2. 5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations
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5 Practices of Fruitful
Congregations
P R AC T I C E # 1 : R A D I C A L H O S P I TA L I T Y
Our Goal: To introduce people to Jesus Christ, make disciples and thereby make the
church.
WHAT IS THIS?
5 Practices of Fruitful Congregations pulls together a wealth of
resources in one place to give us handles, a means and method
to get started in becoming the Fruitful, vibrant congregation
God has called us to be and become. www.fivepractices.org
The Process of Change (5 Star Church, Toler, pg. 55)
1. U_________________
2. C__________________
3. S__________________
4. R__________________
5. C_________________
6. Perseverance
“To become a vibrant,
fruitful, growing
congregation requires a
change of attitudes,
practices and values.
Good intentions are not
enough.”
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Churches want:
Young people as long as they act like old-
timers.
Children as long as they are as quiet as
adults.
Ethnic families as long as they act like the
majority of the congregation
“People like progress, but they don’t like change.”
Practice #1: _____________ Hospitality.
People don’t care how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
Radical Hospitality:
Taking the initiative to ______________, welcome, ______________, and
support newcomers and help them grow in the faith as they become part of the Body of
Christ.
Radical Hospitality:
______________ Us.
_________________ Us.
Extracts hard ____________ & ______________
People need to know:
The quality improvement process
is progressive.
A church doesn’t go from
“terrible” to “wonderful” in a
single week!
Improving quality requires an
overall culture change.
- 5 Star Church, Toler, pg. 42.
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That ___________ loves ____________…. and we do too.
That they are not _________________.
The _______________ of God in
____________ & ______________.
That they ________________.
How to ___________________ & offer
____________________.
They have a reason & purpose to life.
Radical Hospitality:
Simply _________________ the gracious love of ____________ ____________.
Scriptural Background
And you are to love those who are foreigners,
for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deut. 10.19
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matt. 25.40
“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not
deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
Matt. 22.8-9
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
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Romans 15.7
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown
hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13.2
Churches that aspire to Radical
Hospitality must ask:
1. How are we doing at inviting guests and at
teaching people to invite others?
2. How are we doing at genuinely and
authentically welcoming people?
3. How are we doing at helping people find
their way into our congregation?
4. What are we doing to help people who are
unfamiliar with us to feel at home?
5. How can we offer the Radical Hospitality we
see in the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Christ?
6. How are we doing as a congregation; as a Sunday school class; in our worship
services and mission projects and youth programs?
7. How can we do better?
Radical Hospitality:
__________, Habit, _________________ & Initiative
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Fresh Eyes Summary Report
Roxana Church of the Nazarene
First Impressions
One advantage our team had in approaching this project is that none of us had been to
the church before, and we are not particularly familiar with the area, so we truly arrived
with fresh eyes and true first impressions.
Overall, your facility is attractive and welcoming, and appears well-maintained as a
newcomer approaches.
The biggest challenge for a first time visitor is “signage.”
Entrance to Property
From north there is no signage that identifies the church.
The “Welcome to Roxana” sign obscures the main entrance.
No Sign for the church visible before the Entrance.
Entrance(s) to Building
No clear indication of the main entrance in the parking lot.
Main entrance to the sanctuary lobby is completely hidden from the parking lot.
Sidewalks & ramps in good condition and made access to the entrances
comfortable and safe.
No Signage for the Sanctuary.
No Signage for the Office.
Parking Lot
No immediate negative feel about the current condition of the parking lot, but plan
for replacement.
Directional arrows for traffic flow would be helpful on pavement.
GOOD: signs for handicapped parking.
Consider adding reserved spaces for visitors (with signage) as well.
Main Lobby / Foyer
Positive: a comfortable, clean, space with open ceilings.
Positive: The welcome center was easy to locate.
Concerns:
Consider adding colors/painting to warm up the lobby. (An artistic expression that
communicates something about the church.)
Restrooms – replicate the quality in the FLC.
Men’s room paint walls & clean & paint metal dividers, towel dispenser.
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Sanctuary:
Worship space seems adequate and functional for your corporate worship needs.
Structurally sound and does not require any major changes.
Good effort with technology upgrades has been made, while maintaining the
centrality of worship.
Concerns:
Lighting - there were significant dark spots due to the style of overhead lighting.
Could the existing lights modified to spread light more evenly?
Color - “Boy is this room RED.” Any creative effort to soften or complement the
dominance of red, would help to make this worship space warmer.
Library/Parish Nurse Office
Beautiful bookshelves and decorating.
Concern: Difficult to find or know that it exists.
Basement
The basement seems to be the forgotten step-child of the church.
The basement is something the church is “used to living with.”
Fix water issues.
Signage: Difficult to navigate to a location without a guide.
Concerns: Difficult to understand how rooms are used.
Paint. Use bright paint to change the feel rooms. Ex. Children’s Church space.
Furnishings. Upgrade tables and chairs to FLC equivalent.
Youth Room: “Wow – that’s a lot of couches.”
Consider couches on one end of the room.
Clear space for a greater variety of use: game tables, a worship area, etc.
Choir Room: Consider making it multi-use.
Fresh coat of paint & TLC could make it a space that has multiple uses.
Safety Issues - Several outlets did not appear to be protected adequately.
Eliminate Unsightly clutter.
Family Life Center/Day Care
Upgrade Signage in entry-way for directions to all parts of building.
Add Small Welcome Center in FLC Lobby.
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We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
– Elmer Towns
We don’t know who we are until we see what we can do.
– Derric Johnson
Next Steps:
Identify a Radical Hospitality Team Leader
Develop a Radical Hospitality Team
Take 3 Weeks to plan & prepare & 10
Weeks to make improvements.
Make ten adjustments to how you practice
hospitality over the next 13 weeks.
Come back on Nov. 8 and report the
progress to our zone meeting.
Prepared by:
Earl Gillett, Pastor
Roxana Church of the Nazarene
500 N. Central Ave.
Roxana, IL 62084
Phone: 618.254.4026
Email: earlg.rcn@gmail.com
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Radical Hospitality – Planning Meeting #1
Take time before your first session to think about these questions, and take notes as you read to remind yourself of your response.
How Did You First Become a Part of this Congregation?
1. How did you hear about it?
2. Who invited you?
3. What was the first experience walking into the church building?
4. What was helpful? What was confusing?
How Does Your Congregation Welcome People?
1. What are three or four key entry points (groups, activities, events) through which
new people are most likely to connect with your congregation?
2. What makes these attractive and inviting?
3. What could make these more inviting?
4. How does your church invite people?
5. How do you personally invite people?
6. How do you feel about inviting people?
Think About How It Feels to Approach Your Church Building for the First Time…
1. How well are parking areas marked?
2. Does the parking area look inviting?
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3. Are signs in and around the building clear, informative, readable?
4. How many entrances are there your buildings? List some…
5. From the list above, circle some that people are most likely to use. Are these
attractive, well-lit, inviting and well-marked?
6. Imagine entering your church from a different point of view than your own. What
issues can you identify if:
You were walking with a child or pushing a stroller
You were a college-aged person
You didn’t have a great grasp of English
You were in a wheelchair
You weren’t familiar with “church talk” like chancel, sacristy, foyer, sanctuary.
7. From these entrances is it easy to find:
the nursery, the worship center, the church office, the restrooms
8. What are three noticeable areas that need to be improved to make your building
more friendly, accessible, and safe?
9. What are some short-term solutions that your church could act on immediately &
without great cost?
Now think again as the reluctant, hopeful, pessimistic, or uncertain visitor:
Would you come back?
What are some larger & longer-term solutions to consider?
