Looking to welcome visitors to church with quotes? Finding the perfect words to greet visitors is challenging. Oftentimes visitors don’t know anyone within the ministry, making it tough for them to connect.
And, even the most welcoming churches struggle to get their members to break away from their usual groups to greet new people. That’s why you should look for inspiration in welcome to church quotes.
These quotes welcome visitors to church effectively by using carefully thought out phrases (spoken or written) from eloquent writers and speakers. They’ve been used time and time again because they have a proven ability to connect with people.
But where should you begin when searching for the perfect welcome to church quotes? To save you from digging, we’ve gathered some of the most popular quotes to welcome visitors to church. Read through the list below to see some of the top quotes you can use.
Church Father Quotes
Did you know that the Church Fathers, even though their words are hundreds of years old, can provide you with some of the best welcome to church quotes?
These quotes are a beautiful way to welcome visitors into the church. They make a lovely decoration for the front page of a church bulletin, or you could highlight just one word or phrase on a church connection card. Below we list many quotes from the Church Father that could welcome visitors to church quotes.
Athanasius of Alexandria
1. “Let us remember the poor, and not forget kindness to strangers; above all, let us love God with all our soul, and might, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.”
2. “Jesus that I know as my Redeemer cannot be less than God.”
Augustine of Hippo
3. “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
4. “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”
5. “And men go abroad to admire the heights of mountains, the mighty waves of the sea, the broad tides of rivers, the compass of the ocean and the circuits of the stars yet pass over the mystery of themselves without a thought.”
6. “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
7. “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you. And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made. You were with me, and I was not with you. The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you, they had no existence at all. You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.”
8. Cyprian of Carthage
“No one can have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.”
9. John Chrysostom
“Nothing, you see, equals prayer. It makes the impossible possible, the difficult easy and the crooked way straight.”
10. John Climacus
“A servant of the Lord is he who in body stands before men, but in mind knocks at Heaven with prayer.”
11. Gregory Nazianzen
“Remember God more than you breathe.”
12. Ephraim the Syrian
“Prayer preserves temperance, suppresses anger, restrains pride and envy, draws down the Holy Spirit into the soul and raises man to heaven.”
Literary Quotes
Literary masterpieces can provide you with even more quotes to welcome visitors to church. The words of these authors are especially good for thought-provoking church welcome speeches from the pulpit!
Sprinkle in some Emerson, Hawthorne and Dickens into your worship service greetings for flavor. With the quotes of the literary masters, you'll have the best hospitality ministry in town.
13. Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching.”
14. G.K. Chesterton
“And the more I considered Christianity, the more I found that while it had established a rule and order, the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run wild.”
15. Charles Dickens
“It is Christianity to love our neighbors as ourself and to do to all men as we would have them do to us. It is Christianity to be gentle, merciful and forgiving, and to keep those qualities quiet in our own hearts, and never make a boast of them or of our prayers or of our love of God, but always to show that we love Him by humbly trying to do right in everything. If we do this, and remember the life and lessons of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and try to act up to them, we may confidently hope that God will forgive us our sins and mistakes, and enable us to live and die in peace.”
16. Jonathan Edwards
“It is God’s will through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one of the great principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world. When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people.”
17. Nathaniel Hawthorne
“Just as there comes a warm sunbeam into every cottage window, so comes a lovebeam of God's care and pity for every separate need.”
Bible Passages
Of course, no list of welcome quotes would be complete without a few Bible passages. The comforting words of the Bible will speak to the hearts of your visitors. Everyone needs more Bible verses in their lives.
These quotes can go anywhere. You could put them on a bulletin, a connection card, or a welcome letter. You really can't go wrong with scripture.
18. Acts 20:28
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”
19. Colossians 3:14-16
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
20. Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
21. John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
22. Romans 12:3-5
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
23. 1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV
"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ."
24. Ephesians 2:19-21 ESV
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord."
25. John 3:16-17 ESV
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
26. Galatians 3:26-28 ESV
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
27. Leviticus 19:34 ESV
“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
28. Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
29. Psalm 133:1 ESV
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!"
30. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
31. John 13:34-35 ESV
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
32. Luke 10:27 ESV
"And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.'”
33. Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
34. Luke 9:11 ESV
"When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing."
35. Psalm 122:1 ESV
“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Hymns
While we're looking for the best church welcome to church quotes, we should take a look at some of the greatest hymns ever written. These hymns make lovely welcome quotes for visitors.
These hymns are especially versatile. You can print the lyrics to fill space in your bulletin or choose one line to display on the projector as visitors come into the sanctuary.
If you're not sure how to use a projector effectively to welcome your visitors, check out our handy guide.
36. O Worship the King
O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.
O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
in you do we trust, nor find you to fail.
Your mercies, how tender, how firm to the end,
our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!
O measureless Might, unchangeable Love,
whom angels delight to worship above!
Your ransomed creation, with glory ablaze,
in true adoration shall sing to your praise!
37. The Church’s One Foundation
The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation by water and the Word.
From heav'n he came and sought her to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died.
The Church shall never perish. Her dear Lord to defend,
to guide, sustain and cherish, is with her to the end.
Tho' there be those that hate her and strive to see her fail,
against both foe and traitor she ever shall prevail.
'Mid toil and tribulation and tumult of her war
she waits the consummation of peace forevermore
till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest,
and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest.
38. Abide With Me
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour:
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless:
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness:
Where is death’s sting? where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
39. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer
Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer
40. It is Well With My Soul
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Miscellaneous Welcome to Church Quotes
If you're looking for some versatile welcome quotes for any occasion, this category of original quotes should help. Plus if this list of quotes aren't enough for you, we have even more, including a hospitality ministry guide!
Prayer Request Card
God wants to hear from you, and so do we! Let us know how we can pray for you.
41. Welcome Message
Are you feeling worn-down by the trials of life? Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Set aside your troubles as you enter the presence of God today.
42. Bulletin Cover Page
Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." We invite you to join us as we peacefully prepare for worship today.
43. Greeting From the Pulpit
There's an old children's song that goes, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Jesus really does love you, and we're so glad you decided to respond to his love in worship today!
Church should be warm and welcoming. Use these welcome visitors to church quotes and speech ideas to engage your visitors and members and keep them coming back!
Get All the Materials You Need to Welcome Church Visitors
We’ve built a complete kit of templates to help you get started on building a comprehensive welcome packet for newcomers. Download our free church welcome kit to get...
- 8 church connection card templates.
- Church verse & quote cards for your welcome packets.
- 40 amazing welcome quotes to use in your printed material.
- Free welcome message templates for visitors and new members.
