I live in a hospitality house. Living in a hospitality house has become a more frequent choice for Christians lately, sort of in the way that kale has experienced a resurgence over the past few years: having people think you…
How to welcome a new pastor to your church
When Beth McConnell was being introduced to our congregation as our new pastor, someone asked her what we could do to make her transition easier. Beth is too humble to give you this list. Over the decades, I have given…
Customer service and servant leadership
For the most part, I only think about “customer service” when I am the customer and on the receiving end of what I consider poor service. I will not elaborate here. Each of us has a collection of frustrating stories…
Strangers among us
Most churches can, and should, do a better job of making sure that visitors feel welcome. Where were these words spoken? 1. “Greetings! How are you today?” 2. “Hello! I’m so very pleased you are with us today. How can…
Practicing hospitality
There was a time when churches were excited when a young married couple with 1.5 kids walked through the doors of the church building. The conventional wisdom was, “These are the kind of people we need to grow a church.”…
Receiving hospitality
Alan Roxburgh’s recent book, “Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood,” lead me to a different sort of reading of a recent Sunday Gospel lesson from Mark 6:1-13. Jesus goes into his own home town with his disciples, teaches in the…