It’s the one thing all churches can do to reach more people, but it’s one thing most churches give little attention.
Most churches can take five simple steps to create and/or improve their greeters’ ministry and potentially see dramatic results. Let me give you a simple example of the potential impact.
A church of 200 in worship attendance may get 150 first-time guests in a year. Can you imagine the transformation that would take place if one-half of those guests connected with the church and became a part of the congregation? The church of 200 in attendance would become a church of 275 in attendance – in one year!
In our surveys of first-time guests, we hear repeatedly that one of the keys that caused them to return was a friendly first impression. Like it or not, it’s often a make or break issue for the guest.
So how can you be certain that your greeters are doing everything possible to provide an incredible first-time impression? Here are five “best practices” where churches have dynamic greeter ministries, and where the return rate of guests is high.
- Train your greeters. Most church greeters have had no training, and it is often painfully obvious. The simple process of training makes a dramatic difference in this ministry. Here is a link to the training we provide at LifeWay.
- Create alternating teams of greeters. I recommend greeters serve in their place of ministry every other month. The rotation helps them keep a fresh perspective and avoid burnout. Of course, a greeter in the “off” cycle can fill in for another greeter when needed.
- Treat the ministry as a major ministry of the church. In some churches, the greeters’ ministry has second-class status. Those churches that are highly effective in retaining first-time guests understand the importance of this ministry. The leaders recruit highly-competent and highly-motivated church members for it.
- Make visits to other churches a regular part of the greeters’ training. I recommend greeters attend a different church about once a quarter. They should write down their experiences, good and bad, to share with others in the greeters’ ministry.
- Have quarterly greeters’ meetings. The primary purpose of this meeting is to hear about the visits to other churches. It is not a meeting just for the sake of meeting.
I am asked regularly about the most effective ways to reach people in churches. Most churches have not made a significant commitment in training and resourcing greeters. That one simple but significant step could make a huge difference in the numbers reached for the gospel each year.
Share with me what you have learned about greeters’ ministries, good or bad. What do you think of the five keys I named? What would you add?
Posted on July 29, 2015
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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67 Comments
I have been a greeter for many years at my church & this past week our lead stepped down & I was given the lead. We have a fantastic team & all of these posts have give me ideas to re-direct and boost our team. Thank you all so much for your input.
Greeter points and suggestions are great! Where can I get the greeter information, handbooks, etc.
Thank you for these points. I am a surviving stroke woman. Joining the greeters ministry. I am excited at the same time nervous. I use a walker to get around, but I want to do all I can for God’s kingdom. Like you I believe the greeter is the most important person for a visitor or someone who has fallen from grace. I am going to put your points to use and share with other greeters. Thank you
I would like to get literature for church greeters for training purposes.
I enjoyed reading the comments. There is another demographic out there, one that is easily misunderstood and not usually addressed in greeter training. It consists of those quiet and/or wounded people who cannot endure more than a gentle smile and a “Hi”.
They come to sit in the back. They come to hear Jesus. Some are terrified of crowds. Some are terrified of being hugged or even touched. Some are terrified of being singled out. Some are so full of grief, regret, shame or guilt that they want only to be left alone so they can be washed in the Word and be comforted by their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Greeters need to be sensitive to this demographic also — as well as to those on the other end of the spectrum who are greatly offended if they are not hugged and given much love and attention.
Greeting is a God-given art. Greeters need spiritual maturity to be able to sense the needs of newcomers as well as the needs of the regular worshippers and the fallen-away. Any of the dear people in these groups may need less greeting or more greeting.
May God bless all greeters with wisdom to carry out their calling to make it easier for everyone to hear Jesus.
Amen
B.A., I have been asked, by my pastor, to become a greeter for our congregation, so I began to search for the descriptions for this position/assignment. I love people and I am a hugger by nature.
Your comment struck my heart! It is so true that these sensitive souls need to have a greeting that is so tailored to their needs. In most cases, less is enough.
The spirit of God will have to lead, especially in these cases, so more damage is not done. Thank you for that! It was no coincidence that I saw your comment.
I was just talking about this very same thing with my Pastor last night. He asked my husband and myself to consider taking the greeter position. I was most concerned about the very people you mentioned. Thank you for acknowledging them an there need.
We’ve recently implemented a new idea for meeting guests, but also ensuring we get contact info. Our worship guide has a traditional tear-off strip to collect names, addresses, etc., but instead of asking guests to fill it out and place it in the offering plate, we request they fill it out and drop it off at our guest reception table (pointing to the area) at the end of the service, to give us a chance to personally greet them and give them a small gift from our church. We fill a plastic cup (containing our church name and logo) with a pen, magnet, bookmark and notepad, all containing contact info for the church. We add a snack baggie with a few cookies as well. This has increased our getting contact info, and also gives us a chance to chat briefly with guests, and invite them to come again soon.
I firmly agree that greeters need training. I go to a large church. I went to life group and skipped church to go to a funeral.
A greeter made a sarcastic comment to me as I was leaving. He had no idea about the circumstances. My emotions were already high and so the comment really did a number on my day. It was loud enough to be heard across the parking lot. I hope no first time visitors heard it.
I generally avoid greeters when I come to church because most of them seem very insincere.
This blog entry focuses on how greeters should welcome first time guests, but not everybody who attends a church service is a first time guest and they should not be treated as one. The greeter ministry may be the first line in welcoming people into a church’s community, and is very important, but when it treats everybody the same it can also be a hindrance to building that community. While, as the studies show, the way a first time visitor is welcomed at a church can have a huge impact on whether they choose to become a part of that church or not, treating long time members the same as first time guests can stifle the development of community. When you are effusively greeted multiple times like you are a first time visitor by people who know you have been a part of that church for years, it doesn’t make you feel welcomed, it comes across as artificial and that they are just doing their job. This doesn’t bring the two closer together, it keeps a distance between them. In larger churches where everybody doesn’t know everybody else this can’t be avoided sometimes, but it is something those involved in greeter ministries should keep in mind. If you know the person personally or recognize them as a member don’t follow the script you were taught in greeter training, greet them the way you would a friend, not like you would a total stranger. Building community is not just about being friendly, but treating each other as friends. Churches can become so caught up in “vision statements”, “value statements” and “ministry prerogatives” and sticking to their programs, no matter what, that they can forget that they are dealing with real people, not just demographic profiles. People want to be treated as individuals, not as profiles, whether they are guests or members.
Shortly after I started a church in Canada, a 60-something lady joined We didn’t have official greeters at the time, so she took it upon herself and immediately went to work. She made a point to greet everybody as they came in. She was so warm and friendly that she made everybody happy to be in church. It made a huge difference. Whenever I visited our church visitors, they would always comment about her. Our church was small, but it was growing rapidly. I know she had a big part in our growth.
They will forget the sermon. They will forget the music. But they will never forget how your people made them feel when they came to your church.
Several years I wrote a manual to assist churches in establishing a successful Greeting & Welcoming Ministry We make it along with other great resources available free to all churches on our CAA Ministries website. http://caaministries.org
Here is a direct link to the Greeting & Welcoming Ministry Manual.
http://bit.ly/greetingministry
I coordinate the greeter team at my congregation and just discovered this site…great help! Please include me!
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I am involved in guest ministry at the Journey in Murray, Kentucky. We place a high value on the ministry of our greeters and guest ministry in general. We regularly hear how the way that one of our greeters welcomed a first time guest impacted the guest’s perceptions of the Journey as a church. It prompted the guest to return for another visit.
We do not , however, settle for making them feel welcome the first time they visit but every time they attend a worship gathering or other function of the Journey even after they become a regular attender. I
I not only believe that it is important to inculcate in greeters and others involved in guest ministry an attitude of cordiality, friendliness, generosity, graciousness, helpfulness, warmth, and welcome toward guests but all attenders of a particular church and foster in that church a culture that embodies all these qualities. In our ministry team meetings on Sunday mornings we remind members of the team that each person whom God brings to the Journey is a representative of Christ and we ourselves are representatives of Christ. We should welcome them as we would welcome Christ and as Christ would welcome them.
Thank you for what you shared. I am chair of our greeters at my church. I am ask God and others to help me to have the greeters at our church the best that God will have them and I to be. Your insight helped a lot. Wish we could stay in touch. I’m in texas
what are the role of Greeter in a church, i would like to have more understanding of their role please?