How “extreme” is your church hospitality?
Before we get into what this is and how to achieve it, let’s chat a minute about hospitality itself.
Why does hospitality matter?
To get some perspective, think about services you use such as car mechanic, supermarket, dentist, coffee shop, etc. Why do you keep going back time and time again?
Let’s be honest: it’s not always the price. Sure, the cost makes a significant difference, but I’m going to suggest that great hospitality is often the deciding factor. In other words, you sometimes choose the more expensive option because you feel more welcome and cared for there…and that is worth the difference in price.
Great hospitality keeps people coming back. Word of mouth about great hospitality can get new people to show up.
Check out this share from one of our PastorsLine partners, Crosspointe Alliance Church:
“I was looking for a bulk text solution that integrated with Planning Center Online. We needed to switch from our current service because it was hard to keep track of, even though it was a better cost.
We were looking for something that would help us with hospitality, and was not astronomical on the cost front and this looked like a good combination of the two.”
Crosspointe Alliance felt that the improvement in hospitality was worth a bit of additional cost. What about at your church?
Remember: Our overall goal is to facilitate the discipleship process—from guest to member to family to leader (repeat).
What is “extreme” hospitality?
One of the recent blogs on the St. Nicholas Episcopal Church website talked about “extreme” church hospitality. As they put it “a worshiping community where everyone matters, everyone is loved, and everyone belongs. Everyone. The world… people… need unconditional love and feeling like they are one in a million!”
That’s a tall order, but the blessings could be great: “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2, New Living Translation Bible)
Tools for extreme hospitality
The correct mindset
The St Nicholas blog suggests that “the spiritual discipline of hospitality takes practice. Extreme hospitality takes time, energy, and intentional focus.”
We need to get into the habit of being extremely hospitable. We also need to see it as part of who we are every day, not just at church. In other words, after we finish greeting new guests at the ministry door, our hospitality does not shut off or close down.
A digital communication strategy
Many churches, probably including yours, have got hospitality covered at church. You’ve got welcome ministries (parking lot, church door greeters, ushers, etc.) There are small groups people can join to connect further. Your pastor may even greet everyone personally, including first-time guests.
What happens when everyone goes home?
To keep our hospitality “open”, we need to somehow connect with our congregation and guests even when they are not in church. A digital communication strategy is the tool for this need.
Smartphones are the device that makes this all happen. Current statistics show that 81.6% of the US population use smartphones. So, whether a person’s communication preference is texting or voice, people are connecting via their phones.
PastorsLine lets you cater to your people’s preferences. You can send out text messages or voice broadcasts to groups or individuals. They can text or call back—even to your church landline (most landlines work with this feature).
Check out how much it will cost your church to grow towards extreme hospitality.
It’s probably going to be a lot less than you think!
To read more about the PastorsLine advantage and sign up for your free, 30-day trial (no credit card required), click here.
DON’T FORGET: Use the invite code LETSDOTHIS to get a bonus of 500 credits.
Not sure yet? Find out more about texting in churches first.