Many churches will see new faces during the Advent season. Parents and grandparents may attend the service where their children will perform in a cantata or program. Some who were raised in church but drifted away over the years might return simply because it's Christmas. Others will be there because a friend invited them to see the church's Christmas program. There may also be a few who feel that God is satisfied with them attending church services on Christmas and Easter. Whatever the reason for their appearance, your church is likely to see higher attendance during the next couple of weeks. The question is what will you do with this opportunity?
This first suggestion isn't very spiritual, but it's important. Make sure the church is ready to have guests. If you had invited someone to your home you would work hard to make sure it looked good. Everything would be clean and in the proper place. You would want your guests to think well of you and your home so you would spend time making sure it was guest-ready. The same should be true of our churches. It is true that we only get one chance to make a good first impression. If we want to increase the chances of our guests returning we need to make sure that everything is looking good when they arrive.
It's important that church members introduce themselves to their guests. Most of us do not enjoy going someplace new and not having anyone speak to us while we're there. Depending on what the pastor needs to do before the service begins, he or she should greet every new guest and introduce himself to them. I think this simple gesture sends a message to your guests that you are glad they are with you, and it gives them a sense of comfort knowing before the service who the pastor is.
Of course, it's vitally important that your guests hear a simple gospel message while they are in your service. This is an opportunity to plant some seeds that God can use later to speak to them. This is not the time to be using big theological words and speak in Christian-speak. The key word here is simple. Take them from the cradle to the cross and explain why Christ died on the cross. While some churches have done away with the altar call, that is a mistake especially when we know we are likely to have many unchurched people attending our services. An invitation gives them an opportunity to respond to the message they just heard.
If possible, this is a good time to give them a gift for attending, and I'm not talking about a mug or pen with the church's name engraved on them. Give them a book or something they can take home and learn more about Christ and the hope He brings into people's lives. Some churches give The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus (Case for ... Series) or something similar that can help draw them closer to Christ.
Finally, it's important that the church capture the names and addresses of their guests when possible. Follow-up is important. When you follow up you have the opportunity to answer any questions they might have about the service they attended and to learn their impressions of the church. You can invite them to another service or a major event your church might be planning. But, without that contact information you will lose them unless they decide to return sometime in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment