Dearly Beloved,
Grace and peace to you, Van Meter friends and family!
If your summer was packed with sports, vacations, family get-togethers, and summer activities, back-to-school time also means it's time to make coming back to church a priority, and invite a friend to come with you.
You probably don't realize you are a pivotal part of someone else's spiritual journey. Your spouse, kids, grandkids, friends, co-workers, and neighbors are watching you. The witness you give by getting up and taking part in weekly worship is powerful. Your actions do affect others. Start by posting an invite to church on your Facebook page if you have one.
We are created to worship God together and privately. Perhaps the most important thing we do is worship God. Worship is our faithful response to God. Worshipping together combines God's Word, prayer, and fellowship. God's spirit planted in us the need to be with other believers, because we are not created to walk this Christian life alone. We are part of the incredible body of Christ.
Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) reminds why we invite new people (and old friends) to church. We are sent into all the world, but often we forget to go to our neighbor. The church is to reflect God's glory on earth. It should be central to our lives and faith. For that reason, inviting others to our church should be a part of our core mission.
If you believe that Jesus is who he says he is and that heaven is far better than the earth, then why wouldn't you want to share it with your friends and family? God will use you to bring someone to faith. Introduce them to Jesus and how your life has been changed.
Why should we invite people to church? It's easy to believe our friends and neighbors will make it there independently. Maybe we don't want to impose on them, and we definitely don't want to embarrass ourselves. Inviting someone to church is a tangible way to show them the love of Christ. When we invite them, we demonstrate we care about them, and we want them to know the joy and hope that comes from a relationship with Jesus. A personal invitation is the most effective way to invite someone to church because there is an existing connection. People usually feel much more comfortable attending a (new) church when they already know someone there. Recent studies show that 82% of unchurched people are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited.
It can be scary walking into an unfamiliar building and risk being truly seen by people. Remember, you're inviting real people with real needs and you have a real Christ that can meet them. They don't need "to go to church". They need to find Christ right here.
Invite someone to the Adult Discussion group on Sunday morning, or for women, to the Friday morning women's group or evening women's group. Invite 1st- 5th grade kiddos to Wednesday night JAM, or middle school youth to Sunday evening Youth Group.
Here are five helpful tips to get you started:
1. Pray before inviting someone. Ask the Holy Spirit to nudge you if you should invite someone.
2. Ask them if they would like to go WITH you. Don’t throw out an open invite, but instead offer to meet them.
3. Explain what the service will look like.
4. Be by their side as they fearfully and faithfully step into the unknown.
5. Follow up.
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
In Christ's gracious love,
Pastor Cathy