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Welcoming Visitors

In times when The Episcopal Church garners media attention, there is an increased potential for visitors to our congregations. We are currently in one of those times, so we hope the following tips, reminders, and resources are helpful to you in continuing to make your space inviting and welcoming for all, both in this moment and always.

How Do People Find Your Church?

Update Your Service Times


Check all of your communication channels including your website, Facebook, outdoor signs, etc. to ensure service times are accurate both for your annual meeting day (if you have a different than usual service time) and for your regularly scheduled worship times.

Update Your Asset Map Page


Make sure your service times and contact information, along with your ministries and other information, is current. "Find a Church" on the diocesan website and The Episcopal Church's website takes visitors to the Asset Map, so folks may find you this way.


How to update:

  1. Go to https://www.episcopalassetmap.org/ (you do not need a login)
  2. Search for your Episcopal place or one near you and use the “More Details” button to visit their page.
  3. Review the details and “Suggest an Update” if you notice inaccurate or missing information.
  4. Simply fill out the form, then use “Save and Submit” to share your edit with an administrator! 

Invite Them!


The majority (over 85%) of people come to church because they're invited by someone. Consider sharing why you go or what you love about your church, and extend an invitation for them to join you for Sunday worship or for another church event (and if they decline, receive that graciously).

How Do You Welcome People?

Hospitality 101


This is a great resource from The Episcopal Church:

Hospitality 101: Inviting, Greeting And Incorporating (includes an assessment tool)


A few highlights:

  • Inviting congregations know first impressions count. They imagine the pathway someone travels into the church, and make it as smooth and pleasant as possible.
  • In a large parish? Not sure if you “should” know someone? There’s no harm in approaching and introducing yourself – some oldtimers may still be new to you. 
  • At the door: Station a greeter at the open door and every door that might be used, eyes and energy directed out (and not at a stack of paper or to a buddy on the side), to offer a warm, genuine, non-cloying welcome to all who enter. 
  • Inside the door: Help people who need some assistance with worship or with seating
  • Getting around: Greeters and other members should be prepared to escort newcomers to Sunday School, forums, restrooms, etc.


Additional Resources

Check out The Episcopal Church's Evangelism Resources page, which includes handouts, links to other organizations that have helpful resources, readings, toolkits, and more.

Sharing Who We Are

What We Believe


As Episcopalians, we believe in and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the world.  

We believe that God loves you – no exceptions.  


The Episcopal Church embraces a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being; people of all genders and sexual orientations serve as bishops, priests, and deacons in our church. Laypeople and clergy work together in leadership and governance.


-From The Episcopal Church's website; Read more here

Who We Are


We are the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement - part of the worldwide followers of Jesus called Christians. 


We follow Jesus into loving, liberating, and life-giving relationships with God, with each other, and with the earth.  


The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa is one of the 106 dioceses that are part of The Episcopal Church, which also includes one mission area and spans 22 countries or territories. While The Episcopal Church is headquartered in New York City, we are not a national church—we are a multinational denomination. As the only U.S.-based member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, The Episcopal Church is part of the world’s third-largest group of Christians and currently has more than 1.6 million members. 

What We Do


Together, we follow Jesus as we love God with our whole heart, soul and mind and love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40), and restore each other and all of creation to unity with God in Christ (BCP, p. 855).


There are many ways we live this out - check out these websites to see more about our worship, ministries, and resources.

The Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

Safety

A welcoming space is also one in which people feel safe. We all have a role in keeping our communities safe, and here are some ways we can do this:

Complete Your Safe Church Training


This training helps us live up to and live into our responsibilities to foster appropriate relationships, and to know how to recognize and respond to power imbalances. Any person who engages in, supervises, or makes decisions involving pastoral relationships (see graphic) is required to take the training every 3 years. Check with your church's Safe Church admin to make sure you're up-to-date. Learn more here.


Security Planning


Do you have a plan in place for what to do in case of a medical emergency, missing child, active shooter, fire, shelter in place order, etc.? Do you have a firearms policy, and how is it visible? Security planning can help prepare you for how to respond in these situations.


A few resources:


Questions

Contact


Traci Ruhland Petty, Missioner for Communications & GILEAD

tpetty@iowaepiscopal.org or 515-850-5217


Have a resource for welcoming, safety, etc. that you love that isn't in this email? Let me know!