Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
Being a greeter, or a host and hostess as some churches call them, involves more than just standing at the door and shaking people's hands as they enter the church. It is a ministry.

First Corinthians 12:28 calls it the ministry of helps. You are helping the pastors fulfill the vision God has given them by making those who come through the doors of the church feel at home.

You help people feel joy. You help people feel love. You help people feel needed. You help people feel wanted. You help people feel sincerity. You help people feel important. You help people feel peace and comfort. You help people feel, most of all, welcomed.

Greet the Visitors
As a greeter in your church it is your primary responsibility to let visitors know they are welcome. As a visitor, they are a guest of your church. When they pass through the church doors, it is your responsibility to see that they are served and that their needs and concerns are met. It is your responsibility to see that they are comfortable and treated hospitably.

"But how do you know if someone is a visitor?" That is what I asked the Holy Spirit one day. Do you know what He said? He said, "Visitors aren't hard to spot. Ninety-nine percent of them will step into the building, take six or seven steps, then stop to look around."

So, when you see someone go through this routine, you can feel confident in walking over to them and saying, "I bet you're a visitor, aren't you?" Of course, they will say something like, "Well, how did you know?" Then you tell them, "Well, I've been doing this for years," and smile.

Then, you can take them by the arm and show them around the building. While you are walking with them down the hall, you can carry on a conversation with them about the church and tell them about what God is doing in the church. Tell them stories about how the church began.

As you walk along, give them an opportunity to talk about themselves and their family. Listen carefully to all they say. If you ask them a question, make sure it isn't imposing. In doing this, you will help them feel valued.

Another way to locate visitors is to scan the back of the church just before the service begins. If you see a mother standing up with a baby in her arms, she is most probably a visitor. So, walk over to her, and let her know that you are a greeter at the church.

Talk with her a little while to put her at ease, and then tell her about the nursery that is available and encourage her to take her child there. Hopefully, by then, she will feel comfortable enough to follow you to the nursery and leave her baby in the care of the nursery workers, so that she can enjoy the service.

At the end of the service, pay close attention, especially if they announce the visitors or have them stand up. If you see someone stand up who slipped through the door who you didn't know was a first time visitor, then make it a point to go up to that person after the service is over and tell them how good it was to have them here. Ask them if they have any questions then answer them as best you can.

By doing this, you will make them feel at home, and they will want to come back the next week.

Greet All the Brethren
Once you are born-again, you are a member of the Body of Christ and you have your own particular function within that Body. As a greeter, you are the host or hostess, and you are in the church not only to make the visitors feel welcome, but also to greet the leaders and brethren (Heb. 13:24.)

As a greeter in the house of God, you can effectively serve God and receive blessings without limit. Now you may say to yourself, "But I thought that to really serve God and receive blessings without limit, a person had to stand behind the pulpit." But in God's eyes, that simply isn't the case. You can effectively serve God by standing at the doors of your church and ministering to people as they come in. And, you can receive blessings of no limit.

I'm reminded of an incident several years ago. We had a back door in the church that wasn't a popular spot with the greeters because very few people came through that door. But I had to make sure that I rotated everyone's assigned position.

One Sunday, I asked my number one greeter to go to that door. At first, she hesitated, but then she corrected her attitude, and she accepted the position.

After the service, the greeter told me that as she stood by the door that morning just worshipping and praising God, an elderly lady walked through the door. My greeter hugged the woman and welcomed her to the church. She said the woman walked down the hall about twenty feet, stopped, turned around and came back.

The woman then pulled a diamond ring off her finger, placed it in the greeter's hand and said, "God just spoke to me and told me to give you this ring."

Now, I'm not saying that God will give you a diamond ring every time you stand and greet people by a door where you'd rather not have to stand.

However, I am saying that God will bless you spiritually and reward you in ways that are even more valuable than the beautiful diamond ring that particular greeter received when you are willing to serve Him in ways and in places that seem insignificant and unnoticed.

Greet the Anointed
Not only will you have an opportunity to minister to the visitors and the brethren, but you will have an opportunity to minister to your pastors, their wives, staff members, guest speakers and other anointed men and women of God.

I don't know about you, but I have always found it a little humorous to watch the extent to which people will go in their attempt to be near the anointing of God.

They usually come early to the service so that they can sit up front. They are just hoping and praying that the man or woman of God will touch them or wave their arm in their direction because they know that it is the anointing that breaks the yoke.

Sometimes though, I would think, "If you would just get involved in your church and be a greeter, all kinds of anointed men and women of God would walk through that door and touch you."

I usually tell my greeters to stand at the door and act like a vacuum so that when anointed men and women of God walk through the door, they can draw upon all of the anointing they want.

When the speaker walks through the door, I tell them to kick it into double speed and draw all they can. Then when someone comes through the door who needs the anointing, they can pass the power of God on to them.

You don't have to get into a spat with your spouse about trying to arrive early so you can sit up front to be near the anointing. All you have to do is stand at the door and greet people as they come through in order to stay filled up. You can be as close to the anointing as you like.

Remember, as a greeter, you have been chosen to welcome all those who enter into His courts. You are a V.I.P., a very important person, in the Body of Christ.

Source: Greeting 101
Excerpt permission granted by Ministry of Helps International, Inc.

Author Biography

Dr. Buddy Bell
Web site: Ministry of Helps International
 
"A Pastor's Friend" Since 1977, Dr. Buddy Bell has been serving pastors and families in the local church. Because of his faithfulness and commitment to serve, God has anointed him to teach on the Ministry of Helps.
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.