Your Church Hospitality Team's Sample Welcome Letter
The Role of the Church Hospitality Team
Each virtual church's hospitality team can create a meaningful experience for attendees during online church services. In addition to technical responsibilities, hospitality team members should facilitate conversation, community, and engagement online. However, greeting attendees is just the beginning.
As you launch your online church, consider who you want on your hospitality team. Choose individuals who are open to engaging with attendees and who are willing to welcome, connect, and be an all-around church community builder. In addition, the members of your hospitality team should be trustworthy and have a talent for building relationships quickly.
The mission of the church hospitality team is to make people feel welcomed, seen, and a part of the community, whether it is their first or twentieth time attending. Hospitality team members have the power to connect with and impact each person's experience.
For tips on hosting a successful event, refer to this guide from Altar Live for hospitality team best practices for your online church service.
Sending A Welcome Letter To New Church Members
Small, thoughtful gestures like church letters can make a significant impact in delivering a personalized touch. As your hospitality team extends these kind and intentional actions, they create a strong first impression for first-time visitors. A follow-up welcome letter is crucial for churches because it enables your hospitality team to set the tone of belonging and warmth in your community, ultimately shaping the worship experience for your visitors.
If you are writing a welcome letter to newcomers at your church, likely, they have already taken the time to fill out a connection card (whether from the church pew, or on your website) listened to your church's welcome speeches, and read your emails. They have demonstrated their trust in you by providing their contact information. They've taken the time to give you everything your hospitality team may need to welcome them through a personal follow-up.
Your Free Sample Welcome Letter To New Church Members
Below is a sample letter for your hospitality team as they welcome new members to the church.
Dear [Name],
We are so glad you joined us at [Church Name] last Sunday! We appreciate you taking the time to visit our church community, and we hope you felt welcomed and at home with us.
We would love the opportunity to get to know you better and learn more about your spiritual journey. If you're interested, we have several small groups that meet throughout the week to study the Bible and build community. We would love for you to join us for one of these groups. You can find more information about them on our website or by speaking to one of our team members.
Additionally, we have several upcoming events and activities that we would love for you to be a part of. You can stay up-to-date with what's happening at our church by following us on social media or signing up for our weekly email newsletter.
We hope to see you at our next service, and please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or needs.
Blessings,
[Your Name]
📖 Read More: For a complete guide on writing a welcome letter to new church members, find more tips and sample content here: Sample Welcome Letter to New Church Members.
Going the Extra Mile
Virtual Fellowship Ideas to Continue Welcoming New Church Members
Group Discussions And Studies
There is more to church events than just Sunday services. Many people also attend Bible study groups, discussions, or small group seminars hosted by their church on themes such as marriage, grief, and other topics that they need guidance on.
These groups provide a chance for community members to get to know each other better, discuss important topics, and support and come alongside one another. These opportunities also invite attendees to become more attuned to the messages of the Bible and work on integrating them into their daily lives through prayer and fellowship.
Holding these groups or meetings throughout the week allows people to check in with each other beyond just Sundays. Providing an online meeting format for these mid-week or earlier-in-the-week sessions opens up opportunities for more attendance.
Small groups are also a wonderful setting for prayer groups. These regular small group meetings help people feel more connected to their fellow churchgoers and provide support in their faith community in the midst of their day to day.
As a hospitality team member, inviting new members to these meetings creates a point of connection and community beyond Sunday.
Youth Groups
Online church is an excellent platform for youth groups. Engaging young people is essential for the future of the church, and keeping them interested requires more than traditional conversations and services.
Today's youth is the most technologically advanced generation to date, and online services like digital youth groups meet them where they already spend most of their time. However, youth groups can be challenging to bring to regular services, so tailoring your approach to their needs and interests will be more effective.
Virtual show and tell or craft hours spent laughing together online, regardless of location, empower young people to come to church and find their own faith community. To make the most of these groups, consider what the youth in your church community feel they are lacking and what they would like from this type of group. Use their feedback as a guide.
Families are looking for a place to plant their roots, where they can nurture their young ones to grow. As a hospitality team member, part of welcoming new members is including the entire family. Inviting their youth to join the community is essential in welcoming them to be fully integrated and feel at home in your church community.
📖 Read More: You can find a complete guide on hosting Virtual Youth Group here:
Church Activity Nights
Hosting exciting and unique events related to your church is an excellent way to engage and connect with your community online. These events help your congregation get to know each other, bond and even attract new members.
The possibilities for your next Church Activity Night are endless! Below we've begun the brainstorming process for you with a few virtual fellowship ideas.
Fun Virtual Fellowship Ideas - Beyond the Church Pew
List of Virtual Fellowship Ideas for small groups
- Prayer Meeting
- Book Study
- Bible Study
- Dinner together
- Tea time/ Coffee Hour
Fun Virtual Activities
- Paint night
- Craft night
- Cooking night
- Secret Santa
- Virtual Talent show
- Service project: Coordinate a virtual service project, such as creating care packages for a local organization.
- Virtual game night: Organize online games for small groups such as Codenames, picture charades, drawing games like skribbl.io, or other team games.
More virtual fellowship ideas for church events
- Church Conference
- Worship Night
- Bible Study Video Series
- Prayer meeting
- Church retreat
- Sunday school
- Women's/Men's bible study
- Women's/Men's breakfast
- Virtual Welcome Party
- Children's VBS
- Young Adult Fellowship
- Youth Group Fellowship
- Seminar/ Workshop
- Movie + Discussion
- Panel Discussion
Zoom Fellowship Ideas Versus Altar Live Engagement
How can your hospitality team fully engage with your church community? It requires the right tools for engagement. Here's what some of these fellowship ideas could look like in Altar Live:
- Bible Study: Watch and stream high-quality video and audio while video conferencing in meeting rooms. Or host larger panels and seminars in the auditorium.
- Youth Group: Use an engaging and interactive digital space to invite youth into community.
- Church Activity Nights: Host larger church-wide events that still feel real and personal through Rows in the Auditorium or Tables in the Lobby.
Zoom has become the default for video conferencing and many small group fellowship meetings. But why is a tool like Zoom preventing you from fostering real community connection?
If you can't quite place your finger on what it is, here are 7 ways Zoom Fellowship is preventing you from engaging with your community in the way you should.
Digital tools can significantly impact a church's ability to conduct an effective online ministry. Some of the challenges that churches may face when using Zoom include technical difficulties, managing large group numbers, and follow-up with first-time attendees. As a church changes and grows, it is important to recognize its needs through implementing the right tools to continue building up the community.
📖 Read More: Altar vs. Zoom for churches
If you're ready to deepen fellowship in your small group meetings and online events, this is where Altar Live comes in.
Altar is a platform designed specifically for churches, enabling you to host online services and events where your hospitality team and volunteers can engage with people and make them feel welcome in a whole new way.
So, what sets Altar Live apart when it comes to deepening community fellowship? With Altar Live, your church can:
- Connect any live stream source
- Host multiple meetings at the same time
- Assign multiple Hosts
- Keep Track of Attendance
- Web browser-based and mobile app supported
- Customize the look and feel
- Create Polls and Announcements
- Connect your Giving tools
Altar understands that not all members of your congregation are proficient with technology. As a church, you need a straightforward and uncomplicated experience for elders and those who may not be as tech-savvy. Altar is designed with intuitive tools for screen sharing, video sharing, and moderation controls to make hosting small groups simple and easy.
Want to learn more about how Altar can transform how you bring newcomers into your church community? Schedule a time to meet with us here.
You will learn how you can:
- Engage with members through a dynamic video conference experience
- Schedule multiple meetings at the same time with a single account
- Integrate attendance with your ChMS
- Get access to online small group training and best practices
An engagement consultant can teach you an effective workflow for your church. You can bring your entire team and receive a demonstration on how to increase engagement within your community.
