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All inviters put their reputations on the line every time they invite someone to church.

You can rest assured that your church members will not invite someone if they do not expect a positive outcome.
Richard Reising, author of ChurchMarketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth

How to get your church members to invite their friends


by Richard Reising Heres a truism: People that have had a life-changing experience with God want others to find God in a life-changing way. This is surely true. It is also true that most people that sat in church pews last year never invited one single person to their church. So where is the disconnection? I think one of the biggest disconnects we have in the church is that, as leaders, we often forget what it was like to go to church for the very first time. The intimidation factor for a lone visitor in a new church is simply huge. But it is nowhere close to the stress and vulnerability that is put on a churchgoer who invites a visitor. All inviters put their reputations on the line every time they invite someone to church. You can rest assured that your church members will not invite someone if they do not expect a positive outcome. And most of the time, thats why one church isnt growing and the church around the corner is. It has led us to say that People are not ashamed of Christ, they are ashamed of their church. Ouch! I asked a young friend how he was enjoying his church; he admitted that he loved it but was bothered by the fact that the church wasnt growing. I asked him why it wasnt growing; he acted bewildered and said, I have no idea. Yes, you do, I challenged him. You know why its not growing. After a silence, I asked, When was the last time you invited someone? Well, its been a long time, he said ashamedly. Why dont you invite people? He shuffled his feet and said, I dont know. Yes, you do, I said. The reason you dont invite people is the same reason why your church is not growing. I could tell that bells went off on the inside. He responded, Yeah, I know why. He had known it all along. He just had never connected the dots between the challenges of inviting people and overall church growth. It might be simple. A congregant might be embarrassed about the church decorations, the woman who shouts from the back of the church, the inexplicably deep or dry

sermons, or the pastor telling jokes about his wife. The harder it is to invite people, the more challenging church growth is. You see, I knew my friend loved God and wanted others to experience Christs love. Unfortunately, most people are not intimidated about being Christians. They are intimidated about inviting people to their church. 2006 Purpose Driven Church conference, May 16-19
Learn how to develop a church where members enthusiastically invite their friends to services. Dont miss the upcoming Purpose Driven Church conference held at Saddleback Church. Besides learning the basics of the Purpose Driven model of ministry, youll also have the opportunity to sign up for seminars on preaching, small groups, stewardship, and more.

The simple truth is that if an invitation is hard to make, for whatever reason, fewer people will be invited. The battle for growth is first fought in the hearts of churchgoers who want to better the lives of those around them. This is actually the desire of the vast majority of churchgoers.

I cannot say this emphatically enough all true Christians want other people to become Christians. It is planted in them when Christ is planted in them. This means if your church has to beg, push, cajole, offer incentives, or even just remind people to invite others, it is a telltale sign that, for whatever reason, they do not believe the ministry that takes place will make a successful connection with the people they would invite. This is where the rubber hits the road. Is your church connecting with your community? The main link is through your congregation, and if they think youre not connecting, you wont. It is no wonder Paul challenged us in advance to become as one to win one. The ability to relate to our communities and church growth go hand in hand. When a ministry can successfully relate to the people in its congregation in a way that reassures them that their guests will be connected with, the churchgoers will be willing to invite others because they know it will relate to those they invite. By analyzing the temptations and challenges associated with inviting people to church, we found the following to be true. If a churchgoer can answer these questions positively, then inviting friends and family will not only be easy, it will become a lifestyle. The church will explode with growth! As a side note, my guess is that none of these topics would ever show up on a visitor survey. They require us to look closely in the mirror, as even our closest allies would have a hard time advising us of some of these issues. 1. Will my friend feel welcomed? Principle: Hospitality The atmosphere, nomenclature, and style of service should be inviting and not intimidating to the unchurched. 2. Will my friend fit in? Principle: Comfort and compatibility Like it or not, invitations and visitor comfort decrease when social or cultural gaps exist. 3. Can I feel confident that I know how the service will turn out? Principle: Consistency People need to know what to expect, because they will invite accordingly.

4. Will my friend get something out of it? Principle: Relevance The message should be relevant and powerful for people at all spiritual levels.

If a member walks out of your service three weeks in a row and says every time, 'I wish my unchurched friend would have heard that,' nothing will stop that member from dragging that friend through your doors.
Richard Reising

5. Will my friend understand it? Principle: Understanding Jesus taught through practical illustrations. The songs and message should be understandable for people at all spiritual levels. 6. Will everything that could seem strange to the unchurched be explained through Scripture? Principle: Sensitivity Scriptural actions should be carried out with clarity and considerate explanation. Having said all this, I am convinced of one thing. If members walk out of your service saying, I wish my unchurched friend had been here, they will start to think about inviting their friend. If a member walks out of your service three weeks in a row and says every time, I wish my unchurched friend would have heard that, nothing will stop that member from dragging that friend through your doors. The challenging thing is that often, when members walk out of churches, the only thing they can say is, I wish my other church friends would have heard that. Its time to evaluate. Are we creating an atmosphere that fosters growth or are we just ministering unto ourselves? This article is adapted from Richard Reisings book, ChurchMarketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth. Recommended resources
Purpose Driven Church conference on DVD Free How to Grow a Church conference, May 11 The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren

Article by Richard Reising Richard Reising is the author of ChurchMarketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth (Baker Books). Reising is a recognized authority on church marketing and branding and the founder and president of the Dallas-based Artistry Marketing Concepts, an organization that helps churches and ministries make wise use of marketing, design, and technology. He has helped hundreds of ministries in the United States and worldwide through speaking engagements and training seminars. Used with

permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

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