The gender of Church Greeters and Ushers
Have you witnessed any church greeters or ushers being women? This question came to me from a very special friend. Her and her husband had been apart of the church’s greeting team for years, but one male pastor asked her to step down. His reasoning for this was, because the other men felt like she was ushering authority over them. She agreed not to greet other males entering the building, but she was upset because they did not want her to wear her skirted uniform.
So, where and when did these two ministries commence. Church Greeters and Church Ushers are not actually referenced in the New Testament; therefore, we must turn back to the Old Testament for validation. The following scriptures speak of gatekeepers and doorkeepers: 2 Kings 22:4 (collector of money and distribution) , 1 Chronicles 9:17-27 (protection), 2 Samuel 18:26 (security), 2 Kings 7:10-11 (reporter), 1 Chronicles 15:23-24 (doorkeepers of the ark), and Psalms 84:10 (willing servant).
Today, in many churches the positions of our doorkeepers are often filled on a volunteer basis, but in the past these the members were voted into their ministries. With all voting in the church we must be careful, because who serves could be a vote for popularity; instead, of the one God chose for the position. Like all ministries, if we allow God to call the people to serve less training needed! One of the best resources online to read about these ministries is as follows: “Church usher manual”. http://www.pastoralcareinc.com. According to this site, a church usher is responsible for seating guests and maintaining the order and security of services; therefore, the difference between a greeter and an usher is the issue of security.
According to the New Testament a gatekeeper is only found as a porter. The following two scriptures describe this terminology: Mar 13:34 “For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.” John 10:3 “To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.” So, then who is qualified to be a porter? In this case, Jesus is the Shepard of the sheep and he opens the door to all mankind, men and women.
In addition, we can reasonably consider the twelve disciples of Jesus fulfilling the roles of an usher, because they: prepared the way for Jesus, kept order among those listening to Christ (security), served food to the audience, and cleaned up after a service. Mark 1:3 reminds us that some came to prepare the way for Jesus and the scripture reads: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make his paths straight.” Plus, did the disciples not scope out and warn Jesus of where they should not go, because they were in fear for their lives? Yes, how about when they warned Jesus about returning back to heal Lazarus? In the matter of security, read the following verse for clarification: Luke 22:49-51 “When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “LORD, should we strike with our swords?” 50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. 51But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.” Finally, we can see the work of the disciples as ushers; in such, as cases as them Feeding the Five Thousand.
Who are the ushers and greeters at your church?
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Should everyone participate in these roles? Why or why not?
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Are any of the ushers and greeters at your church women? Why or why not?
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I’m a member of Hissom Tabernacle Church of the Nazarene. The church is located in the heart of Charleston, WV. I’m so glad that God lead me to a church where all the members love to study God’s word. The members are really good about giving their testimonies and praise reports. The church was established in the 1934. It’s mission is truly to serve others. Monday through Friday and Wednesday nights, we serve meals to the homeless. We also have an open food pantry every Tuesday and it serves between 100 to 200 families a week. Then, we have a free clothing closet open Monday through Friday! In addition, I am currently serving as the Youth Pastor. The church allows me to volunteer in all the above areas; plus, I’m granted the following privileges: to lead the teenagers quartet, teach Wednesday night Bible studies, and be apart of the praise team. Finally, I also have 14 Bible Study books published and are available for purchase on Amazon.com.
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