Every Sunday at the front entrance of New Life Bible Fellowship on you’ll see my Co-Lead Pastor, Greg Lavine. If you have a child, then you’ll enter through the side gate where I will meet you. Regularly, first time attendees will express surprise after the service, either to myself or another New Lifer, that a pastor greeted them at the gate. Churchgoers often say they’ve never been to a church where a pastor serves as a greeter.

Many perceive greeters to be the bottom rung of ministry: the place you put warm bodies, those who don’t have the ability to teach, play an instrument, or run technical equipment. I disagree. Greeters are the first person a guest connects with. Horst Schulze, co-founder of The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company made a massive impact on the service industry with his leadership principles. He recognized that a guest’s experience is most profoundly shaped by front-line employees. Whether a maid or a door keeper, you are a lady or a gentleman: deployed with real authority to serve the guest. I love how biblical Schulze’s vision is. The most important people aren’t those hidden away in corner offices, they are those on the front line. Those rescued by Christ are his servants, delighted to serve in whatever capacity he has for us, even as a door keeper (Ps. 84:10). When discerning who is called to serve as an elder, Paul tells Timothy and Titus that they must serve with hospitality.

You can say your church is friendly, but if your greeters are talking to one another and ignoring guests, your guests won’t experience its friendliness. You can say your church is welcoming to everyone, but if your greeters deliver non-verbal cues that someone doesn’t belong, your guests won’t feel very welcome. You can hope that families are valued, but if families have a confusing experience when they enter your campus, they will feel like second-class citizens.

At the average evangelical church, a guest will arrive, get out of the car, say hello to a greeter or two, find a seat, say hello to those sitting nearby, listen to the worship leader speak, hear the band play, and listen to the host pray and make announcements all before the pastor preaches. It doesn’t matter how powerful the preaching is, if the greeters are rude, if the worship leader is superficial, and if the host is affectless, Billy Graham himself wouldn’t be able to preach anyone into coming back for a second week.

I realize pastors serving as greeters seems somewhat unusual. Many pastors spend Sunday mornings in their office, praying and preparing for their sermon until the service starts; some pastors wait to emerge until the worship set concludes. I respect and honor the importance of prayer and of handling the Word of God with reverence. I want to be careful not to disparage pastors who use their time Sunday morning differently.

In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul closes out his letter by pointing out the character of God and then inviting the culture of the church to be shaped by God’s character. He begins with God’s character, stating, “May the God of endurance and encouragement.” That’s an interesting pair of attributes, is it? When was the last time you addressed God as “the God of endurance” or “the God of encouragement”? Think of what God has endured, though? All things! Look to the cross and see his endurance. And what encouragement flows from the heart of God! God speaks grace, love, compassion, and life to his children (even while they are disobedient!). This is the God we serve and worship.

Next, Paul points to the overflow of God’s endurance and encouragement. He continues, “[May this God] grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Rom 15:5-7). From God’s enduring and encouraging character flows harmony and unity into his family. And then Paul offers two ways this manifests itself when we gather: we sing praises with one voice and we welcome one another.

How important are our greeters, then? They are our chief welcomers! When they smile with their eyes and warmth is extended from their hearts, the encouragement and welcome of Christ flows forth. Care is felt when they genuinely ask, “how are you?” The welcome of Christ is demonstrated in their recognition of a new face and a personal follow through, “Hi, I’m Aaron. Have we met before? No? What’s your name?”

I want to be part of that impact to my flock. I want to make sure those who come to New Life don’t just hear the good news of Christ, but experience Christ through the good news. I want to shepherd by exhibiting our welcoming Savior, and break down any barriers that jeopardize belief in our welcoming Savior. In his first letter, Peter encourages elders to lead not from the stage but from among God’s people. He says, “So I exhort the elders among you…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight” (1 Pet 5:1a, 2a). I pray my pastoring is marked by that “amongness”. Like Christ, I want to personally know the sheep in my care by name. Like Christ, I want to smell like the sheep.

So yeah, we’re a little strange at New Life. On purpose. I look forward to seeing you at the gate.

You may also appreciate:

How To Make a New Church Become Family

Disney Shirts, and Being Part of Something Big

Photo by Kristina Paparo on Unsplash