The welcome that Christians offer visitors to church can have a huge impact on whether or not they choose to stay. Indeed, research suggests that a lack of welcome is a key reason why visitors don't return to church.
Welcome and invitation are also clear gospel values. God welcomes the outsider (1 Cor 1:26-31), seeks the lost (Luke 15), and invites all into the community of the kingdom (1 Tim 2:4). Methodist theology particularly stresses the depth and breadth of God's welcome, teaching that no-one is beyond the reach of God's love.