Invite versus Welcome

A post from Pastor Kathy.

Recently, a group of pastors were discussing a blog entitled “We are no longer going to be a Welcoming Congregation.” Considering the fact that most of us (and the congregations we serve) have spent lots of time and energy trying to become congregations that welcome everyone who enters our doors, no longer being a “welcoming community” just sounds wrong! The writer went on to say that he was asking the congregation he served to become an inviting congregation instead. (And now the heads begin to nod and comments of comprehension like, “Ok, now it makes sense,” begin to be heard.)

Lutherans, like most mainline Christians are not noted for inviting others to “Come and See.” In fact, I have seen numbers that very between once every 7 and 17 years for how often a Lutheran invites someone else to worship. We are even called “Shy Lutherans” by a public radio personality (Garrison Keillor). We prefer to wait for people to wander in our front doors. We like the idea of being a welcoming congregation. We want people to feel comfortable and welcome when they are with us. We want them to want to come back. In fact, one of the first positive comments I heard about the worship booklet was that it would be much easier for visitors to follow. My perception is that St. James is good at making people feel comfortable and at home when they visit. We like each other; we enjoy chatting before and after worship. (A thankyou is due to those who provide the coffee and goodies before worship.)

Ultimately, being a welcoming community is simple for us. We only have to be ourselves! Being an inviting church is much more challenging for most of us. It involves taking a risk. The person we ask can say no. Even worse, they might ask questions like “why” or “why should I” or even “what do you believe?” That can be scary for any of us!

What if we say the wrong thing or give the wrong answer?

So, why do we want people to come to worship? If it’s only because we want to fill the pews and or/the treasury, we will ultimately be unsuccessful in growing the church. Perhaps the first step to becoming an inviting church (or an inviting member) is to think about why you come to worship. For me (your pastor), I come for many reasons. I come to worship God, to praise him, to hear God’s Word (Some sermons I think God aims directly at me!), to eat “the foretaste of the feast to come,” to experience God’s forgiveness, to prepare for the week to come. It is one of the primary ways I seek to live among God’s faithful people. I truly experience the power of the Holy Spirit when I lead worship. Those are some of my reasons, what are yours?

While I agree with the author of that blog that we need to an inviting congregation and seek ways and times to invite others to join us, I do not think we want to stop being a welcoming congregation. In the past when I have had someone ask me about worship, I have often had to stop and think about which congregation to invite that person to because I have served congregations that are not always welcoming to others, especially if they perceive the visitor as “different.” Frankly I want to invite a person to a place where they will experience God’s unconditional love, not to a place where they will find themselves being judged. Thus I think we need to be a people who invite our friends, neighbors and co-workers to a place where they are welcomed in the name of God.

Blessings, Pastor Kathy