God asks the church to be a fellowship sharing a common purpose and continually growing in faith. Paul describes the church as Christ’s “body” (Eph. 1:22).
People experience the presence of Jesus Christ in the world through the ministry of the church. When your local church serves the needs of people, members and non-members, it is an expression of the love of Christ. The church is a servant body, created for service. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).
Christ calls every member of the church into ministry. The church is “a kingdom of priests” (I Peter 2:9). As a greeter, you are a minister. Every Christian believer is called to ministry, gifted by the holy Spirit, and in baptism ordained for ministry. (Eph. 4:11-12) Shortly after Pentecost, the gift of greeting or hospitality (Romans 12:13, I Tim. 3:2, I Peter 4:9) was first exercised specifically for the church and those whom Christ died to save. As believers praised God, they had favor with peo- ple. Their love for one another attracted others to their fellowship and “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47).
God supplies each person in the church with the resources for ministry—scripture, spiritual power, God’s character, and spiritual gifts. A greeter is equipped for his or her ministry by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These spiritual gifts are special abilities given by the Holy Spirit to make their ministry effective and build up the body of Christ.
When a person steps into a church for the first time, he or she evaluates the atmosphere. He asks himself: “Will they accept me? Will it be easy to make friends? Will my spiritual and personal needs be met? Will it be easy to find my way around? Will my family like it here?”
The newcomer will quickly come to some conclusions during the first few min- utes. First impressions are often lasting impressions. Consequently, the ministry of the greeters is one of the most important things that happens in any congregation! Sometimes it is called “foyer ministry.”
Although a greeter’s love should be no stronger than is the love found in the rest of the body of Christ, nevertheless the greeter performs a major role in ensuring that people see and experience that love. In Christ, you have received God’s uncondition- al love, and, in Christ, you are called to extend that same unconditional love to oth- ers. The ministry of greeting is perhaps one of the most crucial in the church because it is one of the most visible. It is a ministry vital to the saving work of the church.
