When You Shouldn’t Talk to Your Guests

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5 Responses

  1. nomadgirl says:

    The church we attend in Jakarta makes the first-time guests stand and introduce themselves. They even apologize when they begin this part of the service: “I’m sorry, it’s awkward, it’s just something we always do.”

    This introduction moment is also very common in evangelical churches in Latin America, but thankfully, this practice doesn’t happen at Summit en Español!

  2. robyneason says:

    I know your post deals more with the inside of the auditorium, but some smart man trained me to recognize our welcome begins in the parking lot. Every once in a while, I will notice a guest who seems reluctant to approach the FTG Tent. If I smile and they don’t smile back, or they look away, I give them their space. I hear the body language loud and clear. Often, they will stop by after the service, after hearing the prompts from the stage. But, if they return my smile and turn their bodies in the direction of our table, well, that’s a different story. It’s easy to chat with folks and often you can see any angst they have, begin to lighten up a little. There was a learning curve to this though that was taught to me by Merriem. Years ago, on one of my first Sunday mornings at the Tent, I was way too friendly and way too enthusiastic with an entire family of first-time guests. After she escorted them in, Merriem gently corrected me but in a forthright manner, telling me to bring it down a couple of notches. You both are good teachers and examples and I appreciate you more than you know!

  1. May 16, 2016

    […] our church guests with a cloak of invisibility. I’m not talking about situations where you inappropriately spotlight and embarrass people, but rather those times when we know they’re there, we just choose not to do anything […]

  2. October 8, 2019

    […] When You Shouldn’t Talk to Your Guests […]

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