Book Review: “Becoming a Welcoming Church”

Title: Becoming a Welcoming Church

Overview

The work of the church is the most important work that there is on this planet. The church has been tasked with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the rest of the world. When a church finds itself being “unwelcoming,” it becomes a great barrier to the church accomplishing the task that it was created to do. Thom Rainer has put together in this book to help churches take a new look at whether or not they are being welcoming to the public they are called to minister to.

Thoughts

I have really appreciated the books that Thom Rainer has put out. It is easy to see that he has a big heart for the local church and helping it out as much as possible. Becoming a Welcoming Church is similar in many ways to recent books that Rainer has written in the recent past. It is not an overbearing read. This small book is only 6 chapters written over 100 pages. I was able to read the entire book in two sittings. The content is straight to the point and does not use pointless filler material to bulk up pages. The reader will like the fact that when they read this book, it will not take any more time than needed to get the point across.

The best part of Becoming a Welcoming Church – in my opinion – is the appendices in the back of the book. These two tools will be very helpful to a local church to honestly evaluate where they stand in the category of being welcoming to outsiders. The first tool is a “church facility audit” that walks a person through their facilities and website with fresh eyes.

The second tool is a “secret guest survey.” I have been looking for this resource for a little while. It is a survey that you ask someone who visits your church for the first time to fill out. The questions are intended to show how everything appears to outsiders. I believe that this is a great tool that will help the church keep fresh eyes looking at what and how it does ministry.

Recommendation

The natural tendency of a local church is to turn inwards to the needs of the members that are already present. Those needs are real and important. If the church only focuses on the needs inside the fellowship, then it will never grow. The only way for a church to grow is to be reaching outside their walls and ministering to the community in which God has planted them. This does not mean that we look past the needs already in the church, but if we come across as unwelcoming and that we really do not want any “outsiders” in the church, then that church will eventually run out of members and close its doors.

Thom Rainer has given the church a great little resource to remind her of the importance of keeping fresh eyes. It is the fresh eyes that help us to see if we are really making progress or falling back. This little book will be a helpful tool to churches and their leaders to see ways and areas where they can be welcoming to visitors and fulfill the ministry that they have been given.