Welcome
What can our churches do to be more welcoming? In Welcome, Jen Oshman shares about loving your church by making space for everyone.
This book is a part of the “Love Your Church” series by The Good Book Company and Acts 29. After a foreword by Tim Challies, Oshman opens by giving a theology of welcoming — specifically showing how Jesus welcomes us. It is moving and compelling, challenging and convicting.
The Church is a Hospital
I was most moved in Chapter 3, where Oshman shares a Welcome Liturgy used at her church. I was interested to see her speak on how the church is a hospital, and how hospitals are rooted in hospitality. She states that extending hospitality is a whole-church endeavor, not just for the “welcome team.” As a leader at my church, I was especially challenged to ask myself whether I count myself among the sick and the sinners that Jesus came for.
The book offers practical tips throughout to help you become a better welcomer. Chapter 6 gets specific with action steps, including (1) committing to seeing an alone person on Sunday as an emergency, (2) trying to regularly sit with new persons in the pews on Sunday morning, and (3) thinking about a formal role you could play in welcoming people to your church.
Extend the Love of Jesus Christ
After I read this book, I was more keenly aware of whether or not my actions and attitudes were welcoming. I was more sensitive on a particular Sunday, noticing the many opportunities that God gave me to extend his welcoming hand to others. I believe this book can do the same for those who read it and take it to heart.
This is an inspiring book that will cause you to think differently about the welcome ministry at your church. It will give spiritual formation to your own personal evangelism and family mission. It will soften your soul to seek the good of others, and to extend the love of Jesus Christ with arms open wide.
I received a media copy of Welcome and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.