7 Welcome To Church Speeches For Your Next Event

Church welcome speeches are a critical part of communication for your congregation. Whether you’re the lead pastor, an experienced worship leader, or someone new to congregation leadership, you may need to give a short speech to welcome people to a ministry event. This is why knowing a few Welcome to Church speeches can go a long way.

Welcome speeches serve a few general purposes:

• They call the event to an official order, ensuring people know it’s time to take their seats, stop visiting with neighbors, and pay attention to the main event.
• They help ensure everyone understands what’s happening, which can be important for newcomers or during special events.
• They set the tone, letting people know what type of event they can expect.
• They tell people you’re happy they came and thank them for their presence, which is more than just good manners. It helps people feel truly welcome and a part of the event.

In general, welcome speeches should be friendly, easy to understand, and brief. It’s best to give the speech without reading word-for-word from your notes, as that can come across as stilted. But do have some talking points on hand to reference so you don’t forget any important information.

If you’re prepping to give a welcome speech for your church in 2021 or beyond, start with one of the seven types of church welcome speeches below.

1. Hello and Prayer

This basic type of church welcome speech couples a quick hello to the congregation with a short prayer. You can use this to welcome people to regular Sunday services, business meetings, or other events where most people know what’s going on and their roles in it.

Sample welcome speech template:

Good morning/afternoon/evening. I’m so happy to see everyone here today/tonight. Thank you for coming out to worship/fellowship/take part in church business. Before we start, let’s open in prayer. (Insert short prayer thanking God for those present and asking Him to bless the events that are about to unfold.)

2. Informational Welcome

Use this type of church welcome speech when it’s important to convey some information about the event before getting underway. You might also use this type of speech to make people aware of where bathrooms and childcare are.

Sample informational welcome speech template:

Welcome, all. We’re so glad to have you here today and hope you’ll be blessed by our time together. Before we Get started
, let’s cover a few administrative matters. (Insert a short, concise list of the important information you want people to know. If possible, display the information on a projector screen too.)

You can close this speech with a prayer or turn it over to someone on the worship team for a song or prayer.

3. Introductory Welcome

This short speech can be used when the event involves a speaker or guest of honor and you’re moving directly from the welcome to their part in the proceedings. If the speaker won’t be involved until later in the service or event, consider choosing a different type of welcome speech and allow someone to introduce them just before they come on. Otherwise, people might not remember some of the pertinent facts.

Sample introductory welcome speech template:

I’d like to welcome you to (insert church or event name). We’re so excited to have (insert special guest name) here today, and we can’t wait for you to hear from him/her. (Share a little bit about who the person is, what they do, and why they’re at the event. Usually, the special guest can provide a short bio or other information for this purpose.) Now, let’s welcome (name)!

Optionally, you can include a prayer for the person and their ministry before you end your speech and hand it over to them.

4. Celebration Welcome

Bring this speech out when you’re celebrating something, including birthdays, new babies or baby dedications, church anniversaries, baptisms, or anniversaries.

Sample celebration welcome speech template:

Good morning/evening. My name is (your name), and I’m so pleased to welcome everyone to this celebration of (brief explanation of who and what you’re celebrating). Thank you everyone for coming out to celebrate this event with us. We hope you enjoy the (brief description of any program involved in the celebration), and you’re all welcome to stay after for (a brief description of any refreshments, meal, or other parts of the celebration).

5. Fundraiser Welcome

Give this type of church welcome speech when you’re hosting a fundraising event for the church or church programs. Examples might include fundraising for building needs, outreach efforts, or youth mission trips.

Sample fundraising welcome speech template:

Welcome, everyone, and thank you for taking the time to support this ministry. (Brief description of the team behind the program or event) have been working hard to bring you something special today, and I’m looking forward to seeing it unfold.

Before we move on to the event, I’d like to give some brief information about the fundraising effort. (Provide a brief overview of why money is being raised, including who the effort is going to help. Let people know how they can help, especially if there are various levels so that everyone has an option to pitch in. Highlight digital giving options and consider having information displayed on projector screens during the event to help people remember how they can offer support. Consider closing in prayer for God’s guidance over the effort.)

6. Bible Verse Welcome

One way to change up your welcome speeches, especially for regular services, is to incorporate a Bible verse. This can also be a great way to tie any event or church effort to God and the Scripture and remind people about the real purpose for the gathering.

Sample Bible verse welcome speech template:

Good morning/evening. Welcome to (insert church or event name). Thank you so much for choosing to be with us today. I’d like to open today by sharing a Bible verse with you. I’ll be reading from (give a book, chapter, and verses and pause a moment to allow people to find it in their Bible if they want to read along. Then read the Bible verses. Consider having them displayed on a projector screen too.)

These verses feel especially pertinent to me today because (tie the verses into the event or day before moving into the next order of worship.)

7. Food Welcome

Turn to the food welcome speech when you’re greeting people at an event that’s primarily about sharing a meal.

Sample food welcome speech template:

Good afternoon/evening. It’s really smelling delicious in here, isn’t it? My mouth is certainly watering! We’re so happy to have everyone gathered here today to enjoy a meal together. (Insert a sentence or two about what you’re celebrating, if pertinent.)

Before we partake, we have a few instructions to help the lines go smoothly. (Give some instructions for the meal, such as where lines should start or whether you’d like to allow elders to go first.)

Let’s pause to say a blessing before we dig into this delicious meal. (Say a prayer, asking for a blessing for the meal before dismissing people to eat.)

You Need More Than Welcome to Church Speeches

Check out the DonorWerx resources for more articles and tips for engaging with and leading your congregation. And if you’re leading an effort to raise funds for a mission or building — or just want to create more effective tithing processes for your members — check out our online coaching services to find out how to develop strong donors.