I am guilty.
You would think that a pastor would not be guilty of such an obvious dereliction of duty, but preachers are people, too. We don't always practice what we preach.
What am I guilty of? Well, I don't want to take up your entire day, so I will limit my confession to one area of my Christian life.
In his book, "The Unchurched Next Door", Thom Rainer reports...
Only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church. Ninety-eighty percent of church-goers never extend an invitation in a given year. –Dr. Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door
This is in spite of the fact that studies show 82% of unchurched people are open to an invitation to church by someone they know.
I am failing in my job of helping people come to faith in Jesus. I am often guilty of not inviting people I know to a church service so they can learn more about Jesus.
Why?
- Fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of offending the person.
- Busyness. I rush into my day with so much to do that I am not thinking of opportunities to invite people.
- Oversight. Sometimes it is because I don't have a strategy to be intentional.
I am not a betting man, but if I were, I would bet you can relate to my failure in this area. I know you want to be better at inviting others to church.
You don't need more GUILT about this. You need a TOOL!
What if I could give you a proven tool that makes it simple to invite someone you know to church?
Here is it! The tool is called an "Invite Card." It is the size of a business card with an Easter logo on one side, and our church information on the other.
Using this card is a simple and effective way to invite someone to church. We will have the cards in bundles of five for you to take with you after the service this Sunday, March 22. (Or call the church office (904.642.2288) if you will not be here and we will reserve five cards for you.)
The benefits of using the invite cards:
- Small. They are easy to carry with you during the day.
- Familiar. People are used to getting and giving business cards.
- Concise. It has all the information a guest needs to know to attend our Easter services or to learn more.
- Relevant. People are especially open to attend church on Easter.
Get your five cards this Sunday and then...
- Look Across The Table. Invite a family member or friend.
- Walk Across The Street. Invite a neighbor or acquaintance.
- Reach Across The Desk. Invite a Co-worker.
We are going to make It easy for you to invite someone to church by giving out invitation cards for you to give away. Get yours this Sunday!
So what do you think? Is this a good tool? Will you use it? Leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.
Pastor Ricky
