Keep on Welcoming

After being in paid ministry for over a decade, I recently joined a church where I have no position, title, or responsibility beyond that of any other new member. Let me tell you, it’s an eye-opening experience of how churches operate.

My family has moved half-way around the world, and we’ve settled down at a new church in a new denomination in a new country with 400 or so new people to meet. The key difference for our family, however, is that this time I’m not on staff, so we were welcomed just like anybody else who turns up to this church. In particular, we got to experience not just visiting a church (which I’ve done plenty of times) but actually going back week after week as relative newcomers. Having been for so long on the ‘other side’ of church welcoming—greeting new families, following them up during the week, encouraging church members in their welcoming of new people, etc.—there’s three things that have stood out to me as I’ve reflected on the past few months. Keep reading