CREATIVE CHURCH
Old Solution to a New Problem
By JERRY LAWSON
MEMBERS INVITE THEIR FRIENDS TO CHURCH WHEN THEY LOVE THEIR CHURCH AND WANT OTHERS TO SEE IT. THEY ARE PROUD OF THE CHURCH NAME, REPUTATION, WORSHIP STYLE, AND SERMON PRESENTATION. NO ONE WANTS TO INVITE THEIR FRIENDS TO A CHURCH THAT THEY ARE EMBARRASSED BY.
dards for being a “good person” was regu- lar church attendance. It’s just what we did in this country. Every person running for public office in America was expected to tell where he or she attended church and how faith affected his or her life and decision making. However, today we are in the middle of a cultural shift away from regular church attendance.
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Many have long quoted the Gallup survey boasting that over 40 percent of Americans regularly attend weekend wor- ship services. However, today’s numbers are far different. More recent surveys reveal that closer to 20 percent of Ameri- cans attend church. Sadly, the trend sug- gests that by the year 2050, only about 11 percent of Americans will attend church services faithfully. Currently, only about 6 percent of churches in America are growing. Clearly, the American church has stepped into a new era of challenge. So, what could be the solution? New video screens? New buildings? A new pastor? Special-effects lighting? While these changes could be helpful in certain locations, this oversimplified approach to church health is not the solution. And I don’t pretend to offer a solution to the ills of the American church in this simple article. However, I will offer one option that I’m sure will help the church. Though it is not new, it works every time it is tried. It is the old-fashioned idea of invit- ing your neighbor to church.
JERRY LAWSON is pastor of Daystar Church of God in Cullman, Alabama.
30 EVANGEL | October 2010
Often when teaching pastors the “24 to Double” curriculum (
24todouble.org), I say that the most important word in church growth is invite. When new members were asked the question, “Why did you join the church?” the responses were quite telling: 7 percent walked in on their own initiative;
HE AMERICAN church has long enjoyed widespread acceptance in our culture. In times past, one of the stan-
3 percent liked the programs offered, and 9 percent liked the pastor (Sorry, pas- tors!). Another 4 percent joined the church because they had a need that the church met, and only 2 percent were evangelized by church members. But a whopping 75 percent of new church members say they are a part of the local church because a friend or relative invited them. Further, statistics tell us that 82 percent of those not active in a local church would come if invited by a friend.
While the solution may seem quite clear, the application may prove a bit more difficult. Exactly how does a church con- vince its members to invite their friends and relatives? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Motivate church members to invite. Members invite their friends to church when they love their church and want others to see it. They are proud of the church name, reputation, worship style, and sermon presentation. The church must exhibit a welcoming ambience with professional services. The grounds must look neat and clean. No one wants to invite their friends to a church that they are embarrassed by. 2. Develop a strategy for inviting. Every quarter the church should host a big event aimed at doubling the church’s attendance for that day. It could be Easter, a Christmas play, a friend day, or homecoming—but it must be intentional. Members should be encouraged to invite unchurched friends, family, and coworkers. 3. Give tools to members. From invita- tion cards to yard signs to “e-vitations,” there are many new ways to put into prac- tice the old skill of inviting.
What all of the previously stated stats tell us is simply that the command of Christ still rings true today. We are to “go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that [His] house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).
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