Nebraska Synod ELCA

Imagine receiving a personal invitation to a special meeting at your church. Imagine you show up and find most of the doors locked. You manage to find your way inside but don’t see any signs or indication of where the meeting is. You run into the pastor or a member of the staff but they don’t really know anything about your meeting. You find a room with a few people in in but they’re as confused as you are. There’s a coffee pot there, but no one has made any coffee. The meeting start time comes and goes but nothing happens. Someone finally calls for attention and starts talking about the agenda, but you don’t see any agendas.

A bad dream? An unpleasant exercise of imagination?

Neither—it’s something that has really happened, many times, through the course of a simple training known as “50 Friendly Faces.” The brainchild of a Kansas City ELCA pastor, the exercise is built on the premise that every congregation should have a group of people—whether 50 or 15, it doesn’t really matter—who are the intentional but anonymous ambassadors of every church; people with just a little extra training and sensitivity to visitors in the congregation, to help the congregation become more welcoming.

By exposing individuals to the frustrations above, and by raising questions about other matters—how easily could someone find a restroom? An ADA-compliant restroom? How far would guests of another race/ethnicity have to look to find a representation of people who look like them?—the exercise raises sensitivity to challenges that exist for first-time visitors.

The experience also involves simple role-playing to help people initiate and engage in welcoming conversation with newcomers (you’d be surprised how challenging many people feel this is!). The ultimate goal is helping a congregation move beyond relying on the pastor or staff and/or the Evangelism Committee to extend a congregation’s hospitality. The Friendly Faces aren’t formally organized, and there can be several groups of them trained. An important part of the experience is recognizing that, “I’m the person here and now who gets to welcome another to our congregation.”

It’s not magic, and it’s not an instant solution, but “50 Friendly Faces” can be an effective way to expand and deepen a congregation’s practice of hospitality. Watch for an opportunity to learn more about “50 Friendly Faces” through Emmaus Lifelong Learning.

Written by Bishop Brian Maas