For a study guide see page 20.
welcome are
All By Wendy Healy T
he church’s catchphrase “all are welcome” is so com- mon it seems like a meme. But what do these three simple words actually mean? Are they sincere or do
dwindling congregations just hope to get people in the pews? Is it just what we think we should say? Welcoming isn’t simple. How churches welcome
newcomers can oſten mean the difference between vibrant congregations and those that struggle. “ ‘All are welcome’ used to mean those who look like
us, act like us, have the same lifestyles and same values,” said Brenda Smith, ELCA program director for faith practices and missional development. Smith, who served as a pastor in New York City
before joining ELCA churchwide staff in Chicago, said the good news is that it’s 2016 and hospitality ministry is a faith practice. “Te new reality is that people are beginning to
understand that ‘all are welcome’ means that all are welcome—regardless of race, color, creed, age, ethnicity, knowledge of Christ and sexual orientation.” It also means that congregations need to be inclusive
and understand that not everyone has grown up in the church, knows Jesus or can follow a worship service, she added. “I’ve been in many churches
where I visit incognito and would never go back because there was no hospitality,” she said. “Or the church was dirty and not main- tained or had no place to change a
Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Jamaica, N.Y. (photo at left), hosts an annual carnival as a community outreach event. Food and activities are all free. The event helps people in the neighborhood learn about the church and meet members. Katelyn Reed (left) enters Messiah Lutheran Church, Yorba Linda, Calif., for worship after being wel- comed by Rick Eckart, a greeter and usher.
baby diaper.” Worse yet, Smith said, sometimes congre- gational tension and drama were palpable. “I oſten ask churches to think carefully about what
environment they’re bringing people into,” she said. While the words “all are welcome” seem innocent
enough, they evoked a wide range of responses when Te Lutheran asked its friends and followers if their congregations welcomed folks and to share examples of how they felt welcomed or not. Tat request produced more than 50 Facebook posts and emails, and 270 likes and almost 90 shares on Facebook. Several respondents praised their church’s welcoming
program, like Sarah Accettura of Holy Cross Lutheran, Libertyville, Ill., who said friendly Art Schmieding, 90, a greeter for more than 20 years, was one of the reasons she joined the congregation 10 years ago. “He was an incredibly warm person, and his intention was to make sure everyone felt welcomed and included,” she said. “He would engage in conversation about your life, what you had done this week, how you heard of us and how old your kids were.” Responses also included criticisms from those who
had been hurt by the church, or people who visited a congregation and felt ignored. Diane Pederson, a member
of St. Timothy Lutheran, Naper- ville, Ill., still remembers how badly she felt aſter visiting a small Lutheran church with her family while vacationing in Flor- ida 10 years ago: “Te service was warm and lovely. But aſter- ward, during the fellowship time in the small narthex, the 50 or so congregants happily greeted each other as we stood among them, ignored. We felt invisible. “We never returned to that church because we never vaca-
March 2016 15
Pastors and members break down the not-so-simple concept of welcoming
DAVE NAGEL
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