At the recommendation of a friend, I recently read the book, Unreasonable Hospitality.
It was a great read about how one specific New York restaurant become the highest-rated restaurant in the world.
And they did it mainly through their focus on hospitality.
Because I am cursed (or blessed?) with a brain that is constantly applying everything to church leadership, it made me consider hospitality in the context of our church experience.
Of course, we sort of expect hospitality when we visit a restaurant.
They are pursuing a great tip.
Or they want their patrons to come back.
Or they want an awesome online Yelp rating.
So what role does hospitality play within a church experience?
Sure, most leaders take time to work the room, greeting everyone with a smile and a handshake.
They want people to enjoy their time in the pews or during the 2nd hour.
But with a team of lay leaders who are already giving so much of their time, many congregants are lucky the lights get turned on and the doors get unlocked on Sunday.
We can’t expect too much more from leaders, right?
Aren’t we just supposed to make sure “doctrine” is taught and that’s enough?
Well, as I have mentioned before, culture eats doctrine for breakfast.
Doctrine is powerful, but organizational culture is so thick, it often doesn’t allow individuals to reach the life-changing doctrine on a typical Sunday.
I don’t have a five-point plan on how to increase hospitality in a ward, but what if a ward council put the idea of hospitality in the center of the room?
What could be revealed if they spent the next 60-minute meeting on how to increase only hospitality in a ward?
When you get organizational culture pushing in the same direction as the ward council, miracles can happen.
For further inspiration on this topic, watch THIS TED TALK by the author of Unreasonable Hospitality.
Sincerely,
Kurt Francom
Executive Director
Leading Saints
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