What they do, they do not “as unto men, but unto God.” They are a part of the total congregation which presents itself before God to worship Him. When they gather the offerings, they serve God. When they usher the worshippers to their seats, they do it for God. When the ushers see to it that an atmosphere of reverence and order is maintained before, during, and after the service, they do it for God. The purpose of ushering in church is not merely to serve people, as in a theater or restaurant. Ushers are a tremendous force in setting the tone for worship and helping to prepare the people to hear and respond to the Word of God. The usher serves as a “first representative” of Jesus Christ for a worship service. Although an usher’s love is no stronger than the love found in the whole congregation of the body of Christ, nevertheless the usher performs a major role in ensuring that people see and experience that love.Īn usher is a spiritual ambassador for the local church – God’s ordained and organized body of believers. In Christ, you have received God’s unconditional love, and, in Christ, you are called to extend that same unconditional love to others. The ministry of ushering is a crucial part of worship because it is one of the most visible ministries in the Church. In most cases, they provide the first impressions of church and ministry of the pastor. Each usher has the opportunity to impact the lives of new and existing people in the church and should be viewed as an extension of the pastor’s hand. The definition of an usher means door keeper but in truth, our churches greatly depend on diversity and magnitude of the many services ushers provide. My slogan has always been ‘First In, Last Out’ Life experiences and some review and discussion will provide them with most of the knowledge they need.CHURCH USHERING 101 USHER BOOKBuilding a cheerful, engaged, and “ serve you with a smile” church ushering team.įor more than a decade I have been serving as a church usher both at the Moi University Christian Union and different worship assemblies, as well as in my career as an emergency first responder in most cases heading the protocol teams during different occasions. They do not need extensive training to be reasonably effective. They need to know what to look for and what to do if they see something of concern. Our ushers and greeters must be knowledgeable. The task for greeters and ushers is to keep these realities in mind as they look for even small ways to plan and prepare for an emergency. In either case, ushers may not be able to contact every guest. If there is more than one service, some people will arrive as others are leaving.Īn usher’s post may be in the sanctuary and focused on seating people, or it may be at the front door or in the lobby, busy with greeting, conversing, and handing out materials. The lobby, or greeting area (if you have one), may be packed with people of all ages. Members and guests may roam around the lobby or wander down halls. People arrive early and late and in groups and alone. When people gather for worship, things are rarely as organized as they might be in some other meetings: You must be realistic about your congregational environment. Meanwhile, others are so concerned that they are tense and on edge all the time. Some ushers are so unconcerned or busy talking to their friends that they are rarely aware of what is happening around them. These two approaches (greeter and guardian) must be balanced between the need to provide a feeling of welcome and openness with being watchful and appropriately wary. For some of our volunteers on Sunday morning, their challenge is to fulfill the dual roles of greeter and guardian. You are not expected to do it all yourself or act as a police officer or security guard, but you are expected to continuously observe people and the environment, assess the situation to see if there is danger, and respond appropriately. Greeters, ushers, ministers, teachers, and staff all share responsibility for the safety and security of the congregation.
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