October 10, 2006

Number 41

 VIEWPOINT

Church historian Martin Marty says there is one word that defines the difference between churches that grow and those that don’t:  INVITE.  When a church isn’t growing, it’s possible that its member are not “inviting.”

The Institute for American Church Growth found that 70 to 90% of persons who “join” any church in America come through the influence of a friend, of a relative, or of an acquaintance. 

(In the New Testament, becoming a member of the church that belongs to Jesus is not described in human terms.  It’s the Lord who adds people when they obey the gospel.  No one really “joins” the church – but that’s the language of the illustration.)

Invitations are the way churches open their doors.  It’s not the preacher, the location, or even the teaching so much that will bring people inside the building – but the members inviting.  How do we go about this so it is effective?

In almost any conversation, it is easy to ask, “Do you regularly attend church?”  Don’t ask whether a person belongs to some group because that tells you nothing.  If they say they do not attend, then say, “I would like to invite you to attend our worship on “Friends Day.”  You can meet them or even offer to bring them with you. 

In extending such an invitation, remember that you are beginning the planting of a seed and not harvesting.  It has been said that “95% of all effective  evangelistic interactions involve planting, not harvesting.”

That’s exactly why we design a special “Friends Day” to finish up Bible School Emphasis in October.  It gives us a great opportunity to “invite!”

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Take Two:  The more we study the ministry of Jesus, the more fascinating it becomes.  Sometimes we fail to realize just how astounding it was.  When Jesus began his “outreach” in Israel, he did not go to the religious establishment, or to the devout who zealously kept the law, or to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the Essenes.  All of these were structured groups committed to staunch theological perspectives.

Where did Jesus go?  He went to the Jews whom Judaism excluded or passed by.  Who were these people?  They were the common people who (1) may have refused indoctrination, (2) were considered to have nothing to offer the religious establishment, or (3) were looked upon as moral or religious outcasts.  Most, but not all, were poor and disadvantaged.  The multitudes following Jesus primarily were composed of people Judaism ignored or looked upon as spiritually inferior. 

The religious establishment never listened to Jesus.  The common people followed in droves.  They weren’t always there for the right  reasons or the right motives, but they were there, and they were his available audience.

In fact, Jesus identified with everything we usually try to avoid:  poverty, obscurity, danger, unsanitary conditions.  If God went to such lengths to identify with the dispossessed and powerless, maybe we should give them a second thought, too. 

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I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile, and a positive word!   RA

OCTOBER 29, 2006