10 Things Church Guests Never Want to Hear

As we gear up for summer first-time guests, here is a great reminder on what NOT to do in welcoming them, from Ben Reed, the small groups pastor at Long Hollow, a multi-site church in the Nashville, TN area.

Our pastor isn’t normally this ________.
We’re full. Sorry.
What are you doing here?
You can’t serve now … you’ve got to be a member first.
We don’t believe in serving coffee on Sunday mornings.
What’s your address? I didn’t catch it on the first six forms I had you fill out.
You want to join a small group? You’ll have to wait until next fall
Here we just care about the Truth. If you don’t like it, you can leave.
Here are the 38 things we do each week as a church.
Next time, could you make sure to wear ________.

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Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. For more tips and tools on how to welcome your first-time guests this summer – and keep them coming back – pick up my best-selling resource, The Assimilation Seminar, for just $25 between today and Tuesday, May 20th. Click here to learn more.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.