Confession: Our congregation can do a much better job of welcoming new members. (*Also: I bear a significant responsibility for that. )

What is your congregation’s (or organization’s) plan for welcoming new people? 

I bet that for many of you, the response was either:

  • We don’t have one.
  • New folks attend a class or orientation.

I don’t think there is one perfect model, but here are some things you might want to include:

1. Share your congregation’s vision and purpose. Why does your congregation exist? What are its core values? What is it about? Why should we care? I like Rick Warren’s fourfold process of

  1. Membership: Who are we? What do we believe?
  2. Maturity: What are the habits necessary for spiritual growth?
  3. Ministry: How do I discover and use my spiritual gifts to serve?
  4. Mission: How do I share the good news with the world?

2. Help new members connect with mature members as mentors. Failure to do this is the reason many new members often slip away in the first two years. They need mentors who will look out for them and help them connect more deeply. Mentors are not necessarily “established” (tenured) members, but members mature in faith (or your organization’s values). Hint: This is the secret sauce.

3. Celebrate new members regularly. Make sure new members are publicly welcomed. I’m considering a way to do this during Lent that folds together a process Paul E. Hoffman developed (of presenting gifts during Lent) with our vision statement:

  1. First Sunday of Lent // Daily prayer // Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
  2. Second Sunday of Lent // Daily Bible reading // Lutheran Study Bible
  3. Third Sunday of Lent // Worshiping weekly // Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal
  4. Fourth Sunday of Lent // Connecting in small groups // our congregation directory
  5. Fifth Sunday of Lent // Giving generously // offering envelopes

What ideas do you have to welcome new members and to integrate them into the life of your congregation?