To Whom It May Concern,

It is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Welcoming Ministries for any church or organization seeking to enhance their visitor experience. Their work with Uflourish Church was nothing short of exceptional.

Welcoming Ministries conducted an unannounced visit to our church and provided us with an in-depth, comprehensive report that highlighted blind spots in our visitor engagement—things we had never considered before. Their insights were not only eye-opening but also incredibly practical, giving us actionable steps to improve how we connect with and welcome guests.

We were especially impressed by their professionalism, attention to detail, and genuine desire to help us grow. The thoroughness of their evaluation and the clarity of their feedback left us feeling empowered and better equipped to cultivate a more welcoming and engaging environment for everyone who walks through our doors.

Thanks to Welcoming Ministries, we are now implementing changes that are already making a noticeable difference in how visitors experience our church. I wholeheartedly recommend their services to any church looking to strengthen their hospitality, enhance visitor retention, and foster a culture of warmth and inclusivity.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kurt Owens
Lead Pastor | Uflourish Church
Milwaukee, WI

Big shout out to Ward Utterback and Welcoming Ministries for his thorough investigation [An Unannounced Visit Service] of our church’s current needs to put us on the map!

Ward traveled into our city from every direction looking for appropriate signage.
Spent hours reviewing our website and gave great feedback.
Assessed our phone service and answering machine messages.
Attended our church service and gave a complete assessment on our needs for greeters/welcoming table/guest information table/follow up procedure for our team with our guests.

Ward Utterback is very thorough and a great encourager in helping to build the body of Christ!

Thanks Welcoming Ministries for serving Jesus by serving us!

Robin Cosgrove
Leader – Pastoral Care/Body Life
New House Richland Center Fellowship
Richland Center, WI.

Attending a conference in the Fall of 2021 I met the main speaker, Bob Russell. After a delightful conversation, I shared the purpose and services of Welcoming Ministries, Incorporated.  Bob, handed me a personally signed copy of his book (After 50 years of Ministry; 7 things I’d do Differently and 7 things I’d do the Same, Moody Publishing, 2016) and added the following hand written note:

To Ward,

In appreciation of your much needed ministry.
Preach the word! (I Corinthians 15:58).

Bob Russell
Bob Russell Ministries
www.Bobrussell.Org

Greetings in Jesus’ life-changing name.

I want to affirm the Welcoming Ministry and the leadership of C. Ward Utterback. This ministry has brought new life into our greeters and imparted a vision that goes beyond just your welcoming team. It impacts the whole church and encourages a welcoming atmosphere in your congregation for the guests God sends your way. I endorse and would encourage any church to consider hosting all facets [services] of the Welcoming Ministries. Ward is a person of integrity and professional. He is an excellent communicator and keeps you informed each step of the way. Jesus is central to all he does which is what we want as we seek to serve the people God sends us.

Sincerely in Christ;

Pastor David Bauman
Living Hope Church
Baraboo, WI. 53913

Our church had struggled to retain our guests. We had dozens of people visit our church each year but only a handful would come back. That’s why we invited Welcoming Ministries to come and help us do a better job of being a welcoming church. It made a huge impact.

Ward came and did a secret visit first [October 2013]. A couple months later we had him do the seminar for our leaders. Then finally we brought him in for a Sunday sermon where all our people could catch the vision. All three experiences were informative and helpful. We started applying the principles and methods Ward taught us and our church started becoming a more welcoming church. More and more of the guests God sent our way started coming came back and getting involved. God even used Ward and Welcoming Ministries to help us grow beyond the capacity of our sanctuary. As a result, we had to expand the sanctuary and remodel the church.

Having been through the Welcoming Ministries [training], we were well equipped to know how best to redesign our facility. We wanted to make key adjustments to the building so that it could be a tool that would help us welcome more guests. And that is exactly what we did. Many of the changes we made to the building were done in order to make the facility more welcoming. It has made an incredibly positive impact. Had we [not] had Welcome Touch Ministries come to our church, we most likely would have missed making the key facility changes that have helped so much.

By discipling our people to be welcoming with the help of Welcoming Ministries and by designing the facility changes to aid in the process, we are expecting even more growth. The future of Roseville Baptist Church is bright and we are grateful for how God has used Welcoming Ministries in the process. If you want your church to be a welcoming church, I recommend you reach out to Welcoming Ministries. If your church is wanting to do a better job of developing relationships and showing love to those God sends your way, then you ought to ask Ward Utterback to come and show you how. You will be so glad you did.

Because of Jesus,

Pastor Jackie Hill
Roseville Baptist Church
Roseville, MN.

Ward,

Good morning! Thank you for the email and [seminar] invoice.

… Hopefully, we will see you this summer and get a chance to show you how we implemented the ideas born of your presentation. The material you shared during the seminar [Christian Organization Welcoming Seminar or ChOWS] is so foundational to our ability to share the Gospel. If people don’t feel welcomed, they may not be willing to fully engage in the message of the Good News. Thank you for what you are doing and I know that any church or camp will benefit from your ministry.

Thank you for your prayers and may the Lord bless your personal efforts in the years to come!

Maria Rudesill
Director, Northern Lakes Partners
Crescent Lake Bible Camp
Rhinelander, WI

Dear Ward:

I want to thank you for your ministry to our churches in the Southern Wisconsin Baptist Association since 2013. You have provided excellent service in the variety of contexts along with honest and candid feedback which has impacted many churches.

You have given your heart and your time for a long time and please know we are deeply appreciative of your labor in the Lord. Your visits to the church, feedback with leadership, seminars, sermons and customized welcoming manuals for individual churches is invaluable. Know you are a great asset to our association and the Kingdom of God.

If there is any way I can be of recommendation to you please let me know. May the Lord richly bless you for your passion to help churches become stronger, more relational and for your personal walk with the Lord as you minister out of your over flow.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mark Millman
Wisconsin Church Planting Catalyst
North American Mission Board
Madison, WI

From the first time we talked with Ward about the possibilities and, more importantly, the importance of having a vibrant welcoming culture at our church, we were convinced that his foundationally biblical approach was the direction we needed. We invited Ward to begin the transformational process at First Pres-Joliet with the Unannounced Visit in October 2017, Sermons in January 2018, and Welcoming Seminar in March through the conclusion of a completed Welcoming Ministry Manual in September 2018.

The journey to date has been exciting as we have begun implementing the recommendations contained in our individualized Welcoming Ministry Manual. While so many today want immediate and tangible results like a 100-fold increase in worship attendance, we recognize that this is a journey to a new culture for our church and it will take time. What is noticeable already is the number of individuals who have committed to being Connection Center Ambassadors and planting the seeds of a welcoming culture every Sunday!

We would recommend Welcoming Ministries for other churches who sense the need to nurture a welcoming culture. Most importantly, we believe Ward Utterback brings a passion for Jesus and the exuding warmth to carry his passion in an exciting way to others. Ward believes in his heart that his ministry is not simply about getting first time guests to become members of a church. A welcoming culture is at the very heart of the Gospel message and the true first priority of any church.

Church Growth Council
First Presbyterian Church of Joliet

Joliet, Illinois

Here at City Church, Madison, Wisconsin, we have a ministry entitled “FrontLine.” This ministry consists of volunteers who are willing to be greeters, ushers, man our Welcoming Table and our Information Center. They are the first ones to extend a welcoming hand and warm smile to all those who come through our doors.

As is true with any position, it is good to have ongoing training to hone our skills and maintain our enthusiasm and passion for what we are doing. That is where Welcoming Ministries, Inc. comes in. We have had C. Ward Utterback come twice to share with our FrontLine volunteers, and he has done an excellent job of reminding us that everyone we meet on Sunday is a guest of Jesus– He invited them. Ward then poses the
though-provoking question, “How are you going to treat Jesus’s guest?”

The material that Ward covers is excellent, some things we probably already know but need to brush up on, and he also suggests new and creative ideas of how to do things better. We have instituted several suggestions and they are working great! Ward is personable, warm, friendly and very easy to work with. He lays out clearly what his expectations are, but is very flexible if things need to be tweaked to accommodate your facility and goals.

If you are truly committed to making people feel welcome, then we would highly recommend that you invite Welcoming Ministries, Inc. and C. Ward Utterback to do a presentation [Welcoming Seminar] for those who are serving on your welcoming team. You will be blessed!

Nancy Van Maren
FrontLine Ministries Coordinator
City Church
Madison, WI.

I first encountered Ward Utterback of Welcoming Ministries, Inc. as we were both presenters at the Annual Kingdom Growth conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was so impressed by his sincere upfront challenge to congregations creating a greater environment of hospitality that I was led to invite this splendid ministry (and man) to our church-wide leadership retreat.

My expectations were met and exceeded. We now greet guests not visitors. Our Security Team, Greeters, and Ushers ministries have a heightened awareness of their critical role in being the first contacts for all who attend our services and events. Our historically African American but rapidly becoming more multicultural congregation has been known to be a friendly fellowship has moved to a new level of genuine openness of all who attend.

I recommend this God-ordained ministry with much enthusiasm. This presentation is well-suited for congregations of all sizes, backgrounds, denominational affiliations, who affirm Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.

Dr. T. Vaughn Walker
Senior Pastor
First Gethsemane Baptist Church
Louisville, KY.