THE ART OF EFFECTIVE USHERING session 1.pdf

Ushers’ Factor - Reasons Visitors Return to Your Church.
There is a great end time revival coming and in Africa people will love God more and be committed to kingdom matters. You will see a lot of revival meetings, crusades, conferences and tents meetings across nations. Very big mega churches will be built and there will be manifestations of the power and glory of God.
Because this will happen, Pastors and Churches should prepare themselves to be part of this great revival that will be accompanied by signs, wonders and a lot of people flowing into these meetings.
Church Ushers are a key component in this dynamic move and so they should be well prepared and equipped to embrace the change, bearing that the congregation comes with different personalities, psychological needs and expectations. Times are changing so fast and so Church ushers should be evolving with time. They should keep ablest with current trends, information and technology as well as people skills.
“Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
A church usher is a person who helps ensure a smoothly running church service and who ministers to people in a variety of practical ways.
When you serve at church, you’re not “just” a volunteer. You’re given responsibilities and expectations beyond performing basic tasks. A good usher comes prepared mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually and does his/her duty knowing that he\she is accountable to God and the priest.
"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." Col. 3: 23, 24.
From my personal experience in visiting churches, church ushering ministries that have thought through their procedures and trained their church users in “how we do things” leave a tremendously positive first impression on their guests. They make them feel respected, loved, appreciated, recognized and cared for.
The appearance of competent team and organization helps your visitors feel less anxious about how to “go with the flow” because the friendly church usher is there to guide.
Ushers should always be Alert, Awake, and Aware of the surrounding and Environment so that incase any Health, Safety or Security issue arise they are well informed and prepared to respond swiftly.
Some Of The Current Trends In Church Ushering Today
• Guiding the church attendees to wash their hands, sanitize, check their temperature and put on the masks well.
• Security checks at the main entrances.
• Watching around to minimize the use of mobile phones to take photos and videos during main service as this causes distractions.
• Handling cases of disorderly dressing.
• Supervision and assistance at the nursing room.
• Ensuring vehicles are well packed and taken care of.
• Dealing with violence inside and around the

1. Presents
Amb. Steve Mbugua
Motivational Speaker
Ambassador of safety And Wellness
Contact us
[email protected]
Amb. Steve Mbugua
www.ambStevembugua.co.ke
The Art of Effective
Church Ushering
MISSION: Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
Session 1

2. Objectives
At the end of the session you should be able to; learn
1.INTRODUCTON
2.WHO IS AN USHER
3.CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD USHER
4.QUALIFICATIONS OF AN EFFECTIVE USHER
5.SPIRITUAL QUALIFICATIONS OF AN USHER
6.THE 5T’S OF EFFECTIVE USHERING
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team 2

3. Introduction
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team. 3
For more than a decade I have been serving as a Church Usher; First at the
Moi University Christian Union then at different worship assemblies.
Whether in church or at work, my slogan has always been ‘First In, Last
Out’
Statistics show that believers who don’t do anything in church have a greater
risk of not just dropping out of church but falling out of the faith
Dear friends our commitment to Christ must be demonstrated through our
service to him and to his church. According to 1 peter 4:10… “Each of you
should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

4. WHO IS AN USHER
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team. 4
 Definition an usher as an officer or servant who has the
care of the door of a court, hall, or chamber or an officer
who walks before a person of rank or one who escorts
persons to their seats.
An usher is a DOOR KEEPER, he or she is a guide,
and an escort. However, when we come to church; the
definition of an usher goes beyond being a doorkeeper.
Each usher has the opportunity to impact the lives of
new and existing people in the church and should be
viewed as an extension of the pastor’s hand.
 In most cases, they provide the first impressions of
church and ministry of the pastor.

5. Con’d
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team. 5
Although an usher’s love is no stronger than the love found in the whole
congregation of the body of Christ, nevertheless the usher performs a
major role in ensuring that people see and experience that love.
An usher is a spiritual ambassador for the local church – God’s
ordained and organized body of believers. The usher serves as a “first
representative” of Jesus Christ for a worship service.
Ushers are a tremendous force in setting the tone for worship and helping
to prepare the people to hear and respond to the Word of God.
The purpose of ushering in church is not merely to serve people, as in a
theater or restaurant. Its purpose is to serve God!!

6. Who is an usher
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
The role of a church usher is to help the first time guests, repeat
visitors, and members experience the sacredness and joy of a
worship service.
 Gathering the offerings, they serve God. What they do, they do
not "as unto men, but unto God."
Ushers are a part of the total congregation which presents itself
before God to worship Him
Ushers themselves must not have or convey a feeling of personal
importance and pride.
Ushers must memorize and apply The Third Beatitude,
"Blessed are the meek." In addition, they should learn from our
Lord Jesus to be "meek and lowly in heart."

7. Who is an usher
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
The role of a church usher is to
help the first time guests,
repeat visitors, and members
experience the sacredness
and joy of a worship service.

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF A
GOOD USHER
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
I wish to suggest to you some irreducible minimums of attributes that every good usher must
posses:
1.A GOOD USHER MUST BE A GOOD COMMUNICATOR
 A good usher needs to be a keen listener. He or she must be kind yet clear
in their word; ushering also entails talking.
For instance, don’t address a 60 or 70 year old woman with her first name,
or even as “sister Jane”. Address her … Dear mum welcome…. It is not
kind to address a mid-age woman …you woman, we mama, huyu msichana.
Use words such us; Hello sir, Welcome mum, Go well brother
Every usher must grow their communication skills. Good ushers don’t shout
at people; they talk to people!

9. Cont’d
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
2. A GOOD USHER BE MUST WELL GROOMED

The appearance and conduct of ushers
shape part of the first impression a
visitor makes of any church.
It is therefore imperative that the usher
be well groomed. The ushers must be
smart! Not to mean that they must
always have new clothes but that their
clothes, hair, shoes etc. must be done
well.

10. Cont’d
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
2. A GOOD USHER BE MUST WELL GROOMED .
If the church has some dress code for ushers,
that needs to be adhered to.
 If there are some name-tags or badges they
should be properly worn.
It is improper to walk around with unkempt
hair or hanging shirt or stinking mouth.
It is uncharacteristic of a good usher to be
untidy
Name tag
Badge

11. MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
3. A GOOD USHER MUST BE CONFIDENT !
People tend to respect and Respond to Confident
people. If you are going to direct people you
need to know exactly where you are taking them
Know where for instance people with special
needs should seat. Be ready to gently yet firmly
stop people from occupying reserved seats. An
usher is a HOST!!!
It is wrong to behave like a visitor then expect to
serve other visitors well.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD USHER

12. characteristics
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
4 A GOOD USHER EXCEL IN MULTI -TASKING!
Its paramount that every usher must be prepared to handle many tasks at
ago.
It’s possible that within 5 minutes, you can get 7 questions from different
people… One is asking….
 A serious usher must build the mental fortitude to handle such pressure!
In addition, its advisable for the usher to carry a notebook so that some of
the things that require later inquiry or reporting are noted!
The ushers must build the capacity to understand fast and respond swiftly
yet with a lot of grace and never loosing the smile!! You can’t be good at
multitasking if you are poor in time management.

13. Characteristics
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
5. A GOOD USHER MUST BE PATIENT AND HAVE A BIG HEART
Serving people requires a lot of patience! People even the church going and the
born-again believers are not easy. It is very easy to pick up offense and get
angry and bitter when serving people.
Some people are rude, others are ignorant, some are slow learners, others are
biased, some are new to the faith and are still stuck in unregenerate mindset;
all these will come to church and the ushers will need to handle them
The usher, being an extension of the pastor must have a big heart… A heart
large enough to welcome, accommodate and help shape the worst of men as they
come in to become the saints of Christ!!
People may come very dirty or even drunk or improper dressed, how do you
help them?

14. MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
QUALIFICATIONS OF AN EFFECTIVE USHER
1.The usher's spiritual relationship with the Lord
must be continually growing such that his
relationship with his fellowmen becomes exemplary.
2. An usher must attend meetings regularly.
3. An usher must constantly desire to develop a team
spirit among the members of the ministry.
4. Friendliness is a very important characteristic of a
good usher.
Not just anyone can be an usher, in the same way that not just anyone can
be in the worship team, work in children’s ministry or lead a small group.
The right gifts, passion, and ability make a big difference
Word of God

15. MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
5.Other attributes of a good usher are:
Punctuality, humility, graciousness,
kindness, submissiveness, flexibility,
cleanness, sensitiveness (alert), faithfulness
(dependable), availability, dedicated, poised
and most of all, prayerful.
6. An usher should be knowledgeable
particularly about the church - its faith,
worship gathering schedules, workers,
outreaches, ministries and facilities.

16. SPIRITUAL QUALIFICATIONS OF AN USHER
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
When the First church in Jerusalem
set to choose 7 ushers, they did not
just look at outward attributes.
 This is in Acts 6: 1-4. They went
for men WHO WERE FULL OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND
WISDOM.
From this we learn that a good usher
must be spirit filled and seek to
walk in the manifest fruit of the
spirit.

17. MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
Spiritual disciplines that every effective usher
must nurture and walk in always
Love – In 1 Corinthians 13:13 the apostle Paul says, of faith, hope
and love, that love is the greatest of these things.
Joy – Take God seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
Lighten up and enjoy the moment. Your spirit will be contagious
to others. If you are cold, aloof, and don’t smile (basically, if you
are a grumpy usher) you will discourage others around you.
Peace – You can add peace, calm, and order to what might
otherwise be an overwhelming and hectic experience.
 Patience Most of us are impatient by nature. Many of the people
will have waited in line to park, waited in line to give offering, and
waited in line for meals. Their patience will be running thin. You
can set a good example with your patience toward them

18. Cont’d
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
Kindness – This is the attitude that makes you approachable as
an usher Be imaginative..
 Goodness – The inner quality of goodness is a gift that results
from the Holy Spirit’s power working within us. This state of
being will naturally spill over into your service and bring an
intangible but powerful presence into the worship experience.
 Faithfulness – Faithfulness as a Christian bleeds over into your
faithfulness as an usher. Showing up, being responsible.
Gentleness – A mature usher never throws around his or her
authority. The best usher is a humble one who seeks to put
others first no matter how much pressure may be present in the
moment

19. Other Qualifications of an Usher
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
Self-Control – It is impossible to control a large crowd if we cannot
control ourselves. In calm moments self-control is easy, it’s under the
pressure of hectic moments and last minute changes that your grace and
self-control will shine.
You must understand the vital role of the usher ministry.
You must enjoy and care about people.
You should possess a servant’s heart.
You need to be committed to the vision of your church.
You must be supportive of the leadership at your church.
 Though you may probably not be required to usher every Sunday, but
when you are on the schedule, you must always give it 100%.

20. MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
tHE 5t’S oF EFFECtIVE USHERInG
There are five cardinal principles for effective ushering which must embodied and
embraced.
1.Teachable. Ushers should have the right spirit and heart that is
easy to serve people and church well. Every usher should be
willing to be taught and learn ways to improve
2.Thoughtfulness. Ushers should be looking for ways to serve
and help others. Opening doors, assisting visitors, being
courteous, and looking for ways to help others along with their
other duties can bring a positive reflection for the church.
3.Tactfulness. Ushers should present themselves in being able to
communicate well and have a keen sense of knowing what to
say, what to do, and where to direct others as a way to maintain
good relations and prevent distractions in the service. Usher been trained

21. MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
4. Timeliness. Ushers should be on time and also timely in
bringing assistance to others. An effective usher does not wait to
be asked or wait for others to help but is keenly aware of what is
going on in the church and allows the flow of the service to
continue without distractions.
5. Teamwork. Ushers should work uniformly in receiving
offerings, communion, bringing order to the service in as many
ways as possible. If you are on the schedule and can’t make it, be
sure to call and let your team leader know. Don’t just fail to show
up.
Know how to find a replacement if you're not able to usher when
scheduled. People are counting on you. Be a team player. Cover
for your fellow usher when needed.

22. conclusion
MISSION : Building a cheerful, engaged and “Serve With Smile” Church Ushering Team.
Brethren, it’s my hope and prayer that the few words of wisdom,
instruction and encouragement on this subject of Effective Church
Ushering have been a blessing to you
Prepared by:
Amb Steve Mbugua