Last week I noted that if a culture is poisonous it will do little good to excel at welcoming people into it. We are aided in our welcoming when we know the culture of our congregation is positive and life giving. Assuming that is the case, what does it mean to welcome others to Trinity?
The most welcoming cultures I've encountered were those whose members took seriously my feelings and needs as a newcomer. For example, it is not helpful to a new person to know someone has been "coming to Trinity for 22 years" or "since I was a child." Such disclosures only serve to highlight the inequality between the "insider" and the newcomer. This kind of information is often cited as a type of credential that validates a person's entrenched role as an "insider" but in no way serves the newcomer. In fact, few things make a newcomer more at ease than to hear someone say, "O' I too am new here."
My memory of truly welcoming organizations is that they had great signage that accurately conveyed all the information I would need to participate and feel "at home." Having to approach someone and share your ignorance of even a small item like, "Where is the bathroom" is a big deal to a newcomer.
Lastly, welcoming is intensely personal. The single most welcoming person I've ever met was the Senior Warden at Christ Church in Denver, Colorado. Today, twenty-two years later, I can still see him naturally and casually walking whole families upstairs, downstairs, in and out of rooms giving them the "lay of the land" so that upon leaving they felt comfortable returning next week. I saw him do this so often I took it for granted. However, it is anything but common in most churches. He was not satisfied with a hand-shake but extended himself in a way that built trust and brought comfort to the newcomer. What does it mean to you to welcome someone to Trinity?
The Dean
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