The Come Back Effect By Jason Young And Jonathan MalmSample

Day Five

Telling a Good Story

Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

Each time we meet in our churches, we’re telling a story to our guest. It will either be a story with a happy ending, or it’ll be a tragedy that leaves our guests unwilling to return the next week. Obviously we want to tell a good story. And while our message might be the greatest story ever told—the story of Jesus—the story of our hospitality is about someone else. 

One of the greatest perspective shifts we can make in hospitality is understanding who the hero of the story is. As a volunteer or staff member, we find it natural to put ourselves in that hero role. We want to be the protagonist of the story. But if we’re going to be truly excellent at hospitality, we have to take a supporting role. The true hero of the story is the guest. Their visit to our church is their story. 

There will be plenty of villains in their story, like the guy who runs the red light on their drive to church. There will be obstacles, like their kids who can’t find their shoes. Your guest doesn’t need any more villains or obstacles in their story.

So don’t just greet your guest. Be their ally. Or if you aren’t the person to do that, introduce them to the friend who will help them get where they need to go. Your guests need someone who will help them reach the happy ending of their story. 

It’s too easy to think about our own story. We get lost in our own obstacles and our own villains. “Are we going to run out of coffee? Is my breath bad? Did Tom ever show up with more bulletins?” While these obstacles do matter, we can’t afford to think about our story when it’s time to welcome guests. We have to be fully focused on helping them tell their story. 

Is your hospitality set up in such a way that the hero of your story can get from scene to scene without a crisis? Is your team positioned in such a way that a guest will feel comfortable asking for help?

A guest doesn’t care about your role. They really just want to know that you’re there for them. Guests pay attention to who you are. Not what you do. 

How does how you treat guests reflect the bigger story of Jesus to them?