. . . inviting people to church pt 4 . . .

Sometimes I have to ask, what is most important to us? Inviting someone to church, or helping someone to experience Jesus' invitation into a relationship with him?

So many churches in America are in decline and our tendency is to go into panic mode. We think, oh if only the band were better, if only the preaching was better, if we had a theme park for children's ministry... then I'd invite someone to church. Sometimes though we miss the point and we don't look at our own relationship with Jesus Christ.

Church invitation grows out of our own desire to know Jesus. When our hearts are transformed by the grace of God, our own church attendance is given priority. If we have things that take us away from church on a Sunday morning, we find different ways to worship. The internet and social media have made connecting with our church home more accessible on those Sundays when we can't be present. It doesn't replace it altogether but serves as a substitute when needed. I know many of you watch the services when you are on vacation or have some other obligation.

Did you know the majority of first-time visitors have already watched a service online? So today, the step toward church invitation is to like our social media pages, share the service video, and events on your timeline. Even better, check-in to church on Instagram & Facebook on Sunday morning. This is a first non-threatening step. If you are nervous to ask someone to church, one way is to make your church more visible. Last week Al Roker mentioned that they had cut their vacation short because his grandson was scheduled to be an acolyte (an assisting role in the church, often by children)! I thought that was pretty cool - he inserted in his banter the role of the church in his life.
Most people - even those hurt by the church, especially Americans, are respectful of our faith. So today, I encourage you - like our social media pages! You never know who might see that and get them thinking about their relationship with Jesus.