A couple of weeks ago I participated in a webinar with Don Everts (author of Jesus with Dirty Feet, and I Once Was Lost). The thrust of his presentation was on the process of evangelism in the local church. There was specifically one thing he shared with us that I've been thinking about ever since. Evangelism is successful in the local church when we "create a culture of inviting."As the pastor of a church plant who recently moved into a new facility in a new community I think about inviting a lot. There are essentially two things that are crucial when it comes to inviting. One: You have to have something to invite a person two (whether its church, a small group, a service project, outreach event, etc). Two: You have to have a way (actually probably several ways) of going about inviting.
At Resolution we use direct mail, facebook, signs, newspaper ads, invite cards, and our website as ways of inviting people. We've seen some success with these different medium, and will continue to use them to some degree. However, as even the marketing gurus will tell you, personal invitation and word of mouth is still the most effective form of invitation.
This past weekend Bekki and I took a few hours and went door to door in our neighborhood introducing ourselves to our neighbors and inviting them to our church. I'll be honest, this was a little intimidating at first. I've read all of the books and studies that reflect the hostility that the unchurched apparently have for Christians. In many ways, I (and many other Christians) are prepared for people to less excited about a pastor showing up to their door than a Kirby vacuum salesman.
What we discovered though was different. Our neighbors received us graciously and actually seemed pretty interested in what we were doing. We knocked on six doors, four had someone home, none of which went to church. Yet there was no hostility, no opposition, no coldness towards us. We simply shared that we were with the new church and would love for them to come check us out but more than that we wanted to be good neighbors and a blessing to this community.
I honestly think that there are too many leaders in the church that use all of the "they like Jesus but not the church" stuff as a crutch! We just assume that those outside of the church will not be open to us and the message of Jesus that we carry. When I read the Gospels I find Jesus inviting people to "come and see" several times. And what happened? They came and saw! People are lonely, broken, and are looking for something meaningful and the last time I checked what we have to share and invite others to is good news! This was true 2000 years ago and its true today.
Assumption: Those outside of the church are hostile to the Church and the Gospel.
Observation: Those outside of the church are looking for connection and meaning just like the rest of us, and when approached by Jesus-followers with genuine love and respect they will respond warmly.
We were pleasantly surprised on Sunday when we had people from 4 different houses across the street show up for church! If Jesus could effectively transform the world, he can effectively transform our neighborhoods and communities! Let's create something meaningful and then invite someone to come and see!
