Hospitality at Saddleback Church

After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, picking up my rental car, and beginning to drive south toward Orange County, I quickly discover that I am not in the lush green countryside of Scotland any more. No, I am in the desert.

The sky is a hazy blue, with not a single raincloud in sight, and the sun bakes the mountains, hills, and highways that roll out before me. Everything is brown and dusty except for the farms and lawns touched by irrigation, and the streambeds I cross are like biblical wadis — bone dry except in the rainy season.

As I pass palm trees and cacti, I begin to notice that there are very few pedestrians, although I do see groups of fitness-conscious cyclists getting their workouts along the concrete roadways. For the most part this is a driving culture, one in which people love their cars and their wide, fast highways. And given the harshness of the environment, it makes sense to hop into an air-conditioned car and cruise to your destination in comfort.

When I reach Lake Forest and enter the campus of Saddleback Church, I find myself in a facility that fits this driving culture perfectly. Wide driveways welcome you to the campus, with excellent signage pointing you to large and convenient parking lots. A traffic light in the middle of the campus helps to control the flow of cars driven by the nearly 20,000 worshipers who attend services each week. The driveways are friendlier to cars than to pedestrians, but trams are available to transport worshipers to the various buildings on the campus. The landscaping and architecture is reminiscent of a theme park, and you can understand why some people refer to the church as “Six Flags Over Jesus.”

Saddleback was founded in 1980 by pastor Rick Warren, and after moving through nearly 80 different facilities the church began to develop the current campus in the early 1990s. The congregation is famous for its hospitality, and when I arrived for a 4:30 p.m. service on a Saturday afternoon, I was welcomed by two friendly greeters on the way to the worship center.

A staff member named Erik leads a “guest services team” that is in charge of first impressions, and he is determined to help people to have a good experience as a guest. Traffic attendants are trained to welcome people and point them towards the worship venues; greeters are positioned along walkways to welcome people and answer questions; and ushers are placed in the worship venues to greet people and seat them. The goal is that each guest will receive a total of three greetings before sitting down in worship. I received three welcomes from two greeters and an usher (I arrived too early to encounter any traffic attendants), and for good measure another two ushers greeted me after the service. We also were asked to turn and greet our neighbors, not once but twice, during the worship service.

Visitors are never singled out at Saddleback, but they are asked to fill out cards in worship. If they submit a card, they are given a phone call and a mailing. The Saddleback staff tries to make contact, but they do not pester people — their rule is to make two phone calls and send an email, and then leave people alone. Their main goal is to encourage people to attend a four-hour membership class that is offered on a Sunday afternoon, nine times a year, introducing people to the story, beliefs, and ministry of the church. Another practice designed to make visitors comfortable is the announcement, during the service, that visitors are not to give offerings. “Saddleback is here to give, not to take,” says the worship leader. “Church members will support the church through their offerings.”

Erik tries to look at the campus through the eyes of a visitor, and make sure that a first-timer feels relaxed and comfortable. Outside the main worship venue is a patio with a Welcome Center, where people can get their questions answered and learn more about the life of the church. Campus maps are posted throughout the grounds, and there are banners and flat-screen televisions with announcements and information. Play areas surround the Children’s Ministry Center and Nursery Building. A building called The Refinery contains snack bars and lounge areas, and outside there is a skate park, waterfall, and volleyball court, as well as numerous patios. In a fast-paced world, says Erik, all of this “gives people permission to slow down.”

Since Rick Warren always wants people to feel welcome, Saddleback has worked hard to be sensitive to the fears and needs of spiritual seekers. The traffic attendants, greeters, and ushers are all taught to think of themselves as “agents of hope” — volunteers who can really make a difference in people’s lives. Visitors can remain passive for as long as they want, simply looking and listening for months — or even years. The church does not set up a “you and us” dichotomy when addressing visitors, but tries to send the message that “we are better together.” Erik tells the story of a man named Tom who sat in the very back row when he first came to Saddleback, and over the course of two years he moved to the front and became a very active member. God can do the work of transformation — but it sometimes takes time.

Saddleback has grown because people are encouraged to bring their friends with them, and the staff and volunteers work hard to give them a quality experience. Another of Erik’s responsibilities is the scheduling of Civil Forums, which are “bridge events” that reach the larger community and enable members to invite friends who might not otherwise come to church. On September 25, 2009, a Civil Forum on Reconciliation will feature Paul Kagame, president of the Republic of Rwanda, and Yale professor Miroslav Volf. They will talk about the transformational power of reconciliation and how it reunified the people of Rwanda after genocide.

Traffic attendants, greeters, and ushers who think of themselves as “agents of hope.” Excellent signage. Visitor cards that trigger a consistent response. A Welcome Center. Areas to play, eat, slow down and relax. Civil Forums. All are excellent hospitality practices, and signs of life and growth in the desert of Southern California.