How Does a Hospitable Culture Apply to Our Facilities?
We’re in an ongoing series called Hospitable Culture. The big question is this: What if hospitality isn’t something we do, it’s simply who we are? In other words, what if we could bump hospitality beyond the borders of an official team, and work it into every crevice of the church?
Throughout church history, church leaders have led in every imaginable gathering space: caves and catacombs. Cathedrals and strip malls. Prison common areas and plush cushioned pews. Modern new buildings and antiquated structures.
There are pros and cons to all of the above, and for those who were saved or discipled in a particular gathering space, there’s an affection for the slightly musty scent of old hymnals or the crisp visuals of a modern auditorium that doesn’t easily fade away.
We could argue over whether buildings matter. They don’t (Jesus ministered mostly on hillsides and in the public square; the underground Chinese church is growing at an astronomical rate with nary a building project). And yet they do (let’s admit: it sure is nice to have a physical and permanent place to invite unchurched friends to show up to).
Buildings don’t really matter, and buildings absolutely matter.
Where you gather impacts how you care.
You might be in a rented middle school or a debt free church building. Your auditorium might be surrounded by stained glass or stocked with smoke machines. Your facility might be hundreds of years old or so new you can’t figure out what that one light switch controls. But regardless of your facility, where you gather impacts how you care.
Your facility can be distracting or comforting. It can breed confusion or provide clarity. It can be intuitive or inscrutable. And here’s the crazy thing: while you may not have chosen your facility, you can choose your facility’s impact on your guests.
So how do you choose impact? It starts with a unified mindset. Throughout this Hospitable Culture series, our driving premise has been that every staff member and volunteer has to be bought into a hospitable mindset if we’re going to have a hospitable culture.
Simply put, it means that everyone involved in caring for your facility- from your building and grounds committee to your church custodian – needs to be a guest services advocate, asking the question, “How does this impact those we’re trying to reach?”
It means that if you’re embarking on a building project, someone on the team needs to solely represent the eyes of the guest, asking not “What’s comfortable for us?” but “What’s accessible for them?” (See the book recommendations below for some resources that will help answer these questions.)
Here are 9 posts from the archives that will make your space as intentional as possible:
On buildings, layout, and traffic flow:
- Help! I’m Starting a Parking Lot from Scratch!
- How Do I Effectively Run a First Impressions Team in an Older Facility?
- How Can I Manage Multiple Entrances?
- What Should Our Entry Space Look Like?
- Do You Have a Lobby Philosophy?
On cleanliness:
- Clean Your Exit Ramp
- Ten Ways to Keep it Clean
- Pick Up Your Junk
- 10 Quick Ideas to Spruce Up Your Parking Lot
And here’s a bonus. Over the years I’ve read a few books that have been really helpful in thinking about space. I recommend you pick up one or two of the following:
- The Nomadic Church: Growing Your Congregation Without Owning the Building, Bill Easum and Pete Theodore
- Sharing Your Church Building, Ralph Curtin
- Why Church Buildings Matter: The Story of Your Space, Tim Cool
Disclaimer: FTC watchdogs will probably want you to know that the authors represented did not ask for this endorsement, nor did they provide me with free swag in order to do so (unless specifically mentioned otherwise). I’m just a really satisfied customer who wants to let you know where you can get some great products. So there. Further, if you order a resource from a link above, I may receive a small affiliate commission from Amazon. If that bugs you, feel free to bypass my link and buy from a vendor of your choice. But still: buy it. I only promote books that have benefitted me and that I believe will benefit you.
