Orthodox Greeter Ministry
There are many different kinds of people in the world and there are many possible approaches to reaching out to them when they first visit a local church. Two things, however, are set in stone...
~ Visitors are likely to feel more relaxed and welcome if someone speaks to them and gives them some brief, basic information about the church
~ They are unlikely to come back if they are confused by the worship service and ignored by the congregation
The greeter ministry workers are the 'scouts' in the war to save souls. Yes, saving souls is the purpose of the Orthodox Church although others trumpet it more loudly. This section is designed to give some tools and techniques on starting or fine tuning a greeter ministry for an Orthodox parish. These are drawn from research as well as the personal experience of the webmaster who is a convert to the Orthodox Church.
If there is a 'golden rule' for greeters it would be 'don't to do others what you would not want to be done to you'. Don't cross the lines from friendliness to a annoyance nor recognition to embarrassment. Treat the visitor as you would want to be treated in thier situation (you may have already been there).
The links below contain the elements of an organized Orthodox Greeter Ministry for your parish. However, it is just one way. Please see 'more resources' for additional ideas which can be used to tweek our program or design your own. Please feel free to share any successes, or failtures, with us via our contact page.
There are many different kinds of people in the world and there are many possible approaches to reaching out to them when they first visit a local church. Two things, however, are set in stone...
~ Visitors are likely to feel more relaxed and welcome if someone speaks to them and gives them some brief, basic information about the church
~ They are unlikely to come back if they are confused by the worship service and ignored by the congregation
The greeter ministry workers are the 'scouts' in the war to save souls. Yes, saving souls is the purpose of the Orthodox Church although others trumpet it more loudly. This section is designed to give some tools and techniques on starting or fine tuning a greeter ministry for an Orthodox parish. These are drawn from research as well as the personal experience of the webmaster who is a convert to the Orthodox Church.
If there is a 'golden rule' for greeters it would be 'don't to do others what you would not want to be done to you'. Don't cross the lines from friendliness to a annoyance nor recognition to embarrassment. Treat the visitor as you would want to be treated in thier situation (you may have already been there).
The links below contain the elements of an organized Orthodox Greeter Ministry for your parish. However, it is just one way. Please see 'more resources' for additional ideas which can be used to tweek our program or design your own. Please feel free to share any successes, or failtures, with us via our contact page.
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Know Your Visitor |
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Choosing Greeters |
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Weekly Objectives |
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Secondary Tasks |
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Greeter Resources |
