We once believed that as a majority culture in North America everyone knew all there was to know about a church and its surroundings. This certainly is no longer true in a post-Christian North American culture. Most people in our towns and cities, in the neighborhoods and surrounding countryside of our church properties are completely mystified about who we are, what we do, and who is welcome-or not. Hoffman's inviting prose, which includes many practical proposals, will expand your notions of who hospitality ministers are and why they matter. His own compelling experience suggests that the rewards of our efforts to welcome the stranger will deeply enrich our congregational ministry and our relationships with one another and with God.
