Lights, camera, action! 💡🎥🎬

The stage is set, the crowd is buzzing and the worship team is ready to unleash their heavenly melodies. It’s showtime, baby!

But you need more than just a run-of-the-mill church welcome speech and you can’t just make it up on the spot…

No, no, no! You need a great church welcome speech that’s going to welcome first-time visitors and set the right expectations.

Well, look no further because you’ve stumbled upon a goldmine of 10 dynamic church welcome speeches guaranteed to kickstart your service with a bang 💥

So let’s make your next service a service to remember, where hearts are touched, souls are stirred and lives are forever changed.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What Is A Church Welcome Speech?
• 5 Key Elements Of A Church Welcome Speech
• 10 Church Welcome Speeches You Can Use
• 4 Great Church Welcome Speech Examples

What Is A Church Welcome Speech?

A church welcome speech is a brief address usually delivered at the beginning of a church service.

More than a mere greeting, a church welcome speech is an opportunity to connect with both new and old faces, create a warm and inviting atmosphere, give valuable information and set the stage for a great worship experience.

5 Key Elements Of A Church Welcome Speech

Whether your church is big or small, black or white, Baptist or Pentecostal, in the US or the Philippines, a great church welcome speech has 5 key elements.

Let’s walk through each one 👇

1. A Simple Introduction

The key here is to keep it short and sweet, yet warm and friendly.

As they say: less is more.

Especially when it comes to opening your church service. Say what needs to be said and move on.

A good church welcome officially starts the service and gets everyone focused, so give a quick introduction of yourself and the church.

This can be as simple as “Good morning and welcome to Grace Church. I’m Abi and it’s great to see you all here.”

2. Set Expectations

When done right, the person opening the service can help raise the faith level of your church right before entering into worship.

Help set the tone by giving everyone a general idea of what’s going to happen. You don’t need to give a minute-by-minute breakdown of the service, just a quick overview is good enough.

This is a good place to mention your current sermon series or special guest speaker if you have one.

3. Give Useful Information

Give everyone the practical information they need to relax and feel comfortable.

Gently remind people to put phones on silent, tell them they’ll be coffee afterwards and point out where the Kid’s Church and bathrooms are.

4. Welcome Visitors

It’s good to take a moment to specifically welcome first-time guests and let them know you’re glad they’re here.

Launching your service this way is not only a great way to make church visitors feel at home:

It also helps outward-focused culture and sends a clear message to members that this is a safe place they can invite their family and friends to.

If your church has visitor connect cards (so you can do follow-up later) ask them to fill them out and drop them in the offering basket as it passes by.

5. End With What’s Next

Now you’ve officially opened up the meeting, it’s time to transition into the next part of the service.

If you’re going into worship, have everyone stand. Lead everyone in a faith-filled prayer welcoming the Holy Spirit to move in hearts and minds.

If it’s the sermon next, thank God for His Word, pray that their hearts and minds be ready to receive what God has to say to his people, then have everyone clap their hands to welcome the preacher.

10 Church Welcome Speeches You Can Use

I’m going to share with you 10 church welcome speech outlines you can use at your next Sunday morning service or church event.

Use these to inspire you and spark new ideas and feel free to adapt them to your local church setting to make them your own.

Church Welcome Speech #1

Good morning and welcome to [CHURCH NAME]. My name’s [YOUR NAME] and if you’re visiting us for the first time here, thank you for coming! It’s great to have you with us.

You’ll find a connect card in [LOCATION], it would be great if you could fill that out – we’d love to get to know you better.

In the next [NUMBER OF MINUTES] we’re going to enjoy a time of worship before [PREACHER NAME] talks to us about [SERMON TOPIC]. It’s going to be good!

Please remember [to collect your children from/turn your phones on silent or any other useful info here].

Please join with me in prayer. [PRAYER]. As the worship team starts playing, let us stand together in singing [SONG TITLE].

Church Welcome Speech #2

Hi! I’m [YOUR NAME] and a very warm welcome to you. It’s so good to see so many smiling faces this morning!

If this is your first time at [CHURCH NAME] I want to extend a special warm welcome to you, it’s great to have you with us.

Please take a moment and fill out the connect card that can be found [LOCATION]. That’ll really help us get to know you a little bit better and know how we can serve or pray for you.

This week we start a brand 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].

OK, let’s pray together. [PRAYER]

Church Welcome Speech #3

Good morning! Welcome to [CHURCH NAME], the place where miracles happen and lives are changed. My name is [YOUR NAME] and whether you’re a longtime member or a first-time visitor, we’re excited to have you with us.

At [CHURCH NAME], we believe that each person who walks through these doors is here for a divine purpose and today, we have a powerful service planned just for you.

We’re gonna dive into worship and lift our voices and hearts in praise to our amazing God. We’ll also have a thought-provoking message that will challenge and inspire you to grow in your faith.

For our first-time visitors, we have a special gift prepared just for you. Be sure to stop by our welcome table after the service to receive your gift and connect with our friendly team members.

Before we proceed, let’s take a moment to greet those around us and extend a warm welcome to everyone in our church family. Go ahead and share a smile, a handshake or even a high-five.

Now let’s prepare our hearts and minds as we enter into a time of worship together and let’s get ready to encounter God in a powerful way.

Church Welcome Speech #4

Before we kick off the service we’d just like to take a moment to welcome everybody to [CHURCH NAME].

We’re thrilled to have you with us today as we worship and seek God’s face and get wisdom from God’s Word.

Before we do that though, just a few important announcements:

This Friday, we have a special prayer night where we will intercede for the needs of our church and community. We invite you to join us. here at [CHURCH NAME] we believe in the power of prayer!

We also have Connect Groups available for all ages where you connect with God and each other.

If you’re interested in joining a connect group or volunteering in one of our service teams, please visit the Connect Corner after the service.

Other than that, all that’s left for me to say is let’s lean in today. Let’s lean with expectant hearts ready to receive what God has for us.

Let’s stand and pray together [PRAYER].

Church Welcome Speech #5

Hello, hello, hello! Is everyone ready to have an amazing time in the presence of God today? I know I am!

My name is [YOUR NAME], and I have the privilege of serving as [YOUR ROLE] here at [CHURCH NAME]. I want to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you and we‘re excited to have you here today.

Whether you’re a familiar face or a first-time visitor, [CHURCH NAME] is a place where we come together as a family to celebrate, grow, and encounter the life-transforming power of God.

Today, we have an incredible service planned just for you. Get ready to experience passionate worship and hear a message that I know will speak directly to your heart.

So, once again, welcome to [CHURCH NAME]. Open your hearts, open your minds and expect God to move in a powerful way today.

Now let’s enter into worship together, knowing that we serve a great big God who is faithful and who desires to meet us right where we are.

Let’s pray. [PRAYER]

Church Welcome Speech #6

Good morning everyone and welcome to [CHURCH NAME], a place where normal people encounter an extraordinary God.

Today, we invite you to join us in a worship experience that will stir your soul and draw you closer to God’s presence.

After the service, we encourage you to visit our Connect Corner, where you can learn more about our various connect groups, ministries and service opportunities.

We believe that each person has a unique role to play in building God’s kingdom, and we’d love to help you find your place of service and connection within our church family.

Let’s pray as we have a time of worship and hear God’s Word together. [PRAYER]

Church Welcome Speech #7

Well, well, well! Look who decided to grace us with their presence today. It’s none other than the incredible congregation of [CHURCH NAME]!

Give yourselves a round of applause for making it here on this beautiful day.

My name is [YOUR NAME], and I’m thrilled you could join us for Sunday service.

Before we kick things off, why don’t you spread some joyful vibes and warm welcomes by high-fiving, fist-bumping or jazz-handing the person next to you.

Today is going to be good!

After worship, we’re going to hear a special message from Pastor [NAME] that I know is going to stretch our faith and help us to believe God for more.

So remember to put your phone on silent and of course, feel free to join us for coffee and treats after the service in the [LOCATION]. It’s the perfect opportunity to meet and connect.

And to our first-time visitors, welcome! Grab a welcome pack after the service—it’s filled with goodies and surprises just for you.

Right now we’re going to enter into a time of worship so feel free to stand, sit or dance in the aisles. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, Amen?

So let’s make a joyful noise!

Church Welcome Speech #8

Hello and a massive welcome to [CHURCH NAME] on this beautiful [CHRISTMAS/EASTER] morning!

My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am so excited to be worshipping 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 it if you could fill out the connect card that’s [LOCATION] and kindly drop it on the offering plate as it comes by. Thank you, this will just help us get to know you better.

I know we’ve got a lot coming up for you today. 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].

Please note that [USEFUL INFO HERE].

Right, are we ready? Let’s pray. [PRAYER] [NEXT STEP]

Church Welcome Speech #9

Good morning, friends! Welcome to [CHURCH NAME] and I’m thrilled to be here with you today as we start this incredible worship experience.

Let’s just take a moment to connect with one another. Find someone nearby, give them a warm smile, and let them know how glad you are to see them.

Now, get ready for a time of worship in the presence of God. Then, after worship, we will have a powerful message which will challenge and inspire us in our faith.

If you’re new here, we’re delighted to have you join us. We have visitor connect cards available, where you can share your contact information and any prayer requests you may have.

Feel free to fill out the cards and drop them in the designated box. We would love to connect with you and support you in any way we can.

For families with children aged 3 to 12, we have an exciting Kids Church program available.

And after the service, we invite everyone to join us for a time of fellowship and refreshments in the [LOCATION]. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new people.

To our first-time visitors, we extend a special welcome. We’re thrilled that you’ve chosen to worship with us today.

Please feel free to approach our friendly volunteers at the welcome desk, who will be more than happy to assist you, answer any questions you may have, and provide you with a small gift as a token of our appreciation.

Now, let’s enter into a time of worship. Let’s lift our voices, open our hearts and invite the Holy Spirit to fill this place.

Let’s pray. [PRAYER]

Church Welcome Speech #10

Good morning, everyone! Welcome to [CHURCH NAME]! It’s wonderful to see so many beautiful faces here this morning!

Now, if you’re joining us for the first time today, we want to extend a special welcome to you. Would you please stand?

Let’s give them a warm round of applause, everyone! It’s great to have you!

Our ushers will be coming around with a special welcome pack designed just for you. It contains helpful information about our church, upcoming events, and ways to get connected.

We want you to feel at home and supported as you explore what our church has to offer. Don’t hesitate to ask our ushers any questions you may have or let them know how we can serve you better.

Before we dive into a time of worship and listen to a great word from Pastor [NAME] I have just a couple of announcements.

Firstly, I want to invite you all to join us this coming Friday for our special prayer night. It’s a powerful time of seeking God’s presence and interceding for our church, community, and the world. Mark your calendars and be part of this transformative experience.

Also, if you’re not already part of a connect group, we have an incredible network of connect groups across the city that meet every Wednesday where you can grow in your relationship with God and one another.

We have a Connect Table at the back where you can find out more so be sure to visit after the service.

Once again, thank you to each and every one of you for being with us and we know where 2 or more are gathered in His name, He is here with us, amen?

Let’s stand together and pray as we enter into worship. [PRAYER]

4 Great Church Welcome Speech Examples

I wanted to end things here with some real-life examples and give you my thoughts on what I think works well. 

It’s good to keep your speeches becoming predictable by mixing them up a little.

Here are 4 different styles and approaches you could take in your church:

1. The Comedic Approach

What a clever and funny way to open the service! Almost rapping, he does a great job of welcoming visitors, having them stand while the church applauds.

I also like how he sets expectations, saying “Today is Youth Sunday”.

2. The Evangelistic Approach

This wonderful woman has a really warm but powerful way of welcoming people to the church.

She starts off by getting people ready to worship and hear the Word. This can be a powerful way to set the tone for the rest of the service.

She introduces the church pastors and even points them out individually. This might work well depending on your style of church.

I was surprised to hear her nearly do an alter call saying “Don’t leave here today without knowing Jesus.”

She’s passionate and friendly, everything you want in someone giving the welcome at your church.

3. The Helpful Approach

This welcome takes less than a minute but works really well and is a great example of how we can make our church services more welcoming for guests.

He leads by introducing himself saying he’s part of the hospitality team and makes himself available if he can help them in any way, right before asking first-time visitors to stand up and thank them for coming.

4. The Faith-Fuelled Approach

This next one is short and sweet, but it’s a masterclass on how to use your church welcome speech to raise the faith level through the roof!

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Over To You

There you go – you now have 10 church welcome speeches to choose from for next Sunday!

If you really want to mix it up then take a look at these 36 church welcome poems.

And if you found this post useful, be sure to check out our step-by-step guides:

• How To Make Church Visitors Feel Welcome
• How To Make A Church Welcome Pack
• 5 Common-Sense Church Greeting Tips
• 10 Ways To Get More First-Time People Into Your Church

Now it’s time to hand it over to you:

What do you say in your church welcome speech?

And do you have any tips for giving a better welcome speech at the start of the service?

Let us know in the comments below! 🙏