Let’s be clear, inviting someone to church isn’t necessarily the same thing as sharing the gospel with them. And attending a church does not equate to having a transformative relationship with Jesus. There are plenty of people who attend churches all over the world who are not engaged in discipleship and whose spiritual lives are not shaped by the kingdom of God.
That being said, inviting someone to church may be the first step in their journey and the beginning stage of coming to faith in Jesus. If church gatherings create space where people are able to learn the ways of Jesus and engage, interact, and experience God, why wouldn’t we want to encourage people to invite their friends, family, and neighbors to our church gatherings? This is, I think, an aspect of joining God’s mission, especially here in the west, despite the post-Christian world we live in. Our church, the Red Bluff Vineyard, has seen some radical growth (over 1,000% growth) and I think a lot of it is related to some simple things we did that made it easy for everyone to participate!
Here are a few ways you can empower church folks to invite non-church folks to your church gatherings:
(1) Use social media. You may not be the most tech savvy human alive, but you need to realize that social media allows us to connect with literally thousands upon thousands of people that we would never come in contact with! Friends of friends and what have you. You simply cannot neglect this medium if you want to both empower people in your church to invite others and reach people outside of your church community. [Read more…]