Why Spiritually Attuned Guest Teams Beat Hype Every Time
In church hospitality, there’s a big difference between bringing energy and bringing presence. One will excite people. The other will change them.
As I’ve discovered through Secret Sunday Guest Reviews, guests may appreciate smiles and systems—but what they truly remember is how they were seen.
Let me tell you about two churches. Same Sunday. Totally different impact.
Secret Sunday Visit #1: All Smiles, No Soul
I showed up like a normal guest. The team was warm and friendly, lots of smiles, helpful directions, and an amazing service. Everything looked great—until I got to their One Place after the service.
That’s when I felt the shift.
Suddenly I wasn’t a person anymore—I was a prospect.
This well-meaning volunteer gave me the full sales pitch. Think Cutco knives energy. He steamrolled me into showing up to their One Program right then and there.
I was “welcomed,” sure—but not seen.
And if I had been hurting that day? Wounded? Hanging on by a thread?
I might’ve still shown up. But I would’ve gone guarded.
Secret Sunday Visit #2: Presence Over Pitch
Now the second place? Totally different story.
Same warm smiles. But also… something more.
The walk to their meeting space (a theater tucked behind a confusing maze of buildings) was long and winding. But at every confusing turn, there was someone stationed there—kind, calm, inviting.
They didn’t just help me get there. They made the journey feel safe.
But the real magic happened inside. I met a volunteer who didn’t say one word about the church. No steps. No sales pitch.
Instead, he asked thoughtful questions about me.
My week.
My life.
My story.
So many good questions, in fact, that I couldn’t even keep up the act.
I cracked, looked him in the eye, and said:
“Okay, I have to be honest. I’m not a guest. I’m here on a Secret Sunday Guest Review… I’m friends with your team. But you? You’re amazing.”
He didn’t try to win me.
He simply entered my world—with curiosity, not strategy.
And that’s the difference.
The Biblical Mandate: Romans 12:15
You know the verse:
“Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)
But too often, we show up with one emotion: hype.
We try to get people excited, no matter what they’re carrying.
That’s not hospitality.
That’s not ministry.
That’s just emotional projection.
What people actually need?
Someone spiritually attuned enough to match them.
To enter their emotional state—not override it.
How Spirit-Led Guest Teams Change Everything
Imagine a world where your greeters… your hospitality team… your One Place volunteers…
…were known not just in your church, but in your city as the people who always seemed to see you.
People trained not just in steps, but in Spirit-led presence.
That’s how you change the culture of your whole church.
That’s how you change lives.
Let’s keep building teams like that.
To Chew On While We Climb
Use these questions to start a conversation with your team!
Where in our guest experience are we unintentionally projecting energy instead of practicing presence? (Are we trying to “set the tone” before we know someone’s story?)
How well do our volunteers know how to ask meaningful questions? (Have we trained them to listen more than they talk?)
What would it look like to make “spiritually attuned” a core value of our hospitality culture?(What would we stop doing? What would we start?)
