The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community (Book)
Ron Wolfson, Author.  Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2006.

Ron Wolfson believes hospitality is a key ingredient for congregational vitality. The ideal synagogue, he writes, is “a place where the culture of the entire community would reflect an ambience of welcome, a place not just where everyone knew your name, but a place where everyone was treated as an ‘image of God’ living within a culture of honor.”

The Spirituality of Welcoming begins with an exploration of the state of synagogues today and the reasons many people avoid or leave them. In three subsequent chapters he explores in depth how to create a synagogue that welcomes newcomers, facilitates spiritual transformation, and grows its membership.

Chapter 3 explores what Jewish tradition teaches about hospitality, offers examples from the secular world of what an atmosphere of welcome might look like, and provides tips and exercises to help readers cultivate this same atmosphere in their synagogues.

In Chapter 4, Wolfson offers examples of welcoming worship, discussing such issues as using music to transform the synagogue experience, the value of personal testimonies, empowering worship teams, and developing a visitor’s guide to the service.

The topics covered in Chapter 5, “Welcoming Membership,” include outreach and recruitment strategies, approaches to dues (and alternatives to dues), tips for welcoming and informing guests, and suggestions for creating new membership covenants.

All synagogue leaders would benefit from reading this book. Although written with synagogue leaders in mind, much of the information presented would also be applicable to congregational leaders of other faiths.

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See also these resources:

Beyond the First Visit: The Complete Guide to Connecting Guests to Your Church (Book)
Gary L. McIntosh, Author.  Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2006.
Church growth consultant Gary McIntosh offers practical ideas for promoting church hospitality and growth, emphasizing the importance of first impressions, having a plan for creating a welcoming environment, and doing good follow-up.