HOW TO MAKE YOUR CHURCH SAY, “WELCOME”!
By William R. Usher

Take a good hard look at your church from the viewpoint of a visitor.
What kind of message does it give?

CHURCH PARKING LOT. Are all the chug holes filled? Are the parking stripes still visible? Are spaces clearly marked for the handicapped? Do you encourage teenagers and young adults to park in the least
desirable places and leave the closest spaces for the elderly and visitors?

CHURCH SIGN. Is your sign neat, attractive, and professionally lettered? Does it identify who you are and the time of your services?

LANDSCAPING. Are your grounds well landscaped, neatly trimmed, sidewalks edged, and grass mowed?

BUILDING. How does the paint look? Are the doors attractive and well oiled?

CHURCH LOBBY. Do you have a neat, attractive array of literature for visitors to read? (Both our 33-pocket and 16 pocket tract displays are on sale at tremendous savings in this brochure.)

USHERS. Do your ushers really know how to say, “Welcome”? (If not, purchase the usher kit now on sale in this brochure.) Does your head usher arrive least 45 minutes before church to greet early arrivers?
Do other ushers arrive at least 30 minutes early?

RESTROOMS. Do your restrooms smell fresh and clean? Do you have clean urinals and commodes? Are the soap dispensers full? Is there a roll of toilet tissue and a spare? A supply of sanitary napkins for the
ladies? A large mirror? A first-aid kit for emergencies?

AUDITORIUM. Does your auditorium say, “Welcome”? Does it have good lighting and the sounds of beautiful music at least 30 minutes before service begins? If you have a dimly lit auditorium with people praying between the pews or around the altar, many visitors will be frightened away if they have heard of “spooky” things we do or about “powders” that we sprinkle on people. Don’t give them cause to believe such tales!

MUSIC. Does your music say, “Welcome! Let’s worship Jesus!” You will be pleasantly surprised at the visitor response when your songs glorify and lift Him up. So many of our songs lift us up, rather than
the Lord. Notice the words of your songs. For example, “I’ll Fly Away”, “When We All Get to Heaven”, “I’ll Live On”, and “I’m Getting Ready to Leave This World”, are relating to what God is doing or will do for me; rather than my love and praise for Him! If the majority of your songs are worshipping and glorifying God, He will surely be pleased.

WORSHIP. Does your worship say, “Welcome”? One pastor made a survey of visitors who had come to his church only once and never returned. One question was, “Would you ever visit our church again?” Nine out of ten answered, “No!” The next question was, “If no, would you please tell us why you would not visit again.” Nine out of ten answered, “We would never come back because of the VIOLENT WORSHIP and the BLOOD-CURDLING SCREAMS”!

What about the worship in your church? Is it joyful or violent? I’m afraid that visitors would consider it violent if people run backwards down the aisle, knock others to the floor, scream, pound holes in sheetrock walls, jump pews, knock over pews, fall over railings head first, break arms, and even run across the backs of pews where people are seated. And all these things have happened in Pentecostal churches! What’s worse, some of our people do not feel that they have “had church” until the worshippers go wild!

ALTAR SERVICE. Does your altar invitation say, “Welcome”? Some churches only ask those to come forward who “want the Holy Ghost”. Many are afraid of a “ghost”. Nor is it proper to receive the Holy
Ghost before repentance. Why not give several invitations for people to come forward. Some may want to give their hearts to the Lord for the first time. Offer them an opportunity to fully repent with trained
altar workers assisting them. Others may need to be filled with the Spirit of God, healing, deliverance, or rededication. Perhaps we lose new converts for failing to emphasize the extreme importance of making
Jesus their Lord and Master and committing their lives to His control. When people thoroughly repent, it is much easier to lead them into water baptism in Jesus’ Name and the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

CHURCH FAMILY. Does your church family say, “Welcome”? We often think we are being friendly when we smile and greet a visitor or new convert. But should we do more? Yes! Train your people to invite
newcomers to join their group after church at a restaurant. Members should also be encouraged to invite new ones to their homes during the week for fellowship. And don’t forget to plan extra activities if they
have children. Never let a visitor go a full week without being contacted by someone.

All new converts should be enrolled in a special class for doctrinal studies. The A-B-C curriculum in this brochure is perfect for such classes. While on sale, order plenty!

(The original source and/or publisher of the above material is unknown.)

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