A Sabbatical Reflection
By Pastor Grant Barnett Christenson
We took the opportunity during our summer sabbatical to worship at different houses of worship, not only in Bozeman but also in Minnesota, Washington, and Wyoming.
Many churches went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. One Bozeman church not only followed up with a bag full of information and visitor bread, but with notes. Lots of notes. We thanked them and notified them that we were local clergy. They seemed eager for the return of "Barnett and Linda Christenson."
Another local congregation made connections with us during worship and afterward at the fellowship hour. It was good to see Megan Makeever, our former choir director, and to meet some retired Montana teachers who knew retired teachers from Christ the King.
A congregation in Washington was very informal, but they were gracious in their welcome and invited us to stay for brunch on their patio after worship. Breaking bread in the rare summer sunshine of western Washington was a great way to feel included in a gathering of Christians.
While we were in Minnesota, I was so excited to worship at the church where my parents were married 59 years ago. We were clearly visitors because of our ages and because of our wiggly children. My father felt sad that he and his family were not recognized and acknowledged. My father loves and cares for the body of Christ, and he grieves when it does not carry out the important ministry of hospitality. It was hard for me to talk to the senior pastor, who was also a seminary classmate, to let him know that our welcome was less than warm and friendly. The senior pastor and the associate pastor both acknowledged it was a problem for their congregation and they were trying to address it.
Visiting other churches this summer gave us an opportunity to experience welcoming congregations, and in some cases, not.
Les Stroh, our consultant during the strategic planning meetings in mid-October, lifted up an example of welcoming and not welcoming visitors that helped me understand hospitality in a new light.
Les told a story of how a visitor felt put off by the groups that sat at full tables during fellowship following worship. As groups were chatting with their friends, they were silently communicating "we visit with folks we know." Not a very welcoming environment, even if the church members consider themselves "welcoming".
Then Les told us about a church where members are keenly aware that there are visitors in their midst. They go out of their way to make visitors feel welcomed, even to the point of not sitting with their friends after worship during the fellowship hour, but keeping seats at their tables open for any visitors who may be looking for a place to sit.
Visiting other churches and observing how they do hospitality ministry can be eye opening, or painful to experience.
Would you be willing to greet the stranger in your midst, even though you want to talk to your friend who you haven't seen in a week?
Would you be willing to leave a seat open at your table during fellowship, even though you want to talk about the Cubs' big win on Wednesday night with your friends?
Sabbatical was a wonderful time to experience the vast array of congregations that make up the Body of Christ. But it was also a time to learn what makes for a warm welcome, as opposed to a cold shoulder and an air of indifference.
Food for thought, as we anticipate many visitors in our midst over the next couple of months.
Many churches went out of their way to make us feel welcomed. One Bozeman church not only followed up with a bag full of information and visitor bread, but with notes. Lots of notes. We thanked them and notified them that we were local clergy. They seemed eager for the return of "Barnett and Linda Christenson."
Another local congregation made connections with us during worship and afterward at the fellowship hour. It was good to see Megan Makeever, our former choir director, and to meet some retired Montana teachers who knew retired teachers from Christ the King.
A congregation in Washington was very informal, but they were gracious in their welcome and invited us to stay for brunch on their patio after worship. Breaking bread in the rare summer sunshine of western Washington was a great way to feel included in a gathering of Christians.
While we were in Minnesota, I was so excited to worship at the church where my parents were married 59 years ago. We were clearly visitors because of our ages and because of our wiggly children. My father felt sad that he and his family were not recognized and acknowledged. My father loves and cares for the body of Christ, and he grieves when it does not carry out the important ministry of hospitality. It was hard for me to talk to the senior pastor, who was also a seminary classmate, to let him know that our welcome was less than warm and friendly. The senior pastor and the associate pastor both acknowledged it was a problem for their congregation and they were trying to address it.
Visiting other churches this summer gave us an opportunity to experience welcoming congregations, and in some cases, not.
Les Stroh, our consultant during the strategic planning meetings in mid-October, lifted up an example of welcoming and not welcoming visitors that helped me understand hospitality in a new light.
Les told a story of how a visitor felt put off by the groups that sat at full tables during fellowship following worship. As groups were chatting with their friends, they were silently communicating "we visit with folks we know." Not a very welcoming environment, even if the church members consider themselves "welcoming".
Then Les told us about a church where members are keenly aware that there are visitors in their midst. They go out of their way to make visitors feel welcomed, even to the point of not sitting with their friends after worship during the fellowship hour, but keeping seats at their tables open for any visitors who may be looking for a place to sit.
Visiting other churches and observing how they do hospitality ministry can be eye opening, or painful to experience.
Would you be willing to greet the stranger in your midst, even though you want to talk to your friend who you haven't seen in a week?
Would you be willing to leave a seat open at your table during fellowship, even though you want to talk about the Cubs' big win on Wednesday night with your friends?
Sabbatical was a wonderful time to experience the vast array of congregations that make up the Body of Christ. But it was also a time to learn what makes for a warm welcome, as opposed to a cold shoulder and an air of indifference.
Food for thought, as we anticipate many visitors in our midst over the next couple of months.
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