Create a culture of radical hospitality that surprises and delights guests beyond their expectations.
Create a culture of radical hospitality that surprises and delights guests beyond their expectations.
Engaging worship and intentional follow-up processes are important, but what compels guests to return to our churches is the warmth of our welcome and hospitality that goes beyond their expectations. In The Art of Hospitality, Yvonne Gentile and Debi Nixon guide you and your church creating radical hospitality that infiltrates the heart and culture of the entire congregation. Complete with key principles and proven techniques and strategies, this compelling and practical program will transform the way you do church, leaving guests surprised, delighted, and eager to return.
This Revised Edition includes new insights and strategies for effective hospitality and welcome in all aspects of your digital and in-person ministry.
This book is for pastors and other leaders in the church. Choose the Companion Book for everyone else in the congregation.
Learn more about The Art of Hospitality by watching the entire first session and downloading a book sample!
Watch this interview with Adam Hamilton on the importance of creating a culture of radical hospitality in your church. Hosted by Yvonne Gentile and Debi Nixon
The Companion Book: While the main book is intended for pastors and church leaders, this Companion Book is designed for the whole congregation, to equip and inspire everyone to embrace a ministry of welcome.
Choose The Art of Hospitality main book for pastors and other leaders in the church. Choose the Companion Book for everyone else in the congregation.
Endorsements
Churches live or die by the quality of their hospitality. The Art of Hospitality is a field guide for helping your church to extend the radical welcome of Christ. Packed with important insights and practical ideas, this book has the potential to transform your church, and in the process to transform the lives of all who are welcomed there! - Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
A must read, how-to manual for leaders committed to growing healthy and vital churches in the 21st century. It’s filled with information and inspiration to guide teams and leaders to the next level in church excellence while modeling the heart of Christ. - Olu Brown, Lead Pastor, Impact Church
The Art of Hospitality will be game-changing for any congregation longing to whole-heartedly embrace genuine guest-readiness — rather than simply extending momentary courtesy when visitors walk through their doors. The practical, “nuts and bolts” basics as well as compelling concepts, innovative ideas and doable suggestions interwoven throughout have resulted in a resource I am eager to recommend to every church, pastor and leader I know. - Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey, Director, Office of Missional Church Development of the United Methodist West Ohio Conference
Authors
This compelling and practical program has been created by two hospitality leaders with credentials to claim their expertise: Debi Nixon is the Executive Director of ShareChurch, and Yvonne Gentile is the Senior Director of Guest Connections at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection—the largest United Methodist Church in the United States with more than 22,000 members and 13,000 average weekly attendees across its campuses.
Debi Nixon
Debi Nixon serves as one of the Managing Executive Directors at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, with direct oversight of the Regional Campuses and Catalyst Ministry. She has served on the church staff in several key roles moving from volunteer to staff member in 1994 as the founding Director of Children's Ministries. She is passionate about the renewal of the church and helps lead Church of the Resurrections initiatives for leadership training and resource sharing for churches across the country. Debi has a BS in Marketing and spent ten years in corporate sales, training, special event planning, and retail management.
Yvonne Gentile
Yvonne Gentile is the Senior Director of Hospitality and Connections at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. She is co-author of five books: Serving from the Heart: Finding Your Gifts and Talents for Service, Leadership from the Heart: Learning to Lead with Love & Skill, and Leadership Essentials: Practical Tools for Leading in the Church, and most recently, The Art of Hospitality and The Greeter and Usher Handbook.
