Invite Someone to Church

Did you know that most people who come to church for the first time were invited by someone they know? Facebook, social media or website advertising do not even come close in effectiveness.

Traditionally, the upcoming holiday season brings many opportunities to invite someone to church. The idea is that people may be more open to it this time of year than at any other time, but asking them may still feel a little awkward.

Many Christians are closet Christians. They may go to church on Sundays. They may even attend social events from time to time, but otherwise, they tend to keep their faith a secret. Sometimes, not even their closest friends know. In our society, faith has almost become a taboo subject. We do not talk about it much. People who openly proclaim their faith are in the minority.

Many have assumptions about what church is, so inviting strangers probably will not work very well. You might as well hand them a keyring or a pen with the church logo on it. That would be easy. It would look a lot like trying to fill pews rather than leading them to Christ. It is much harder to invite them to become part of a community that will disciple them to lead others to Christ as well. You kind of need to be friends with them first. Let your friendship deepen to the point where it becomes natural for you to talk about your faith. Only when you are sure you genuinely want them to experience the joy you find in the body of Christ and not just adding another point on the scoreboard, then you can invite them.

Coming to a new church for the first time is very intimidating especially when you do not know anyone there, so be the one they know. When they do get there, make sure to introduce them to a few others.

What kind of event should you invite them to? The regular Sunday service may not be the ideal choice. This is where a fully developed relationship comes in handy. If you know them, you will just know when it is time. Maybe it is best to invite them to a smaller event first so you can introduce them to a few people so they do not have to remember a bunch of names.The time we traditionally think people are most open to come to church, may not actually be. There is a risk that the message you send is that church attendance is what defines us as Christians. Nothing could be further from the truth. What defines us is our desire to worship God, be in His presence, follow Him. Then, the color of the carpet, the choice of hymns, the length of the sermon no longer matters.

Invite someone.

Don't Invite Them to Church: Moving From a Come and See to a Go and Be Church

Much of the church marketing literature is about hitting the numbers, to get as many bodies in pews as possible. It is, but it is more than that. After all, we do want them to be saved, but what we really want are people who are actively engaged in making more disciples.