Many churches attribute growth to a welcoming atmosphere of “belonging and caring”
The most direct route to growth comes from members inviting and welcoming family, friends and acquaintances.
We emphasise the importance of this area by including it as a key part of Mission Action Planning. Our Mission Area Support Teams have resources and expertise to help your church – please contact your Mission Development Adviser, or AATE, for more information.
Welcome is not just about being kind and friendly, it demands a strategic and well-managed approach to ensure everyone is made to feel welcome and included.
These pages provide a few key resources to help you and your team…
From Street to SeatÂ
This short video presentation helps leaders to imagine what it’s like for someone to join their church; finding a church, visiting for the first time and being invited to get involved in a logical step-by-step way.  None of it is particularly revolutionary thinking and mostly common sense but you may find it helpful as a checklist to go through with others in your team.  Use this to trigger action points to strengthen weaknesses in areas you may not have paid much attention to.
This is part of the Get Your Church Noticed Toolkit
Other Resources
Everybody’s Welcome – helping your church to become more friendly for all kinds of families, originally developed by Churches Together For Families.
Everybody Welcome – available to borrow – The course where everybody helps grow their church – by Bob Jackson.
Everybody Welcome Online – The accompanying publication has lots of useful tips for online gatherings.
EXPLORE MORE
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Deliberately Digital is the Diocese of Sheffield’s approach to digital mission