Inviting people to church

Why do people decide to visit a church?  While there are many reasons, two have consistently led more people to visit a church than any others.  The first is that someone they knew and trusted invited them.  Many churches still look at reaching new people as the responsibility of the pastor, and that just isn't the case.  When a pastor invites someone to attend church people view that as his or her responsibility.  However, when someone they know and trust invites them  it takes on a whole different meaning..

The second reason is that the church sponsors some kind of nonreligious event such as a sports league, a concert, a community fair, or some other event that appeals to an unchurched audience.  I see many churches now offering Upwards sports programs for children, and most of them have their leagues filled with young people.  I see some churches hosting block parties during the summer and activities such as Trunk or Treat during the fall months.  All of these are designed to introduce people to the church and to provide an opportunit to invite people to return to the church later for a worship experience.

If you're serving in a smaller church that doesn't have a family life center with a full-size gym you may be thinking that such activities are beyond your capabilities.  Not so!  There are other events you can do such as an outdoors block party that you can invite the community to.  I know one church that had a baptism scheduled outdoors.  At the close of the service the congregation walked down to the river at the edge of town, had the baptism, and returned to the church to prepare for a community-wide picnic they were hosting that afternoon.  The baptism attracted a number of unchurched people who followed the congregation to see what was going on, and I'm sure some of them returned a little later for the picnic.  This church was creating good relationships with people in the community.

I would encourage you to be thinking about what kind of event you could host this summer that you could invite your community to attend.  Whatever it is, it should be done with excellence as some people will judge your church based on this event.  Notice...I didn't say it had to be done perfectly, only with excellence.  If you begin planning now you will create some excitement in your church, you will be ready when the date for your event arrives, and you will be giving your congregation something they can invite their family and friends to attend.