Five Practices of
Fruitfu
Congregations
Bishop Robert
Schnase
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Radical
Hospitality
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Scripture
 “Welcome
one another, therefore,
just as Christ has welcomed you,
for the glory of God.”
 Romans
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15:7
Jesus welcomed
Prostitutes,
Children, Zealots,
Lepers, Women, Sinners,Pharisees,
Sadducees, Tax Collectors,
Business people, Demon possessed
Those needing healing, even YOU
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I John 4:10-11
 “This
is love: not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent his
Son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins. Dear friends, since God so
loved us, we also ought to love one
another. “
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Deuteronomy 10:1819
 “He
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ensures that orphans and
widows receive justice. He shows
love to the strangers living among
you and gives them food and
clothing. So you, too, must show
love to strangers, for you
yourselves were once strangers in
Hebrews 13:2
 “Don’t
forget to show hospitality to
strangers, for some who have done
this have entertained angels without
realizing it!”
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In America
 In
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most communities, 40 to 60
percent of people have no church
relationship. A majority of our
neighbors on the streets where we
live do not know the name of a
pastor to call when they face an
unexpected grief.
Early Methodists

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John Wesley and the early Methodists practiced
hospitality in ways so radical in their day that
many traditional church leaders found their
activities offensive. Wesley preached to
thousands on roadsides and in open fields in
order to reach coal miners, field laborers, factory
workers, the underclass, and the poorest of the
poor.
Radical Hospitality

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Congregations that practice Radical Hospitality
demonstrate an active desire to invite, welcome,
receive, and care for those who are strangers so
that they find a spiritual home and discover for
themselves the unending richness of life in Christ.
Radical describes that which is drastically
different from ordinary practices, outside the
normal, that which exceeds expectations and
goes the second mile.
Radical Hospitality

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Radical Hospitality in our personal walk with
Christ begins with an extraordinary receptivity to
the grace of God. In distinctive and personal
ways, we invite God into our hearts and make
space for God in our lives. We say Yes to God
and open ourselves to the spiritual life. We
accept God’s love and acceptance of us. We
receive God’s love and offer it to others.
Questions
How
do people hear about your
church?
Is there a consistent plan for
welcoming visitors who attend any
church ministry?
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Questions
What
is one activity your group or
class could do, which, if done with
excellence and consistency, would
have the greatest impact on
fostering a culture of Radical
Hospitality in your congregation?
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Radical Hospitality

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Group Activity: Walk through the parking lot and
building as if visiting for the first time. Talk about
what you see, what you smell, what you hear,
what you notice that is welcoming and inviting and
helpful, and what you find confusing or uninviting
or forbidding. Imagine moving through the
building from the point of view of a child, a
teenager, a mother with a baby, and a person with
a disability.
Romans 12:13
Always
be eager to
practice hospitality.
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