Download or read book Extending Your Congregation s Welcome written by W. James Cowell and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation written by Randy Hammer and published by The Pilgrim Press. This book was released on 2009-04-01 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Practical Hospitality," the first volume in the "52 Ways To Ignite Your Congregation" series, is a practical and timely resource for clergy and laity. Randy Hammer offers fifty-two short practical pointers to assist congregations in extending hospitality to newcomers, making them feel welcome, and taking positive steps to ensure they look forward to returning. The book includes: clever pull-quotes for use in bulletins and newsletters; an appendix of illustrations; questions for discussion and action; an annotated bibliography; and several copy-ready bulletin inserts on various facets of hospitality.
Download or read book Widening the Welcome of Your Church written by Fred Bernhard and published by Christian Community. This book was released on 1996-10-01 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Widening the Welcome of Your Church written by Fred Bernhard and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Wide Welcome written by Jessicah Krey Duckworth and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2013-06-01 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most churches offer 'new member classes' and genuinely seek to welcome visitors, too often the end result is a rush to assimilate the newcomer into formal membership and all of the invitations to participation in committees, choirs, or fellowship groups that go along with it. In Wide Welcome, Jessicah Krey Duckworth presents the stark differences between the established congregation, which cares for current members and congregational identity, and the disestablished one, intentionally equipped to facilitate the encounter between new and established members. The disestablished congregations, she says, gains purpose and identity in the task of relating to the newcomer, and by doing so engages the world in powerful new ways. By intentionally extending the time of newcomer inquiry and allowing their questions, insights, and experiences to reverberate through the entire congregation both they and the church are changed.
Download or read book Becoming a Welcoming Church written by Thom S. Rainer and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2018-03-01 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most church members don't see their churches clearly. In almost all of Thom S. Rainer's consultations, church members perceive their church to be friendly. But as he surveyed guests, he found that the guests typically saw church members as unfriendly. The perception chasm existed because the members were indeed friendly . . . to one another. The guests felt like they crashed a private party. Bestselling author Thom Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has a game plan for churches to become more hospitable. In a format that is suitable for church members to read individually or study together, Rainer guides readers toward a practical framework for making a difference for those who visit their church. Churches may use Becoming a Welcoming Church to assess and audit where they are on a spectrum between welcoming and wanting. Additionally, churches can use the companion book We Want You Here to send guests home with a compelling vision for what pastors want every guest to know when they visit.
Download or read book Extended Welcome written by Kay Moore and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 84 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book So You Don t Want to Go to Church Anymore written by Wayne Jacobsen and published by Windblown Media. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jake Colsen, an overworked and disillusioned pastor, happens into a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance (in manner) to the apostle John. A number of encounters with John as well as a family crisis lead Jake to a new understanding of what his life should be like: one filled with faith bolstered by a steady, close relationship with the God of the universe. Facing his own disappointment with Christianity, Jake must forsake the habits that have made his faith rote and rediscover the love that captured his heart when he first believed. Compelling and intensely personal, So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anything relates a man's rebirth from performance-based Christianity to a loving friendship with Christ that affects all he does, thinks, and says. As John tells Jake, "There is nothing the Father desires for you more than that you fall squarely in the lap of his love and never move from that place for the rest of your life."
Download or read book Widening the Circle of Concern written by UUA Commission on Institutional Change and published by Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. This book was released on with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in 2017, the UUA Commission on Institutional Change served through June 2020. Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change represents the culmination of the Commission’s work analyzing structural and systemic racism and white supremacy culture within Unitarian Universalism and makes recommendations to advance long-term cultural and institutional change that redeems the essential promise and ideals of Unitarian Universalism. The members and staff of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change were Chair Rev. Leslie Takahashi, Mary Byron, Cir L’Bert Jr., Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore, Dr. Elías Ortega, Caitlin Breedlove, DeReau K. Farrar, and Project Manager Rev. Marcus Fogliano.
Download or read book Radical Welcome written by Stephanie Spellers and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2021-11-16 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the fifteenth anniversary of its publication, this revised edition features a new introduction from the author on the state of the church and its “radical welcome” today, along with new reflections on how it continues to reshape the church. This book is at once a theological, inspirational, and practical guide for congregations that want to move beyond diversity and inclusion to present a vision for the church of the future: one where the gifts, voices, and power of marginalized groups bring new life to the mainline church. Based on two years of work and over 200 interviews with people in congregations all around the United States—in urban, suburban, and rural settings—it asks the question: How do we face our fears and welcome transformation in order to become God’s radically welcoming people? Each chapter introduces a particular congregation and the challenges it faced, and lays out the theological underpinnings of tackling fears head-on to embrace change as a welcome part of community life. This new edition features essays from Michael B. Curry, Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, and Mark Richardson.
Download or read book The Welcoming Congregation written by Henry G. Brinton and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This practical book by pastor and writer Henry G. Brinton studies the biblical basis for Christian hospitality and how it is practiced in congregations today.
Download or read book Radical Welcome written by Stephanie Spellers and published by Church Publishing, Inc.. This book was released on 2006-08-01 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Radical Welcome: Embracing God, The Other, and the Spirit of Transformation is at once a theological, inspirational, and practical guide for congregations that want to move beyond diversity and inclusion to present a vision for the church of the future: one where the transforming gifts, voices and power of marginalized cultures and groups bring new life to the mainline church. The book is based on two years of work and over 200 interviews with people in congregations around the United States--in urban, suburban, and rural settings, in the Northeast, South, Midwest, West, and Pacific Northwest--asking the question, How do we face our fears and welcome transformation in order to become God's radically welcoming people? Each chapter introduces a particular congregation and the challenges it faced, and lays out the theological underpinnings of tackling fears head-on and embracing change as a welcome part of community life. Additional resources and study guide available for free download at ChurchPublishing.org
Download or read book The Welcoming Congregation written by Henry G. Brinton and published by Westminster John Knox Press. This book was released on 2012-06-25 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Every time people sit down to eat and drink together, there is the possibility that community will grow and people will be reconciled to one another. This is good news for a fractured and polarized world, and a strong sign of the importance of being a welcoming congregation that embraces all people with God's love and grace." from the introduction This practical book by pastor and writer Henry G. Brinton studies the biblical basis for Christian hospitality and how it is practiced in congregations today. While recognizing the challenges for embracing all people in the life of the church, Brinton offers a helpful guide for creating a hospitable congregation and welcoming others through spiritual formation, reconciliation, and outreach. He includes discussion questions and an action plan in each chapter.
Download or read book Welcome written by Jen Oshman and published by The Good Book Company. This book was released on 2023-01-01 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How every church member can be like Jesus by making newcomers and outsiders feel part of the church family Walking into church can be intimidating, whether for the first time or after a period of absence, whether you are a non-believer or a believer. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your church was a place where everyone received a warm welcome? A place where newcomers can quickly feel at home and where non-believers receive the welcome of God’s people alongside the welcome of Jesus? This warm, practical book by Jen Oshman explores what the Bible says to help readers discover how to make space for others, however different they are to them, in their church and in their lives. She also gives practical advice, drawing on good practice from churches around the world in a range of situations. In a world of division, individualism, and isolation, readers will see that their church can witness to Christ by being a place of welcome, community, and connection. Chapters include how Jesus welcomes us, the impact of welcoming in the early church, the effect of being siblings in Christ, how to welcome beyond Sunday, helpful systems and strategies, how our joy in Christ causes us to be outward-looking, and mirroring the glorious vision set out in Revelation. Whether you’re a pastor looking to encourage your congregation to welcome others or a church member wanting to see unbelievers come to faith and help everyone feel part of the family, this book is for you.
Download or read book The Come Back Effect written by Jason Young and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2018-07-31 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The key to growth as a church, youth ministry, or a business is getting first-time guests to come back. And as any good manager of a hotel, a store, a restaurant, or an attraction knows, the key to getting guests to come back is not actually the rooms or the product or the food itself; it's how guests feel when they're there. It's about hospitality. No matter how much effort and time we spend on excellence--stirring worship time, inspiring sermons, a good coffee blend in the foyer--what our guests really want when they come to our churches is to feel welcome, comfortable, and understood. Written by a church consultant and a hospitality expert, The Come Back Effect shows church, ministry, and even business leaders the secret to helping a first-time guest return again and again. Through an engaging, story-driven approach, they explain how service and hospitality are two different things, show how Jesus practiced hospitality, and invite leaders to develop and implement changes that lead to repeat visits and, eventually, to sustained growth.
Download or read book 44 Ways to Increase Church Attendance written by Lyle E. Schaller and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you still suffering over the sight of empty pews? Have your efforts been more than exhaustive in expanding your congregation? Have you maximized your brainstorming potential for bringing in new members? If you have reached what appears to be your limit, then no longer fret, 44 Ways To Increase Church Attendance can open the doors of both your church and mind. With proven techniques for building a body for Christ, church leaders can increase their membership and then free themselves to focus on other important missions for God. Schaller's suggestions will energize leaders and put their churches on the road of abundance.
Download or read book Welcome One Another written by Paul Hoffman and published by Augsburg Fortress. This book was released on 2016-12-03 with total page 63 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We once believed that as a majority culture in North America everyone knew all there was to know about a church and its surroundings. This certainly is no longer true in a post-Christian North American culture. Most people in our towns and cities, in the neighborhoods and surrounding countryside of our church properties are completely mystified about who we are, what we do, and who is welcome-or not. Hoffman's inviting prose, which includes many practical proposals, will expand your notions of who hospitality ministers are and why they matter. His own compelling experience suggests that the rewards of our efforts to welcome the stranger will deeply enrich our congregational ministry and our relationships with one another and with God.
