A ‘Welcome’ series organizer shared what welcome looks like in the Union of Protestant Churches of Alsace and Lorraine community, France. Photo: Charras Marysol
Welcome is not just a gesture, but a way of living God’s radical grace
(LWI) – Are we as Christians practicing genuine welcome? Are our churches truly open to all, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, disability, or economic status? And what might we be doing, even unintentionally, that feels unwelcoming?
Youth leaders from across The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), explored these questions during capacity-building training sessions, focusing on “Welcome.” The theme responds to the 2023 Thirteenth Assembly resolution on inclusivity and participation, which is one of the priorities of the LWF Youth program.
Led by nine youth leaders and LWF staff, 93 participants explored the theme from three perspectives: ‘Theology of Welcome’, ‘Tools for Welcome’, and ‘Welcome in Practice’. Each session included theological reflection, expert instruction, personal story sharing, small group dialogue, and experiential learning. The Advent season particularly prompted discussions on the meaning of genuine Christian hospitality today, and how the church can embody a more welcoming presence for all.
Reflecting on the theology of welcome and hospitality, Pablo Mejivar, Salvadoran Lutheran Church, El Salvador, said he was challenged to intentionally create spaces where people—especially those often excluded—feel seen, safe, and truly belong.
Pablo Majivar, an organizer of the ‘Welcome’ series, with other participants at the 2025 LWF Peace Messengers training in Guatemala. Photo: LWF/S. Sullivan
LWF youth presenting priorities at the 2023 Thirteenth Assembly in Kraków, Poland. Photo: LWF /J.C. Valeriano
The theology, tools and practice of welcome
Leading the session on ‘Theology of Welcome’, LWF Program Executive for Capacity Building and Leadership Development Rev. Katariina Kiilunen explored the concept of radical grace. The youth leaders discussed what this meant personally in a role play of visiting a new place – a church, supermarket or park - and sharing if they felt welcome or not and why. In a vibrant discussion, participants shared their experiences – both positive and negative.
Giving insights on ‘Tools for Welcome’, LWF Program Executive for Youth Savanna Sullivan explained that Christian leadership was not about taking a position of power for one’s own benefit. It must be “inclusive and empathetic, used to ensure unity and justice,” she said, quoting Dr Ebisse Gudeta, a professor at the Mekane Yesus Seminary in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A framework for Christian welcome, Sullivan noted, includes three steps: prepare, engage, and follow up. The youth program executive noted that one way of measuring success in true welcome is by asking if those “who are new to our communities first feel safe, then welcome and celebrated, and ultimately feel that they can contribute their own skills and leadership to the church.” Participants were challenged to start a conversation about welcome with their family, friends, or church members, and apply what they have learned.
In the session on ‘Welcome in Practice’, participants shared how welcome is practiced in their own communities and what they had picked up from the training.
“True welcome is a posture, not just a greeting. It’s about creating a space where every person feels seen, safe, and valued,” said Adeline Rajkumar, Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church, India. The training, Rajkumar noted, had helped her recognize the importance of empathy, active listening, and examining her own biases. She hopes to bring these insights into her church and youth ministry by fostering openness, using inclusive language, and creating small but meaningful practices that help everyone feel at home.
The youth leaders noted that engaging in welcome can take many forms—writing a welcome song, praying in someone’s language, making materials and spaces accessible to those living with disabilities, practicing genuine curiosity, or inviting newcomers to join the music-making team. It also means remaining open to learning and showing solidarity through both words and actions, whether by attending a protest to ensure all neighbors are treated justly, or simply letting people know that they are valued.
Inclusive Christian leadership means following God’s call to prepare for and get to know our neighbors; to be conscious of injustice in our communities and the prejudice within our own perspectives.
Savanna Sullivan, LWF Program Executive for Youth
The 8 November – 6 December training closed with emphasis that inclusive Christian leadership is about living out God’s radical grace and radical welcome.
“It means following God’s call to prepare for and get to know our neighbors; to be conscious of injustice in our communities and the prejudice within our own perspectives; to be honest about who is included and who is excluded in our churches and societies; to make a place for everyone; and to make changes in areas that require change,” Sullivan said.
On the importance of engaging people in welcome and being present with them, Sullivan emphasized: “We should meet every person as if we are meeting God, because we are meeting someone created in the image of God.”
