If you’re looking for inspiration for church welcome speeches, then look no further! By giving a very warm welcome, it’s your job to set the tone. A welcome speech for church may seem like a menial task, but it’s a vital part of any service. Any church service needs a good flow and rhythm.
A church welcome speech sets the stage for what’s ahead. Whether you’re hosting a conference, a normal Sunday morning, or a special event, welcoming your members is very important.
We’ve prepared several sample welcome speeches for churches that will hopefully inspire you. Prepare for a Sunday or your event with little stress!
Table of contents
Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
What is a Welcome Speech?
Welcome speeches are a great way to set the tone for an upcoming service, or church event to welcome old and new members of your church. Starting with a welcome speech gives your church service or meeting a warm and comforting start. It also helps those new to your church feel like they’re in the right place.
A church welcome speech is also an excellent way to share what to expect during the rest of the service. Essentially, the welcome sets the tone. When writing a welcome speech, try to find ways for church members to participate. You can do this by asking them to greet one another, maybe give someone a high five or a fist bump. Also let them know about how they can give tithes any time during the service using their smartphones, via text, or your online donation form.
Who Gives the Welcome Speech?
One common question that people wonder is who should give the church welcome speech. Should it be the pastor? An elder? Another speaker? A congregant? It isn’t the job of any one person. It might be useful however to match the welcome speaker to an event in the church.
Do you have a youth conference coming up? Have your youth pastor welcome people to church and remind them about the conference. You can do the same for a women’s or men’s event. Having someone involved in the specific event give information can be very welcoming.
Sometimes the welcome speaker is consistent — typically a pastor or other church leader. Perhaps you have multiple campuses, and the welcome speaker is your campus pastor. One thing that is always the same, regardless of who is talking, is that people who are confident, comfortable in front of a crowd, and can be trusted are great for the task.
No matter who you choose, make sure they’re an individual that you can trust to come through with a quality delivery every week.
Welcome First Time Visitors
Words of welcome before worship should be appealing to church visitors. Don’t say, “Welcome members of my church,” as a greeting. You can say something like, “Welcome brothers and sisters,” instead.
You might also say something along the lines of, “If you are visiting us for the first time today, we’re happy you are here.” Don’t always point out first-time visitors in the audience because this can make them self-conscious. Feel free to give visitors directions to your welcome center or the bathrooms, especially if you have a large church.
Say something to put your first-time visitors at ease. “We won’t ask you to stand up or wave your hands” can be comforting for some people.
Though you shouldn’t promote upcoming events during this specific time, you can point out that you meet every week and the visitors are welcome to return to your next service. You can also mention a newcomers’ gathering.
Match the Speech with the Event
Your welcome speech should reflect the event you are welcoming your guests to. For an average Sunday service, your tone should be upbeat and encouraging. But for a more somber occasion like a funeral, you may want to be more stoic and calm. And as mentioned above, at a youth conference, you’ll want to bring the energy!
With any event, this may be a time to give some practical information in your speech. If your service needs extra time or if you are serving food, you should include those details in your speech. You should include a brief description of your service so your audience knows what is coming up.
It is typically appropriate to open with a prayer. If you struggle with writer’s block, consider leading the congregation in a prayer that reflects on the occasion in some way. You can also read an excerpt from the Bible to gather your thoughts.
Use Your Emotions
Smiling and moving your tone up is a good way to make your audience happy and feel at ease. But, don’t try and use complicated language. A welcome speech is usually given after the worship team is done. People are waiting to hear directions on what to do next. Tell a light-hearted joke such as “turn to your neighbor as you find your seat and tell them they look good today!”
Many people tell jokes to satisfy their audience, which can be risky. A joke can be inappropriate during a formal or somber occasion, and the joke may not land correctly. So, if you’re going to tell a joke, try doing a pun or wordplay. Never make a joke at someone else’s expense; remember your in the House of God! Instead, try something like rhyming. It may not be funny, but it can catch your audience’s attention and connect two ideas.
Visuals
Visuals can help what you are talking about and entertain your audience. You can put a simple graphic behind you that welcomes guests to your church. Also you can find stock art online for free with welcome messages, or you can make your own.
Another effective way to put guests at ease is to give them something physical. At a minimum, they should have a Bible and songbook so they can follow along with the service. Perhaps you can also hand out bottles of water and snacks that they can consume during the event.
Church welcome materials can include church connect cards and handouts. Leave them at the front of the room for first-time visitors to collect, or you can have someone hand them out.
Do’s and Dont’s
There are some simple do’s and don’t for any welcome speech. Hopefully, some of these are common knowledge, but it never hurts to review before stepping on stage. And don’t worry if you did a few of these don’ts – practice makes perfect!
Do:
- Maintain eye contact
- Speak slowly
- Include a transition
- Introduce yourself and your role
Don’t:
- Read from a speech
- Give too much information
- Spend too much time welcoming everyone
- Say anything inapproprate
Keep these in mind, and you’ll do great! The biggest thing to remember is to resist the urge to get sucked down the rabbit hole of treating your welcome speech as an information dump that overwhelms visitors. You want to include basic information for people like the church name or where the bathrooms are, but only include the most important stuff. Speak slowly and only say what is necessary. The rest can follow later on in the service or closer to the end for announcements.
Keep it Brief
Welcome speeches are rarely more than 150 words long. Your church welcome speech is not the time for an exegesis of the Bible. It’s Say what you need to say to start the occasion and then move on.
Consider writing out your speech word for word and seeing what details you can cut out. Besides adverbs and adjectives, you can cut out details that the pastor will say later. Save church announcements and in-house business for another occasion. You can send out reminders about upcoming events in emails and text messages.
5 Great Welcome Speech Examples
Take a look at these five great sample welcome speeches. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for a Sunday service, a baptism event, or a conference, we hope that you find what you need.
Sunday Service
Hi! I’m [YOUR NAME] and a very warm welcome to everyone. It’s so good to see so many familiar faces this morning!
If this is your first time at [CHURCH NAME] I want to extend a special welcome to you, it’s great to have you with us.
Please take a moment and fill out the connection card that can be found [LOCATION] or on our church app. That will really help us get to know you a little bit better and know how we can serve or pray for you.
This week we’ll be starting a brand new 4-week series called [SERMON SERIES NAME] where we’re going to be talking about [TOPIC]. I know that God is going to speak to us, amen?
Before I go, let me just remind you that [USEFUL INFO HERE]. That being said, let’s get ready to [NEXT STEP HERE].
Women’s Conference
Good morning ladies! My name is [YOUR NAME] and I want to welcome you to [CONFERENCE NAME]. We are so expectant for what God is going to do here in these next few days. Here at [CHURCH NAME], we’ve been praying and believing the best for you. I would like to thank each one of you for your time and would like to welcome everyone to this joyous occasion for the women in the church.
As daughters of the Lord, we have come together to celebrate the beauty that we hold as God’s children. We have prayed for such a glorious event and are truly pleased with the turnout today. Let us thank God for giving us a chance to gather in His name.
We are here to share in the love that he has blessed us with today. Let us listen with love to the speakers who are ready to speak with us today and may they be guided by the Holy Spirit. Before we begin, I just want to say a few words of prayer [PRAYER].
Thank you, and God bless!
Guest Speaker in the House
Hi everyone! I’m [YOUR NAME], the Campus Pastor here at [CHURCH NAME]. We’re so happy you decided to join us this Sunday. We’ve got a great service ahead of us on this beautiful morning. Just a few things to address.
Please take a chance to fill out the connect card on the back of the seat so we can get to know you better. Let us know how we can pray for you at the bottom of the card.
If you’re looking to get involved here, we’ve got several people out near the connection center in [LOCATION] ready to connect with you.
Today, we have an amazing service planned, as we welcome an amazing guest speaker [NAME] from [CHURCH NAME]. Let’s make sure we give them a warm welcome and prepare for the word today!
Holiday
Hello, and a warm welcome to [CHURCH NAME] on this beautiful [CHRISTMAS/EASTER] morning!
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am so excited to be with you today! If you’re a visitor with us, thank you so much for coming and celebrating [CHRISTMAS/EASTER] with us.
For those with us for the first time, I’d love if you could take a few moments and fill out the connect card that’s [LOCATION] and kindly drop it the back of the room at the end of service. This is one way it will help us get to know you better.
I know we’ve got a lot coming up for you today. So we’re going to kick things off here with a time of worship before we hear a special [CHRISTMAS/EASTER} message from [PREACHER NAME]. After that [INCLUDE ANY OTHER SPECIAL ELEMENTS].
Baptisms
We are gathered here today to celebrate the baptism of our fellow Christians. Some faces at this stage you may already know. Others, you may have only seen in passing on Sunday mornings. Whether or not they seem familiar to you, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ knows them well and today he will enter into their hearts to remain.
On this glorious day, they all become your brothers and sisters in Christ! Today, their sins will wash away, and they will be redeemed just as you once did before our congregation.
Summary
A welcome speech for church isn’t something to stress about. Follow the simple do’s and don’ts, speak with confidence, and practice beforehand. Set the tone for your event or Sunday morning service, and welcome first-time guests and long-time members with a friendly smile!
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