Introduction

“Good morning! My name is Adam Hamilton. I am the senior pastor of the Church of Resurrection, and I welcome you to this worship service.” He is probably the best known pastor in the whole Kansas City region, but he always introduces himself in the beginning of a worship service.

This is a simple and effective way to tell visitors that they have not come to a club for members only. It is also a good reminder for regular attendees that the worship is a public event open for all people God has created and Jesus died for.

Another fundamental rule for worship services is that the words to all songs need to be available for everyone in hymnals, on papers or projected on the wall. The most effective way to make a visitor feel excluded is to sing a song that “everybody knows” – except the newcomer! Also give the visitor a fair chance to find a song before you start to sing it. For example, if you use a certain song always after the offering, announce the song before the offering. And do this every Sunday – whether there is a visitor in the worship or not – otherwise the members will forget to invite their friends, and the visitors will never show up.