Podcast Episode #459
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A recent LifeWay Research study reported on the invite habits of American churchgoers. Today, we examine the results and discuss how to correct the problems.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Nearly two-thirds of Protestant churchgoers have invited someone to church in the last six months.
- Regular church attenders are more likely to invite others to join them than sporadic attenders.
- Pastors need to create an awareness and an atmosphere of inviting in their church.
- People will likely accept your invitation to church if you already have a relationship with them and offer to walk in/arrive with them.
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Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
We’re getting ready to launch our second Invite Your One campaign. Our rural church added two families from the event last year. And this year, we’re trying to figure out how we’ll hold all of the anticipated guests.
I am interested in gaining perspective here.
Where in the NT do we find any prescription or description for inviting the “unchurched” to our worship services? What, exactly, do we expect unbelievers to do while we worship?
I would love to learn the thought process behind such invitations. I’m not being snarky here, I want to learn. Is it an attempt to fulfil our evangelistic mandate?
Please let me know, I’d be interested in learning what the biblical basis for this practice might be.
Best regards,
Pete Charette
I Corinthians 14:23 indicates that in the earliest churches, unbelievers did come to the assemblies. Aside from this, the New Testament example seems to me to be one of Christians going out and sharing their faith in the marketplace and house to house. Those people who are converted then become part of the assembly. However, I struggle with how to apply this in today’s environment where people guard their privacy closely and are immune, it often seems, to advertising. The early believers preached wherever they had opportunity, and if our best culturally acceptable opportunity is to bring people to a building filled with Christians and preach the gospel to them, then we should probably take it.
Pray to God and Jesus. They will help you.
Jesus tells the parable of the ruler who invited people to a feast. “The first disciples called by Jesus are all portrayed as reaching out immediately to family or friends: thus, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ” After Peter drew back from reaching out to the Gentiles, our Lord sent Peter a vision in which he commanded Peter to eat all kinds of creatures that Peter had been taught were unclean. This was a message to Peter that he should not draw back. Philip, one of the seven disciples appointed as a deacon and the New Testament tell us that he reached out to an Ethiopian eunuch. Followers of Jesus practice their faith not in isolation from each other but as a part of the Body of Christ, manifested in a particular locality. Paul goes to great lengths writing about how Jesus’ followers are to build each other up in the faith and to use the various manifestations of the Holy Spirit that God has given them for that purpose. What good does it do plant a seed in an unbeliever and then leave on his own for the birds to fly down a gobble up that seed. If the seed is grow and flourish, it must watered and tended and the appropriate place for that watering and tending is the local church. While the New Testament may not have a passage commanding disciples to invite people to church, it certainly implies that is what is expected of them over and over again.
There is none. As far as I can tell, we are to preach to the lost and equip the ekklesia. That some outsiders may be present during our equipping and ministering to one another, reminds us not to be exclusive and to be cognizant of their presence.
The current practice of trying to fit all objectives into one 60-75 minute weekly meeting is likely one of the least effective ways of accomplishing these two objectives.
Those earlier days of our country where the local white-sided church with a steeple and a cemetery, was the center of a town are long gone. Our culture today has a fast growing (I’ve seen the 40% figure used) portion of the populace who have no awareness, desire, interest, understanding, curiosity even, of what goes on in that place with the cute joke on the sign that advertises when someone should come in.
Even if the local Elks lodge or Sons of ‘_____’ Hall had a bouncy house or good coffee, I’d be pretty unlikely to ever give it a thought. Many and soon, most, folks in our world today currently view our churches the same way.
Inviting helps, of course, but generally misses the point. Too many folks think that’s the most they need to do and having a special emphasis one week a year (besides Christmas and Easter) mostly only makes the insiders feel good, but rarely piques the interest of an outsider–especially if they’ve NEVER been exposed to such things. It’s time to again understand that WE need to adapt our ways to the culture that exists today, rather than the one we had 50, 75 or 150 years ago. THEY need Jesus, not a church attendance pin…
Actually the title of the article is inviting “others” to church. It didn’t say inviting the lost to church although that may have been implied. In today’s fast pace society, especially in military towns, people are constantly moving out and moving in. In reaching out to folks in the community you will often come across believers who are new to the area.
The problem is even in The Building (Church) people think all kinds of stuff.
A lady who had been in Church (The Building) for a long time and was teaching a class of ladies in Sunday School didn’t believe Jesus is God. We have a very large mess. It spans all denominations.
We have re defined love and as John Mc Arthur states, soft on sin. Again, this is one large mess.
I don’t necessarily think the problem is that churches are soft on sin as much as they are short on truth.
Of course I don’t know why McArthur would be concerned about the matter as he believes God has already elected and predestined in eternity past each individual who would be saved.
Each September, a new church program year begins. The church program year ends on August 31st.
Each summer, many people move from one location to another. When they move into their new location, they will look for three things: 1. A new cadre of friends and new social networks 2. A new school if they have children and 3. A new church home for their family .Could our church become their new church home?
During September, many churches have a Back To Church Sunday. On that Sunday all church members are encouraged to invite their friends, neighbors, and unchurched people to church on that Sunday. Who knows–Some faith seeds may be spread. Remember my Sisters and Brothers in Christ that there is a spiritually hungry world out there who are eager to hear the good news about Jesus. Let each of us tell them the good news.
I have read all the posts so far and totally agree that it is biblical that we spend time with others, invite them to church activities and to church. The problem seems to me to be that our current culture has either no view of the church or a dim view at best. So how does one get the opportunity to introduce Jesus to others? Through “friendship evangelism”. This is the long, narrow road…but, by forming friendships first, the Christian earns the right to speak about their faith when the time is appropriate. Despite the current situation with Bill Hybel, I would still recommend his program “Contagious Christian”. It is great training on being a friend first, then talking about Jesus.
I am currently teaching a series on building relationships with the unchurched in our neighborhood and inviting them to church.
The church can grow if we decide and put our hearts to it.
I encouraged members who have cars to help bring such people to church.
We are planning to change our meeting times for such purpose.
Thanks to Rainer,I use most of your materials.
God has called and gifted you to do this.
This is an awesome arrangement
Jesus mandated that we were to “go into all the world, preaching the gospel….”
I read that as using every opportunity to share the gospel, regardless of the setting. If I can invite someone to my church and they come, that’s an opportunity. If someone overhears me talking about Jesus in a restaurant, that’s another opportunity.
Jesus also said we should go out into the highways and byway’s and compel(invite) them to come into His house.
We exercised a program of yours in 2016: “Invite Your One” where we paid for the rights to use your logos etc. Now we would like to repeat it again. We were wondering if this was ok or do we have to pay for the rights to do this all over again?????
Please respond at your earliest convenience.
Donna –
You do not have to pay again. It’s a lifetime resource.