual diploma exchange was held off-campus at Peachtree Presbyterian, our denomination’s most populous congregation. My folks were impressed with this superchurch but my dad grumbled that he had to walk “about half a mile” from his car in the church parking lot to the sanctuary.

Offhandedly I commented to my dad that a church of that size likely has a parking lot ministry (I’ve since checked and they do). Many mega-cathedrals enlist a corps of orange-vested vergers devoted to directing, informing, pointing, and generally assisting the thousands of folk entering the parking lot each Sunday. Their task is to help the visitors locate the front door, child care, Sunday school, bathrooms ... whatever they need.

The real job of these asphalt apostles is to serve as the first line of offense in an intentional and proactive ministry of hospitality.

For those of us in struggling churches, a parking lot ministry would seem as practical as screened doors on a space shuttle -- an obvious waste of precious, limited resources.

What is not a waste of resources, however, is a developed corps of trained greeters inside your church. Every church should have at least two people welcoming every worshiper. I’m not talking about those robotisized bulletin distributors we call ushers -- conscripted deacons on a forced rotation. I’m looking for live, smiling human beings who greet everyone with the same warmth and openness that they welcome guests into their own homes.

Greeters, properly trained and stationed, are your first line of offense in being a warm, inviting (and growing) church.

I Was A Stranger

Crucial to a greeting ministry is training. Greeters need to know exactly what is expected of them. As pastor, I like to gather the greeters and emphasize the importance of their ministry. I’ll point out Hebrews 13 (Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers) and Matthew 25 (I was a stranger and you welcomed me) and Acts 27 where Paul is shipwrecked on Malta (They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it).

Greeters should:

• Introduce themselves to all visitors. Hi. I’m Sue Ann. Welcome.

• Gently make conversation by asking non-threatening questions. Do you live in the neighborhood?

• Point out pertinent parts of the church. The sanctuary is this way. And just so you’ll know, the restrooms are down that hall.

• Orient the visitor to any unusual or confusing aspects of the worship service. For example, do children start out in church and then retreat to the nursery after a children’s sermon.

• If the visitors do have children, greeters should offer to take the family to the nursery and introduce them to the nursery workers. They shouldn’t just point the way.

The best thing a greeter can do is introduce the visitors to other church members, ideally folk with whom they will share a commonality. Martha, Russ, I want you to meet Jenny and Robert. They’ve just moved here from Atlanta. Didn’t you used to live in Atlanta? The greeter passes the baton to Martha and Russ who will invite the visitors to sit with them in worship.

All this should happen without the benefit of clergy. When the pastor arrives in the narthex the greeters are primed to identify new faces. The pastor can then go to them and have a brief but productive visit before worship.

At the end of the service, the greeters should position themselves at the exits to invite the visitors to return.

Holy Handshakes, Batman

In less than 10 minutes, a first-time visitor has met at least two members, gotten children comfortably settled in the nursery, learned to navigate the church, and conversed with the pastor.

Your greeting ministry has done its job. Those skittish church explorers will go home feeling like one of the family. They leave with more warm fuzzies than a truckload of Beanie Babies. Their church-hopping is over and they’re canceling their vacation just to be in your church the following Sunday.

It doesn’t matter that the sermon was lame and the choir off-key. It doesn’t matter that the pews are hard and carpet is shabby. It doesn’t matter that the singles group is actually five widows in their eighties and your children’s Sunday school roster has only one name. Your visitors connected. And that’s what they came for.

Back Out In That Parking Lot

Excuse me for a moment while I think out loud. Is a parking lot ministry REALLY a waste of resources? What’s the harm in posting two people out on the tarmac? If your church is lucky enough to sit on a busy road imagine what folk would think as they drive by, “Wow, if they have parking lot greeters then something must be happening at that church. We should check it out.” When they do you’ll be ready.

Despite having served as Designated Pastor for the past 5 years at Middle Tennessee’s Old Hickory Church, Sherard Edington recently was installed as Pastor.

E-mail: sherard@bellsouth.net