Romans 15: 7 “Therefore welcome
one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (English Standard Version)
Recently, while visiting a church where my husband was the guest preacher, I sat next to a young woman who had a high-level of energy and engagement during the praise and worship experience. I couldn’t help but to notice that she was eager and enthusiastic about being in the presence of the Lord. I could see it in the way that her body swayed, her hands clapped and her feet tapped in sync with the rhythm of the music. She would turn to me from time to time and smile. After a few minutes, she asked me a question that struck me and was a genuine cause for me to pause and reflect upon. She leaned over and said, “Do I make you feel welcomed?”
I went on to engage her in conversation and asked where she worked. She told me that her job was at 45 and Guadalupe. I also learned that she had to work that afternoon after church and that it was her first time of working on a Sunday. But more than that, I learned that she was relational, invitational and intentional about extending hospitality.
Imagine if we all had that priority as we gather in God’s house. Do I make you feel welcomed? To simply lean in and ask the person sitting next to us, whether we know him or not, do I make you feel welcomed? To understand that gathering together in God’s house is about being in community. About a shared experience. About the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within the four walls before we seek to make an impact out in the mission field, beyond the four walls. More than greeting our visitors and guests and making them feel welcomed, what if this became the mantra for how we designed our worship celebrations, our ministry programs, our outreach efforts, our interaction with one another? Do I make you feel welcomed?
Now, before you say that ministry is not about customer service since we are disciples, not customers, then let me offer this. It’s not that we are modeling our ministry upon a business concept of customer service; rather, hospitality is a Christian core element that the business world has modeled. How do you get someone to “follow” your product or service? It begins with being relational.
There are lots of programs and resources developed to teach people how to share the love of Christ, how to evangelize, how to be invitational, and how to share your Christian witness with others. Perhaps we have overlooked the simple and most successful heartfelt method of turning to the person beside you and asking “Do I make you feel welcomed?”
Well, by the end of the worship service, I had helped Dawn recall the main points of the sermon. I even wrote the third one in her notebook at her urging. We laughed together. We worshiped together. We participated in Holy Communion together. And we enjoyed the connection, all because she recognized an opportunity to do something so profound and so simple. The next time you find yourself at church, whether in the worship celebration or at a ministry meeting, consider asking the person beside you “Do I make you feel welcomed?” and watch what God will do!
