BOTH/AND

Description

This course is a complete, step-by-step guide designed to help your parish start, strengthen, or revitalize a welcoming ministry. Whether your parish has never had a welcoming ministry before or you’re looking to improve the one you already have, this course makes it easy to build something truly impactful.

We’ve done all the hard work for you—you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. From ready-made templates and resources to best practices and real-life examples, this course walks you through the entire process—from your first conversation with your priest or parish council, all the way to training your greeters and launching your ministry.

This isn’t just about greeting people at the door. We’ll help you create a parish culture of hospitality—before, during, and after the service—so that every visitor feels genuinely welcomed.

Who should take this course?

We recommend that an existing greeter or the leader of your greeter ministry take this course. If your parish doesn’t currently have a welcoming ministry, the course is ideal for someone who is interested and willing to start one.

Note: We do not recommend that the priest serve as the Welcoming Ministry Team Leader due to his liturgical responsibilities when people arrive. However, he should be involved in all ministry planning and conversations.

What’s included?

The course is divided into two main parts:

1. For Leaders – Guidance on how to build or improve your parish’s welcoming ministry, from planning to implementation.
2. For Greeters – Practical training videos and resources to help greeters know exactly what to do and say.

With downloadable tools, checklists, and ready-to-use materials, this course is designed to save you time and set your ministry up for long-term success.

Let’s begin building a parish that not only welcomes but truly embraces everyone who walks through the door.

Instructor

Kenny Scott

Enrichment Director for St Athanasius College/Co-Director of the Missions and Evangelism Ministry (MEM) for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco

He is a parishioner at Saint George Orthodox Church in Prescott, AZ, where he was baptized on Christmas Eve, 2010, along with his wife, Laura. He serves on the Parish Council and other boards and committees, and he leads the Evangelism Team at the parish. He is also the co-director of Missions and Evangelism for the Greek Metropolis of San Francisco and the Enrichment Director for St. Athanasius College.

Resources Provided:

Getting Approval to Start a Welcoming Ministry

• Sample Email to the Parish Priest
• Sample Email to Parish Council
• Sample Email/Bulletin to the Parish
• Checklist of Items to Review with Parish Priest
• Checklist of Items to Review with Parish Council
• Checklist of Items to Review with Parish
• Questions and Answers for Parish Council Regarding the Welcoming Ministry

Resources for a Welcoming Ministry

• How to Start a Welcoming Ministry Manual
• How to Set Up Guest Surveys and Follow-Up Text Messaging for Your Parish
• How to Create A Guest Experience Survey Using Google Forms
• How to Set Up Google Voice as Your Text Messaging Service
• How to Setup a Greeter Schedule on Google Calendar
• Guest Experience Survey
• Guest Tracking Log
• Sample of Guest Book for Orthodox Churches
• Sample of Liturgy Guides for Guests
• Welcoming Ministry Budget Template
• Suggested List of Complementary Books for Guests
• Welcome Slips

Resources for Greeters

• Greeter Training Manual
• Greeter Training Videos
• Quick Reference Guide for Greeting

Resources that can be Purchased

• Guest Book for Orthodox Churches
• Liturgy Guides for Guests
• Baptism Guides for Guests
• Funeral Guides for Guests
• Wedding Guides for Guests