--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Church is a family expecting guests." description: "\"The Church is a family expecting guests.\" — Andy Stanley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png" --- # The Church is a family expecting guests. ![“The Church is a family expecting guests.” quote by Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png) > “The Church is a family expecting guests.” [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The church should welcome newcomers as a family would, offering hospitality and belonging. **In simple terms:** Church welcomes guests like family. Key Takeaway Make newcomers feel at home. Themes hospitality community inclusion Mood warm welcoming Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - church services - small groups - first-time visitors Key Concepts Christian fellowship welcoming culture Questions to Reflect On - How can churches balance openness with personal boundaries? - What practices foster genuine belonging? A Different Perspective Assuming all guests want family-like intimacy may not suit everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-family/) [Expecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expecting/) [Expecting Guests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expecting-guests-4100173/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Expecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-expecting-4100172/) [Guests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guests/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [The market is my church; it's my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-yard/the-market-is-my-church-it-s-my-family/) [Sherry Yard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-yard/) > [I grew up quite poor, and the Mormon church was always there for us as a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/i-grew-up-quite-poor-and-the-mormon-church-was-always-there-for-us-as/) [Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/) > [Robertsons love Sundays! 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Both are systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-joiner/church-and-family-are-both-primary-influences-designed-by-god-for-a/) [Reggie Joiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-joiner/) > [“Our fights should really be for the mission of the church and the mission of the family instead of trying to have bigger churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-joiner/our-fights-should-really-be-for-the-mission-of-the-church-and-the/) [Reggie Joiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-joiner/) > [“Do you treat strangers as good as you do your friends or church family? (Acts 10:34)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-penland/do-you-treat-strangers-as-good-as-you-do-your-friends-or-church/) [Amanda Penland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-penland/) > [My aunt Geraldine was the unofficial historian and storyteller. 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What more could we possibly want for our church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-smith/jesus-gracious-lord-of-the-harvest-send-us-into-the-harvest-you-ve/) [Scotty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-smith/) > [Thank God for another blessed day got to worship with my church family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thank-god-for-another-blessed-day-got-to-worship-with-my-church-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What are you doing personally to make your church family more warm and loving? There are many people in your community who are looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/what-are-you-doing-personally-to-make-your-church-family-more-warm/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [We went to Baptist church as a family, and that took up so many nights a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/we-went-to-baptist-church-as-a-family-and-that-took-up-so-many-nights/) [Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/) > [Words cant describe how grateful I am. All I say is thank God for an amazing church, family, and wonderful life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-cant-describe-how-grateful-i-am-all-i-say-is-thank-god-for-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“After twelve years of life as part of this church family, we finally made the difficult decision to leave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-bean/after-twelve-years-of-life-as-part-of-this-church-family-we-finally/) [Kelly Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-bean/) ## More by Andy Stanley > [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [We are not all leaders. We are called leaders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/we-are-not-all-leaders-we-are-called-leaders/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Preachers prepare with this fear: 'Am I going to be able to fill the time?' The audience never worries about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/preachers-prepare-with-this-fear-am-i-going-to-be-able-to-fill-the/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [If it suddenly became impossible for us to cover up all the junk we normally hide from the rest of humanity, I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/if-it-suddenly-became-impossible-for-us-to-cover-up-all-the-junk-we/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [The greatest thing you do as a leader may not be what you do as a leader but who watches you do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/the-greatest-thing-you-do-as-a-leader-may-not-be-what-you-do-as-a/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [“right standing with God comes through faith in the promises of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/right-standing-with-god-comes-through-faith-in-the-promises-of-god/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [People pray in one direction but they walk in a different direction, and direction always determines where we end up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/people-pray-in-one-direction-but-they-walk-in-a-different-direction/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [The God of Christianity never claims to be fair. 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As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/in-the-critical-arenas-of-life-you-cannot-make-up-for-lost-time-as/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [I've talked to many individuals who want to discuss their problems. But they don't really have problems. They have chosen to live in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/i-ve-talked-to-many-individuals-who-want-to-discuss-their-problems/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [I can't make people fall in love with Jesus, but I can arrange dates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/i-can-t-make-people-fall-in-love-with-jesus-but-i-can-arrange-dates/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately. 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It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [A beggarly people, A church and no steeple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/a-beggarly-people-a-church-and-no-steeple/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The minute you walk outside of your church on Sunday you're in mission territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/the-minute-you-walk-outside-of-your-church-on-sunday-you-re-in/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) [Browse all 9,430 Church quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Church is a family expecting guests.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andy Stanley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Church" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/andy-stanley-737_church_the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests_1275070.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Church is a family expecting guests.” — Andy Stanley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andy Stanley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Church is a family expecting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/the-church-is-a-family-expecting-guests/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```