A Personal Invitation

Have you noticed the many visitors we have had in worship lately? It seems that every week we have people coming in to check out the worship of God that is happening inside and out of Mt. Nebo. It is wonderful that many of these visitors are coming on their own with no personal invitation, but I wonder if we can do a better job of inviting and receiving people into the church if we actually make a point of inviting a friend, acquaintance or neighbor to church.

Statistically, it is a fact that only 10 percent of Christians have the “spiritual gift” of evangelism. It’s also a fact that only 5 percent of Christians ever lead someone to Christ. And yet, it is the responsibility of every Christian to lead others to Christ, and part of that responsibility is inviting people to Church. Inviting someone to church isn’t difficult, but it may be helpful to have a simple “plan” so you feel more confident in your encounters. And a plan will help increase your effectiveness. Here is an example of a simple plan anyone can use and follow:

A - Always look for opportunities to invite others.

B - Be ready to seize the opportunity when it arises.

C - Communicate in such a way that says you care.

D - Don’t be pushy; there may be future opportunities.

The next question I have is, if you aren’t inviting people to church, why not? Are you scared? If you are, then I encourage you to find ways to make it less scary. You can invite a friend to one of the many special events we have at the church instead of Sunday morning.

Are you embarrassed of the church? If so, why? Is this a problem you need to deal with or do you really feel that the church is that bad? If you do feel this way, will you please come talk to me so we can work together to help the church become less uncomfortable?

Maybe you just don’t think of inviting people. If you don’t, then start being intentional about it and begin thinking of specific people you can start inviting.

This leads me to asking one more question: What can the church do to make it easier for you to invite people? We have handy invite cards with worship times, directions and other relevant information available for everyone to share. We’ve created a Facebook page, a website and a Twitter account for you to share with potential visitors. These tools can give someone an introduction to the church so they can get an idea of what our church is about. We have new events and regular programs in place each week. What ideas do you have to make it easier for you to invite someone to church?

Tell me your thoughts and ideas. Let us find ways that we can make disciples for Jesus Christ—together.

In Christ,

Rev. Pat

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (CEB)