Hospitality a MIssional Strategy?

In 2018 I finished my DMIN Project, Equipping Selected Leaders at Lakeshore Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, with Biblical Hospitality Practices. The project's purpose was to research the field of biblical hospitality practices and available resources for teaching and equipping church members in biblical hospitality. While many blogs and journal articles are available, there was a noticeable lack of formal educational resources that could be implemented in the local church setting concerning hospitality. The project had three specific phases. The first phase was to research the field of biblical hospitality to discover biblical hospitality practices. The second phase was to develop a curriculum to equip church members in biblical hospitality practices. The third and final phase was to train a small group of church members in biblical hospitality.

During the research portion of the project, two realities became clear. First, hospitality is a lost and dying practice; few people see hospitality as a biblical mandate. The post-modern context merged with a relationally disconnected culture proves to be an inhospitable incubator. Second, the evidence for hospitality being a biblical principle and practice cannot be overstated. Biblically, hospitality is an attribute of God in the Old Testament and an ethic of the early church in the New Testament.

Garwood Anderson summarizes the position and influence of hospitality in the Bible when he writes,

The Old Testament and New Testament both reflect this cultural obligation to the traveler and stranger and treat practicing hospitality as expected and commendable (Gen 18:1–15; 19:1–3; 24:1–10; Judg 19:15–21; Job 31:32; 3 John 5–8), while failing to practice hospitality was seen as exceptional and condemnable (e.g., Deut 23:3–4; Psa 94:6; Wis 19:13–15; Matt 10:14–15; Luke 7:36–50; 11:5–8; 3 John 10–11).[1]

The project convinced me more than ever that biblical hospitality practices are at the heart of the gospel and provides a reliable strategy for making disciples who make disciples. Over the next few months, the project will be broken into a series of blog posts looking at hospitality in the Old, and New Testament, hospitality as the heart of the gospel, hospitality defined, and hospitality practiced. May the church see biblical hospitality as a vehicle for evangelism and catalyst for disciple-making as they live out a kingdom ethic in an increasingly lost world.

[1]. Garwood P. Anderson, “Hospitality,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).