Early in my pastorate "Invite a Friend" Sunday became a popular way of bringing new people into the church. I studied the process and encouraged our church to set a date for such an event. We followed the process and were hopeful when the Sunday finally came around. We had zero guests that day. It was a huge disappointment. Even I, the person who encouraged the church to have the event, did not bring a friend. As we later discussed what happened we discovered that we really didn't have that many unchurched friends. Our members had been Christians for so long we didn't have relationships with very many people who didn't attend a church.
This is not an uncommon problem in many traditional churches. Most of these churches are made up of senior saints who have developed most of their friendships with others in the church. Many of us have been Christians for so long and are so engaged in church activities we really don't have relationships with that many people who do not share our faith.
Over the years evangelism strategies has changed a great deal. We no longer spend our evenings knocking on doors and sharing our faith with the ones we find at home. Large crusades are not nearly as successful as they were a few years ago. Local church revivals have mostly gone by the wayside. The most effective evangelism today occurs through the relationships we have with non-Christian people. In order for that to happen Christians must develop relationships with non-Christians. Someone once said that the church must be willing to sit in the smoking section if we want to effectively reach people with the Gospel.
As in so many cases, Jesus is our example. He was not afraid to spend time with sinners and outcasts. He rubbed shoulders with people the religious leaders avoided. Rather than judging the woman at the well or the one caught in adultery He offered them grace and a new life. He didn't try to force them to follow some religious code or a list of rules; He invited them into a relationship with Him that would transform their lives from the inside. The church today is challenged to follow His example.
If we do, we can expect to hear from the religious crowd like Jesus did. People will talk and criticize you when you begin to develop friendships with the "wrong kind of people." Some will begin to question your faith. Let them talk. While they are talking and criticizing you are doing Kingdom work.
It's important to note that we are not to develop relationships with non-Christian people just to add another notch to our evangelism gun. This isn't about trying to manipulate people to get them to make a profession of faith. It's about entering into a genuine relationship with people in which you care about every aspect of their lives including their spiritual life.
We are not be of the world, but we are to be in the world sharing our faith with all who will allow us to do so. The easiest way to do that is through the relationships we have with other people.
After our "Invite a Friend Sunday" bombed our congregation realized we needed to begin developing relationships with more people. We tried it again the next year and many in the congregation brought friends with them. Some of them became active members of our church. More importantly, they became Christ followers. Who among your friends can you introduce to the person of Jesus Christ?
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