As a pastor or church leader, you have a passion for seeing the lost and hurting come to your church to find Jesus. However, many pastors find it challenging to encourage their members to invite others to church. It’s not that members don’t care about seeing people come to know Jesus—they often agree that their community needs to hear the gospel. They simply don’t invite others to church, often because they find it intimidating.
Fortunately, we’ve seen many churches successfully create a culture where both staff and members are passionate about bringing people to church. After years of helping thousands of churches become more outreach-oriented, we want to share five effective ways to motivate your members to be more invitational. Let’s get started!
- Talk about it from the Pulpit
Don’t just share the need to be invitational in your announcement; teach an entire sermon on the subject. Maybe use a sermon title like “How to Leave your Bubble” and use Bible stories like Jesus inviting Andrew and Simon to come see where he was staying. Or Jesus’ parable about the master commanding his servant to visit the highways and hedges and compel people to come in so his house would be full. You want to help your members realize that inviting people to church isn’t just a good idea, it’s Biblical.
If you’re not sure what to preach on, check out the Friend Sunday Sermon Kit that is designed to first challenge your congregation to boldly invite their neighbors and unchurched friends to come with them to church and then to introduce new visitors to Jesus who is their savior and friend - Share testimonies
A powerful way to encourage your members to invite people is by sharing stories of people who are now connected to the church because someone invited them. Chances are you know people you could interview or ask for a video of their story. Putting a “face to the mission” can help members realize just how big of an impact they can have on someone’s life by inviting them to attend church. - Provide resources
One church we talked to has a set of invite cards placed all throughout their church lobby. Every Sunday, the pastor encourages the congregation to take an invitation card and find someone to give it to within the next week.Even the staff members are challenged to give out invitations each week and then stories of what happened are shared during the services.Starting a program like this in your church can be as simple as ordering invite cards or door hangers and encouraging your members to take just one and find a friend, family member, coworker or neighbor that they can give it to the next week. There are even Invitation Stations you can use in your lobby as a visual reminder. - Create opportunities
Many of your members know people who are hesitant to visit a church, often due to bad experiences or negative rumors. This can discourage members from inviting their friends to church. However, creating events or groups that make non-churchgoers feel more comfortable can help.
Consider hosting a family movie night at your church with popcorn and snacks or a BBQ in a nearby park with lawn games and free hotdogs. These events provide relaxed environments where members can invite friends who might not attend a service. Plus, they offer opportunities to hand out invite cards to your services. Sometimes, all it takes is for people to meet you and the church community to see that church isn’t so intimidating after all! - Offer training as needed
If your members aren’t sure how to invite people to church, providing some helpful tips can make a big difference. Many members don’t invite their friends because they’re afraid of rejection or are unsure what to say. By offering practical advice or coaching to help them overcome these fears, you can boost their confidence and make them more likely to invite others to church.
Call to action: Join the BTCS movement, add your church to the map
One of the biggest ways you can change the culture of your church to be more invitational is by participating in National Back To Church Sunday on the third weekend of September. Thousands of churches from all over the country participate every year and over 90% say that this event helps their church be more outwardly focused and provides their members with motivation to invite people to a special service. Joining is FREE and you get a free planning guide when you add your church to the map directory – visit BacktoChurch.com to get started.
Click this link to join the movement today!
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