Thanks to David Stone for sending in this article from Rev David Rees
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” — Romans 15:7
Churches are often very good at talking about being “welcoming.” We print it on banners, put it on our websites, and say it from the front. And that’s a good thing! A smile at the door, a warm handshake, someone to show you where the coffee is—it all matters. First impressions shape how people feel, and hospitality is a deeply biblical virtue.
But welcome is one thing; inclusion goes a step further. Though they are related, they aren’t quite the same thing. Welcome is the open door. Inclusion is having a real place at the table. Think of it like hosting a dinner party. A guest who rings the bell is welcomed in: coat taken, drink offered, polite conversation made. But inclusion happens when they feel free to join the chatter around the table, help themselves to seconds, or even wash up at the end. It’s when they stop being “the guest” and start being “part of the family.” Church can be like that too. We might welcome people in with smiles and tea and the news sheet. But inclusion happens when their voices are genuinely heard, their stories valued, their gifts shared. Inclusion isn’t just “letting people in.” It’s recognising that they belong—not as visitors, but as co-creators of the church community.
Romans 15:7 reminds us to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” And how has Christ welcomed us? Not as guests on probation, but as beloved children of God. Jesus didn’t just let people follow him politely from the edge of the crowd; he sat with them, ate with them, trusted them with ministry, gave them a voice.
That’s inclusion. True inclusion often happens in small, practical ways. It might mean giving someone a role, listening to their ideas, changing our language to make it easier for newcomers, or making sure leadership reflects the breadth of who we are. It’s also about being willing to change as a community, not expecting others to simply fit into how things have always been. A church can be warm and friendly without being truly inclusive. But a church that is both welcoming and inclusive reflects something of God’s kingdom: a place where there are no outsiders, only fellow children of God, gathered around the same table. So perhaps the question for us isn’t
just, “Are we welcoming?” but, “Are we making room for people to belong?