"You are the first impression of our church," said a pastor of Tiancheng Church to female members of the reception team. "If you are doing well, the church is doing well."
Tiancheng Church, located in a tourist city in southwest China, welcomes Christians from across the country and curious non-believers every year. During the off-season, there are three to four new visitors at each of the seven-weekend services, and in the peak season, "we once welcomed over twenty tourists at a single service."
A Christian woman surnamed Yang started serving in the reception ministry in her fourth year as a believer. She serves as a receptionist at one service each on Saturdays and Sundays. Thirty minutes before the service begins, she puts on her white hospitality uniform. After praying with a group of eleven or twelve other women, she moves to different corners of the main building. In the approximately 500-seat church, they stand at the church gate, the main building entrance, in the front, middle, back, and on both sides, greeting each one with "Jesus loves you." They help elderly believers to their seats, inform visitors about the location of the tea room and restrooms, and quietly remind attendees not to chat, to silence their phones, and to refrain from crossing their legs.
"Some people are difficult to deal with and don’t understand instructions. You can’t tell by looking whether someone is a believer or not," said Yang, who has served in the team for over a decade and encountered many challenging situations. Some people come wearing short skirts, tank tops, or flip-flops, and she has to explain that such attire is not appropriate for church. When faced with elderly Christian women who occupy seats, she has to gently persuade them to make room.
A smile is their secret weapon for resolving conflicts, and this is a shared understanding within the reception ministry. "No matter what happens at home, you must smile when serving as a greeter because reception service is important." Acknowledging the complexity of the people received at the church, the senior pastor once remarked, "Thank you to the reception staff for enduring much humiliation."
Yang does not feel that she has made many sacrifices for God. In her view, "We keep the church in good order so that pastors can focus on preaching." She came to the church when she had nowhere else to go due to illness, and since serving in the ministry, she has had no further health issues. Although her husband is not a believer, her daughter has accepted Christ, and her marriage and family life are going well. She shares her testimony with younger female believers: "If we take care of God's house, God will take care of our families."
Pastor Wang, who works in church administration, affirmed their service, "On Sunday mornings, as long as those female staff members stand there, our pastors can relax, knowing there won’t be any problems." Although there has been some loss of members in recent years, the number of weekend worshipers still exceeds 3,000. In addition to leading regular services, weddings, and funerals, the pastors also need to manage temporary outreach activities in surrounding areas. Thanks to the reception team maintaining order, only one pastor is needed at the main building to make decisions.
Tiancheng Church places great emphasis on reception ministry and has undergone significant reforms. The focus is on selecting faithful and discerning women, with a gradual shift toward younger members.
In addition to ethical concerns, the church worries about whether older members can stand for two hours inside the church during the service. Previously, anyone who signed up could join the ministry. But believers hesitated to say “hello” loudly at the church gate to an aged female greeter who took the initiative to join, fearing that she would have another heart attack.
The church had to dismiss all the old team members and rebuild the team, setting a strict age limit of 60. Most members are around 50, and they handle issues more calmly now. "In the past, they would spread complaints everywhere if there was a problem. Now, if there is an issue, they address it first. If they can’t resolve it, they calm the situation and then seek help from a pastor," said Pastor Wang. The church conducts regular training sessions, and experienced members of the team voluntarily mentor newer members. "With them here, we are at ease," said a pastor. Four to five years later, the new reception team has taken shape.
Leaving the first impression of our church to newcomers, the reception staff connects the congregants with the church. They guide first-time guests and maintain order during services. Having the widest contact with believers, they also play an important role in identifying strangers and guarding against heresy.
Furthermore, the reception team has a special role in the church’s mission of evangelism. A welcoming and caring reception service can make believers and first-time visitors feel at home in the church, while indifferent or forceful behavior can have the opposite effect. As the first point of contact in the church, the reception team can influence people’s decisions to stay or leave. In this sense, the reception ministry becomes more and more important while preaching the gospel in public places is illegal.
(All names and locations in this article are pseudonyms.)
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
“你们是我们教堂的第一张名片。”天城教会牧者对招待组女基督徒说，“你们好，教堂就好。”
位于旅游城市的天城教会，每年会接待来自全国各地前来游玩的基督徒和对教会有好奇心的非信徒。旅游淡季每周末七场礼拜中每次有三四位新人，旺季“最多一次迎接二十几位游客”。
杨姊妹在信主第四年开始做招待服侍，周六和周日分别参与一场崇拜的服侍。礼拜开始前三十分钟，她穿上白色的招待服。跟组内十一二位女信徒祷告结束，走向会场各个角落。五百左右座次的会堂，她们分别站在教堂大门口、会堂门口、会场前、中、后左右两边——向每个人问好“耶稣爱你”。她们搀扶有需要的老信徒入座，告知茶水间、卫生间；轻声提醒信徒不可交头接耳，手机关闭静音，以及放下翘起来的二郎腿。
“有人很难缠，听不懂话，一个人信不信也不会写在背上。”做招待十几年，杨姊妹遇见不少棘手的情况。有些人穿着短裙、吊带、拖鞋，需向他们解释衣着不当不能进教堂；遇见占座的老姊妹，得好说歹说让她们让一下位置。
微笑是处理争端的法宝，她们招待组有这个共识。“不管你家里有多难的事，来做接待，一定要笑，因为接待很重要。”知道教会接待人员多样复杂，主任牧师也会感慨，“感谢招待组的肢体，你们受到了很大的屈辱。”
杨个人不觉得自己为神做出多少牺牲，在她看来，“我们把会场看好，牧师和传道们可以好好在台上讲道。”她因生病无路可走来到教会，做招待服侍之后，身体再没出过问题。丈夫未信，但女儿已经接受基督，婚姻家庭也都顺利。她向年轻的女信徒见证，“我们看好神的家，神会看好我们的家。”
做教会行政工作的王传道见证招待组的服侍，“星期天早上来，只要看到那几个招待组的女成员在那里站着，我们牧师的心就会落下来，不会担忧出现什么问题。”近些年虽信徒有所流失，但天城教会周末礼拜人次依然能达三千余人。堂内牧者负责本堂聚会、婚丧、礼拜等圣工外，还需兼顾周边的临时活动点。因为她们可以维持秩序，堂内只需留下一位做决策的牧者坐镇即可。
天城教会注重招待事工，之前经过了大刀阔斧的改革。其核心是挑选有忠心有见识的女信徒，且循序渐进“年轻化”。
除了伦理问题，教会担心老人家能否承担得起一堂两个多小时保持站立的服侍。之前招待组是谁报名都能参加。有些勉力加入的老姊妹，信徒走到门口都不敢大声打招呼，“害怕她们心脏病犯了就麻烦了。”
对此教会只能全部撤掉旧有人员，重新组建团队；设定硬性标准，以六十岁为最高年龄。其中五十左右的女信徒占大多数，“之前出现什么问题，她们就张牙舞爪到处去传。现在有什么问题，她们会先处理。不能处理，先安抚好，再找牧师解决。”王传道说。教会会定期做相关培训学习，团队中信仰成熟的姊妹会自发传帮带。牧者说“有她们在，我们会很省心。”四到五年之后，全新面貌的招待组成型。
招待组展示教会形象，连接会众和教会。引导帮助初来者，维护崇拜次序。作为教会中与信徒接触面最广的人员，在辨别生面孔、防范异端的任务上也可以发挥重要作用。
除此之外，招待组对教会的福传使命也有特殊意义。健康有爱的接待会让信徒和第一次进入教会的人感觉如遇家人；敷衍冷漠的接待、强行要求而非谦卑的“提醒”则会起到反效果。招待组作为教堂中与他们接触的第一直接人员，确实会影响他们的去留。在此意义上，在传福音如此受限的今天，招待组的重要性更为凸显。
（文中地点人物皆为化名。）
教会请关注做好招待服侍-门面事工
"You are the first impression of our church," said a pastor of Tiancheng Church to female members of the reception team. "If you are doing well, the church is doing well."
Tiancheng Church, located in a tourist city in southwest China, welcomes Christians from across the country and curious non-believers every year. During the off-season, there are three to four new visitors at each of the seven-weekend services, and in the peak season, "we once welcomed over twenty tourists at a single service."
A Christian woman surnamed Yang started serving in the reception ministry in her fourth year as a believer. She serves as a receptionist at one service each on Saturdays and Sundays. Thirty minutes before the service begins, she puts on her white hospitality uniform. After praying with a group of eleven or twelve other women, she moves to different corners of the main building. In the approximately 500-seat church, they stand at the church gate, the main building entrance, in the front, middle, back, and on both sides, greeting each one with "Jesus loves you." They help elderly believers to their seats, inform visitors about the location of the tea room and restrooms, and quietly remind attendees not to chat, to silence their phones, and to refrain from crossing their legs.
"Some people are difficult to deal with and don’t understand instructions. You can’t tell by looking whether someone is a believer or not," said Yang, who has served in the team for over a decade and encountered many challenging situations. Some people come wearing short skirts, tank tops, or flip-flops, and she has to explain that such attire is not appropriate for church. When faced with elderly Christian women who occupy seats, she has to gently persuade them to make room.
A smile is their secret weapon for resolving conflicts, and this is a shared understanding within the reception ministry. "No matter what happens at home, you must smile when serving as a greeter because reception service is important." Acknowledging the complexity of the people received at the church, the senior pastor once remarked, "Thank you to the reception staff for enduring much humiliation."
Yang does not feel that she has made many sacrifices for God. In her view, "We keep the church in good order so that pastors can focus on preaching." She came to the church when she had nowhere else to go due to illness, and since serving in the ministry, she has had no further health issues. Although her husband is not a believer, her daughter has accepted Christ, and her marriage and family life are going well. She shares her testimony with younger female believers: "If we take care of God's house, God will take care of our families."
Pastor Wang, who works in church administration, affirmed their service, "On Sunday mornings, as long as those female staff members stand there, our pastors can relax, knowing there won’t be any problems." Although there has been some loss of members in recent years, the number of weekend worshipers still exceeds 3,000. In addition to leading regular services, weddings, and funerals, the pastors also need to manage temporary outreach activities in surrounding areas. Thanks to the reception team maintaining order, only one pastor is needed at the main building to make decisions.
Tiancheng Church places great emphasis on reception ministry and has undergone significant reforms. The focus is on selecting faithful and discerning women, with a gradual shift toward younger members.
In addition to ethical concerns, the church worries about whether older members can stand for two hours inside the church during the service. Previously, anyone who signed up could join the ministry. But believers hesitated to say “hello” loudly at the church gate to an aged female greeter who took the initiative to join, fearing that she would have another heart attack.
The church had to dismiss all the old team members and rebuild the team, setting a strict age limit of 60. Most members are around 50, and they handle issues more calmly now. "In the past, they would spread complaints everywhere if there was a problem. Now, if there is an issue, they address it first. If they can’t resolve it, they calm the situation and then seek help from a pastor," said Pastor Wang. The church conducts regular training sessions, and experienced members of the team voluntarily mentor newer members. "With them here, we are at ease," said a pastor. Four to five years later, the new reception team has taken shape.
Leaving the first impression of our church to newcomers, the reception staff connects the congregants with the church. They guide first-time guests and maintain order during services. Having the widest contact with believers, they also play an important role in identifying strangers and guarding against heresy.
Furthermore, the reception team has a special role in the church’s mission of evangelism. A welcoming and caring reception service can make believers and first-time visitors feel at home in the church, while indifferent or forceful behavior can have the opposite effect. As the first point of contact in the church, the reception team can influence people’s decisions to stay or leave. In this sense, the reception ministry becomes more and more important while preaching the gospel in public places is illegal.
(All names and locations in this article are pseudonyms.)
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
Churches Can Do Reception Ministry Better
