The Critical Role of Hospitality - Part 2

A culture of hospitality and welcome is absolutely crucial for any growing, health parish. Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side. It exists when you step into an environment, especially a new or foreign one and believe people are for you and your well-being. It helps you to know that you are accepted. St. Paul writes to the Romans,

“Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7

In the last blog I shared the first two of ten reasons to create a culture of welcome and hospitality. This week we will look at reasons three through six:

3. Every Sunday is somebody’s one day.

As leaders in the church, we want to have the attitude that every weekend Mass could be somebody’s one day to check out the church and decide if they are going to come back. Every person we meet is someone for whom Jesus died and gave his life so they would know the Father’s love. How do we treat someone that valuable when they walk through the doors? Someone has been praying for that person to come back to Church. How much do we value their prayers?

If you have a friend or family member that has been away from Church, you have probably been praying for them to come back. If God answers your prayer and they go to another Church, how do you want them to be treated when they walk through the door? With a sneer? With a response of, “You’re sitting in my seat?” A sideways glance? Or with a smile and the words “glad you are here”?

We create a welcoming community to honor Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and to respect the prayers of the people who have prayed for their friends, families and co-workers to connect with Christ and his Church.

4. Hospitality serves as a building block to community.

Community and connection are vital to creating a healthy, growing parish. A local parish should reflect God who is not alone but a community of three persons. As a Church, we want to be known for authentic community and fellowship. I believe that genuine connection is something the next generation is desperately seeking. In our tech and smart phone world, people are becoming increasingly exhausted by screens and pseudo-connection. They ache and long for real human connection. A recent New York times article noted that 18-35 year-olds are turning to the Church because they are isolated and alone. Hospitality sets the tone and the foundation for authentic human relationships and community.

5. Hospitality is fun!

Let me share with you a secret about me that isn’t so secret for anyone who knows me... I’m not a warm and fuzzy person. Nor am I a fun person. Even when doing youth ministry in my twenties and early thirties, one of the more active students would call me “No fun Corcoran.” It’s actually quite ironic that I’m promoting hospitality as fun. Even though I am reserved, I have fun welcoming people to Church. It is fun opening doors for people. It is fun smiling at people and connecting over some pleasantry. The act really does lift your spirits and brings joy to your heart. It spreads joy when you create a culture of hospitality and that is a key fruit of the Holy Spirit. Jesus intends it to be a key attribute of his followers and parish communities.

6. Hospitality is vital for church growth - as well as an "invest and invite" strategy.

No one wants to spend their free and leisure time in a place that is hostile to them or makes them feel poorly. Unless you were being sarcastic, you would never say to someone, “You have to try this restaurant. The host is mean to you. The waiters are rude to you and when you go, you are treated like garbage.” No, instead we recommend restaurants, resorts and hotels where people make you feel special and that you are noticed and welcomed and considered. You are invited into an experience. We tell our friends and family members about those experiences and encourage them to experience it for themselves.

For this same reason, we must create a culture of welcome and hospitality if we want our parishes to grow. This goes hand in hand with an invest and invite strategy. An invest and invite strategy encourages parishioners to invest in friends, family members and co-workers who don’t have a Church family. Then when appropriate invite them to come with them to Church. If a culture of welcome and hospitality exists, they will make those invitations. If not, then they won’t.

Take a moment to review these four reasons for creating a culture of hospitality

• Every Sunday is someone’s one day.
• Hospitality is a building block to community
• Hospitality is fun!
• Hospitality is vital to Church growth.

What one most motivates you to create a culture of welcome? Put it in your own words and look for an opportunity to share it with your team, your volunteer leaders, or the parish at large. By doing so you will be pouring vision into your parish to be welcoming in its character.

If you are interested in having me speak about hospitality to your parish and pour vision into your culture of welcome, reach out to Colleen Droney at Colleen@rebuiltparish.com

Rooting for you,
Tom