Widening the Welcome of Your
Church
Newly Revised & Expanded
Now in Its 4th Edition!
by Fred Bernhard and Steve Clapp
Pastor Fred Bernhard, convinced that hospitality is an essential part of the Gospel, developed a comprehensive model of a welcoming congregation which has had dramatic impact. His congregation, located in rural Ohio, had a 19% increase in worhsip attendance and a 36% increase in Sunday school attendance in the first three months using this model – and the growth has continued! A guide for group study is included.
Used as the study curriculum in the Welcoming New People Module. Also see the companion video, Hospitality and the Vital Church.
$15 each. 10 or more copies, $9 each. Product Code: WTW. Order this resource
"This book revolutionized the way we relate to visitors and is fueling a new wave of growth in our congregation" (United Methodist pastor)
"Bernhard and Clapp provide practical ideas that can increase the quality of hospitality. . . . This book has great value for pastors and the entire church" (Herb Miller in Net Results)
Contents (earlier edition):
Hospitality: Not Optional and Not Safe
Concept: In a society filled with
both rational and irrational fear, God calls us to embrace the stranger, to
recognize the presence of Christ in the one who is unknown. Hospitality is not
an option for the church, and it is not always safe.
A Biblical Look at Hospitality
Concept: The Old and New
Testaments both regard hospitality as an obligation. The biblical texts do not
question the worthiness of the needy stranger but instead examine the
faithfulness of the one from whom hospitality is needed.
The Oakland Experience
Concept: A rural congregation
belonging to a denomination which is declining in membership experienced
increased vitality and growth as a result of biblical hospitality. The same
emphasis can work in any congregation.
What Motivates Us?
Concept: The practice of
hospitality won’t transform your congregation if it is viewed as only one more
in a series of programs to strengthen the church. The majority of the
congregation must, at a fundamental level, come to feel that hospitality is a
core part of our responsibility as Christians and come to share a vision of the
congregation as a truly welcoming place.
Experiencing Hospitality In the Church
Concept: The caring host provides
the kind of acceptance and the opportunities which respond to the needs and
comfort level of the guest.
Welcoming Strangers
Concept: While our culture teaches
us to fear strangers, we also know that our best friends were once strangers to
us. Life is transformed when we see the stranger as potential friend.
Welcoming Children
Concept: Children belong as fully
to the Christian community as do their parents. Our Lord always showed special
consideration to children; and we should do the same, which means looking at the
life of the church from a child’s perspective.
Welcoming Teenagers
Concept: Teenagers are struggling
for identity and coping with a multitude of pressures. The church’s
hospitality should offer them a safe place to be themselves and to grow in their
relationships with Christ and other people.
Welcoming Young Adults
Concept: Almost all churches want
to reach more young adults, especially young adult families. Making young adults
part of the church, however, either requires change or causes change.
Hospitality and the Overlooked
Concept: The congregation which
take seriously a biblical understanding of hospitality does not place
restrictions on its welcome and actively seeks out those whom others might
overlook.
How Welcoming are Your Physical Facilities?
Concept: The church’s physical
facilities can be part of your congregations’s welcome or can be a barrier to
participation by members and visitors.
The Changing Shape of Worship and Program
Concept: We should continually
strive to make the services and programs of the church expressions of the
welcome we want extended to all people.
Study Guide Included