What is Reception?

Biblical precedent:

1 - They correspond to the ancient doorkeepers of the temple of the Lord:

Psalm 84:1,10 "How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!... For a day in your courts
better is a day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

of the pre-city.

2 - Salum took pride in belonging to a family that had served for 4 generations as
"Porters" by temple:
1 Chronicles 9:19 "Shallum, son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his brothers from the house of
your father, the Koreans, were in charge of the ministry work and were the guards of the doors of the
tabernacle; and his parents had been entrusted with the Lord's camp and were guards of the
entry.

3 - From the places of the church of the New Testament to the catacombs of Rome, we can imagine people
warmly welcoming those who arrived.

4 - In this ministry, the church's waiting room is its chapel, the information desk is its pulpit, and the
area around the church to your parish.
Paul's advice to the receptionists: Col. 3:23,24. "Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly
heart, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the
reward of the inheritance. It is to Christ, the Lord, that you are serving

B - Important Principles for Receptionists

1 - Accept one another: Rom 15:7 'Therefore, welcome one another, just as Christ welcomed you'
welcomed us for the glory of God.
This is a ministry of mutual acceptance. It is based on Christ's teaching of unconditional love,
free from prejudices of color, race, and social status.
James 2:1-4 "My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, in
favoritism. If, therefore, a man with gold rings on his fingers enters the synagogue,
in luxury attire, and also let in some poor ragged person, and treat with deference whoever has
the luxurious clothes and you say: You, sit here in a place of honor; and you say to the poor: You,
stand there or sit down here under my feet, do not make a distinction between you
you are the same and did you not become judges taken by wicked thoughts?

The verbal greeting and the handshake are the ways to express acceptance:
You are important to me. I am happy to see you here. I want you to feel welcome.
b - Pastor receives from the pulpit
c - Coral receives from the platform
d – Receptionist welcomes to the platform.

2 – Be kind to one another: Rom 12:10 "Love one another with brotherly affection"
brotherly, preferring one another in honor.
Many come to church tired and frustrated, with low self-esteem and feelings of rejection.
It is not the receptionist's job to reprimand someone for their behavior, but it will be someone who
it will help you have a wonderful worship experience. The receptionists need to be kind,
of the people and of the people.

3 - Greet each other: Rom 16:16 "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the
the church of Christ greets you.

There are healing properties in touch. Psychologists have written about the importance of hugging and of
contact with modern therapies.
Paul urged to practice the Holy Kiss - I Cor 16:20; II Cor 13:12.
Today, handshakes, hugs, and pats on the back are the most commonly used practices.

C – The Need for Warm Receptionists:

A warm church and a warm receptionist are as related as the pulpit and a good one.
sermon. There is no warmth without the expression of kindness:

1 – Kindness towards guests who feel out of place in the environment.

When Paul described his shipwreck, he was describing the kindness of the local receptionists: Acts
28:2 "The barbarians treated us with extraordinary humanity, because, lighting a fire,
they welcomed us all because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.
In the chill of this world, there is a need for receptionists who ignite the flames of kindness.

2 – Kindness towards the elderly who feel lonely.

Jonas made a pact of kindness with David while walking along the way: I Sam. 20:14-15 "If
I, then, still live, perhaps, will not use the kindness of the LORD towards me, so that I do not
morrow? Nor will you ever cut your kindness from my house; not even when the
LORD uproot from the land all of David's enemies.” Be kind to the families and
especially with the elderly.

3 – Kindness towards children who are starting to walk and mothers with babies in their arms.

4 - Kindness towards people with special needs and wheelchairs.

5 - Kindness towards those who arrive late or with inappropriate clothing.

D - A Better Way to Do Things

Sam Walton transformed the shopping habits of ordinary people by creating the Wal-
March, in the United States. Your strategy consisted of 3 points:
a - Quality at a reduced price;
b - Availability of ample parking;
c - Friendly reception.
The rule for your salespeople was: 'From now on, every customer who approaches me,
no matter what you are doing, I will look you in the eyes. I will smile and greet you with a
'good morning' or 'good afternoon', or 'what can I do to help you?' In 2001, he became richer.
that Bill Gates has more stores than Sears.

2 - Dwight Moody had the formula for friendly reception when he founded on a larger scale.
Sunday in Chicago. He also had a 3-point strategy:
a - Attend to street children and poor families overlooked by other churches;
b - Teach children the gospel through choirs and gospel songs;
c - Practice a warm and friendly reception.

3 - Illustration by Moody about the boy who came from afar.

The revivalist of the past century, Dwight Moody, recounts that many years ago, there was in Chicago a
boy who attended one of the Sunday schools. However, his family moved to another one.
part of the city that was 5 km away from the mentioned school. After having moved residence,
to get to your old school, you had to pass in front of other places where you
we will gather other Sunday schools.
One Sunday morning, a young lady was looking for some students for her school, and
finding this young man on the way, asked him why he was going so far to attend school
dominical, having others closer and just as good as yours. The young man replied:
Maybe all are good for other people, but they are not for me; because I go where I
So, said the young lady, it was love that won you over.

If we humbled ourselves before God and were kind and courteous, compassionate and
There would be a hundred converts to the truth where there is only one now.
White, Social Welfare, p. 86

E - How to Improve Reception:

1 – Focus on people all the time.

a - Shift the focus of the conversation to topics related to people.
b - Look people in the eyes.
c – Cultivate a smile.

2 – Personal Appearance.
Be sensitive to your personal hygiene and good taste. Wear clothes that say 'I care about myself.'
I care about my appearance. Deodorant and toothpaste are the receptionist's friends.

3 - Memorize the names.

a - Listen to the name until you learn it. Many do not remember because they did not listen carefully;
b - Relate the name to something or somewhere or to someone known;
c – Repeat the name at least 3 times still during the process of meeting the person;
d - Write the name in a notebook.

4 - Dealing with disorders.

There are things not accounted for by the program, such as alcoholics who enter the church, people
mentally disturbed and others seeking acceptance or free expression. There should be no place
for panic among the receptionists, but prompt and quick action mixed with Christian tact.
5 - Four qualities of a good reception team:
a – Include representatives of both sexes and various age ranges;
b - People whose appearance enhances the testimony for Christ and the church;
c - May it have the twin virtues: kindness and sympathy;
d - People who practice hygiene and good taste in clothing.

6 - Three myths to forget:

Myth 1: Receptionists are not important for smaller churches.

The fact: The receptionist is to the guest what the cashier is to the bank or the waiter is to the
restaurant. It is the first contact and the first impression that the guest has of the church.
Myth 2: Anyone can be a receptionist.
The fact: Requires special skills to be a good receptionist, just like the singer
of a choir or a class teacher. He is the carriage that connects the visitor to the others
members and to the pastor.
Myth 3: People do not care about who is at the reception.
The fact: False. People expect to be greeted by the person they expect to be with them.
waiting. People are creatures of habit who park in the same place, settle down in
same bank and look for the same receptionist at the door with their usual greeting.

F – Developing an Effective Reception:

1 - Information/Reception Desk:
People need a designated place to talk to someone well-informed about the
church life, to inform you about upcoming programs and events, express concerns,
locate rooms or restrooms, etc...

2 - Bulletins and Receptionist Groups:

Each church organizes its receptionists to meet its needs. Large churches have
some receptionists on the front line who greet people while handing them the bulletin
from the church. Behind, another receptionist directs the visitor to the reception desk. He dedicates more
time for the visitors and makes them feel comfortable and looks for seats for them.
After the service, the same receptionists introduce the visitors to the members or to the pastor.
they inform about the upcoming events and agree on a day of the week to remind them
by phone of the new programs.

3 - Information card.
Delivered at the reception and to be filled out by visitors and returned in the trays of
offers. In these cards, one obtains the data about the visitor.

4 - The bookshelf of book sales.

A little Christian literature store can greatly contribute to the increase of reading habits of the
members and the growth of the church. The church that does not read is losing one of the greatest means of
provide personal and spiritual growth.
5 - Musical environment.
Silence is sometimes threatening to visitors. Tasteful orchestrated music provides
environment of reflection and relaxation.

6 - Water fountains.
The lack of drinking fountains is a problem in several churches. Having disposable cups and drinking fountains
Welcoming churches are essential for children.

7 - Bathrooms and Children's Rooms.

Nurseries, changing rooms, restrooms, and other facilities are available in many churches. It is
embarrassing to be forced to ask someone where the bathroom is. Therefore, put up signs or
indicative signs and provide clean, modern, and accessible restrooms for everyone.

8 - Umbrellas.
Have several umbrellas available to be used to guide people to their
vehicles in rainy weather. Each receptionist should be responsible for the custody of a
or more umbrellas.

9 - Emergency procedure:
Important phone numbers should be available at the reception desk, such as: Doctors,
police, lawyers, firefighters, etc. The most common emergencies are accidents involving children,
heart attacks and people who disturb the peace.

10 - Materials:
Pencils, pens, Bibles, hymn collections, Bible lessons, sermon outlines, notepads
gifts and invitations on the reception table.

Professor Emílio Abdalla

Professor Latin American Seminar of Theology of Bahia
Adapted from 'The Greeter's Manual' by Leslie Parrott