Inviting People to the Table
A Handbook for LocalChurch Evangelism
Provided by your Virginia Conference Board of Discipleship,
Division of Evangelism
For your ministry of Evangelism
For more information, contact:
Division of Evangelism Co-Chairs:
Rev. Kirk NaveRev. Will White
8800 River Road43987 John Mosby Hwy.
Richmond, VA23229Chantilly, VA20152-1363
(804)-740-7061(703)-327-4461
The Church’s Task
When the risen Christ ascended in to heaven, his last words to his followers were: “Go, make disciples…” (Matthew 28:16-20). The 2004 Book of Discipline of the UnitedMethodistChurch,ppg. 120, states our task bluntly. “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.” Making disciples is not simply one possible ministry among many possible ministries that we may feel called to perform. It is the mission of the church. It is what every Christian is called to do.
In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells a parable about a master who sends his servants to extend invitations to a great feast. After the first invitations are largely ignored, the master sends his servants again to invitethe poor, the lame, and anyone who will come. Our Virginia Annual Conference vision statement is derived from this story: “We envision churches where all God’s people are welcomed at table, nurtured and transformed to be Christ to others in the world.” We must remember that we are the servants sent to extend invitations. For how can all of God’s people be welcomed at the table, if they have not even been invited? The commission to invite people to the table is implied in the vision statement, but it is explicit in the scripture. Far too many Christians believe that if we set the table, we have done all that God has asked, and then we are puzzled when much of what we offer at this table is ignored by our society.
Since our mission is to make disciples, we can think of our congregations as disciple-making factories. Disciples are what we produce. We invite people to our community of faith, where they are introduced to Christ, are transformed into his disciples, and then are sent to serve. Notice that in this disciple-making factory, God, not us, does the transformation. An evangelist merely proclaims good news and invites people to come and meet the Christ we know. Evangelists do not convert. We share our faith and extend invitations. That’s the evangelist’s part of the whole disciple-making process.
The field is ripe for harvest.
Consider this: roughly 80% of Christians in America said they became Christians prior to their 18th birthday. What does that say about the attention and priority we give to our children and youth ministries? What does that say about the vows taken by parents at the baptism of their children? What does that say about how seriously we take our confirmation classes?
Consider that 44% of Americans are unchurched. 58% of these unchurched people said that if they were asked to visit a friend’s church, they probably or possibly would. What does that say about the potential fruits of our efforts to invite people to worship with us, and hopefully to meet the Christ who means so much to us?
How to do the ministry of Evangelism
Step 1: Pray
First and foremost, before we set out to do what Christ commands us to do, we pray for the power of God’s Holy Spirit to empower our work. This does two things: 1) it brings God’s power to bear, and the results will surprise us, and 2) it focuses us on the task at hand, building a passion in our hearts for others. This passion is the essential piece. No plans or strategies to invite people to meet Christ will be effective, unless we have a passion to carry them out. And this passion will also overcome most any mistakes or setbacks.
Step 2: Know your community
Do your demographic research. The General Board of Global Ministries of the UnitedMethodistChurch has done it for you. See for a free, 2 page, demographic profile of your church and your community. Once at this address, go to the Office of Planning and Research. You will need to provide your e-mail address, so that the profile can be sent to you in pdf format.
Another possible demographic freebie is What you are looking for is in “My Community.” It is called the “First View Report.”
Some other online resources are:
United States Census: on the right of the page, select Virginia, and then select your county or city, and there will be fairly specific information for you.
Virginia Employment Commission: population estimates in Excel or .pdf format.
The WeldonCooperCenter at the University of Virginia.
What does your congregation look like when compared to the community where the church building is located (within its zip code or within a mile radius)? Do your members make more money or less than the community you serve? Do they have more, or less, education? Is the racial make up of your membership the same as your community? Are the ages of your members much like the ages of the community? Asking such questions as these might inform the type of ministries you offer to the community.
Step 3: Set Objectives
This is not an option. This is required by your charge conference session. Examine the demographics. Your goal of growth should be at least equal to the population growth of the community you serve. Theoretically, each church should at least make disciples out of those born into the congregation (through confirmation), and receive the United Methodists who are moving into the area, and the congregation should also be making disciples of the unchurched. When this question is asked in preparation for Charge Conference, outline a strategy so that your objectives can be met.
If you’re not sure how to set a reasonable goal, perhaps the following mathematical formula will help: NM = PGR x CM + AML
New Members = Population Growth Rate (Percentage) x Church Membership + Average number of Members Lost over the last three years (by death, transfer, etc.).
If you think your congregation should grow faster than the population of your community, add slightly to the Population Growth Rate.
Remember! Reaching such a numeric goal is not the reason we share the faith! We do so because we care about people. Setting a numeric goal is simply a tool we can use to help us understand if we are sharing the faith effectively.
Step 4: Develop a plan to reach the objectives.
- Pray every week for the unchurched: in groups, in worship services, Bible studies, and Church Council meetings. This sets the tone throughout the congregation that our task is beyond ourselves and our own hurts. And what did God say about prayer? You will be surprised.
- Get the word out. Extend invitations.
a.Train church members to share their faith story. Research has shown that this is the most effective means of evangelism: offer Faith Sharing (see below).There is another faith sharing resource which has recently been published called Authentic Outreach ( which comes highly recommended.
b.Use the media: radio and television will be expensive but can be very effective. See Igniting Ministry below for other media ideas.
c.c. Go door to door with informational brochures or door hangers.
d.Direct mail can be very effective. It is the primary way that Church of the Resurrection got the word out (see Beyond the Walls, by Adam Hamilton below).
e.Make sure you have road signs with clear directions to your church, particularly if you are off the major corridors of traffic in your community.
f.Have a quality sign in front of the church: the main thing people want to know is the time(s) of worship. Make sure the sign is angled or perpendicular to the road, not parallel. People cannot turn their head and take their eyes off the road at 30 miles an hour or more, to see what time you offer worship. Use a minimum amount of words.
- Make people feel welcome
a. Train your greeters and ushers to get ready for guests.
b. Make your facilities first class: would you use that rest room? The general rule is that your church should be at least as nice as the homes in your community.
c. Provide nursery care for every church function
d. Train church members to be welcoming.Use Igniting Ministry’s “Beyond 30 Seconds” or some such class at least once a year.
- Help people belong
a. Follow up with those who visit your congregation within 48 hours. This should be done by the laity, even more so than by the pastor. A quick call or visit by a layperson lets people know that this is a friendly church. The pastor should do it too, but this is viewed as “the pastor’s job.” A second call in the second week is also effective.
b. Invite people to join. Make sure that someone who is new knows how to go about becoming a member. A note in the bulletin might suffice. Many churches have little brochures in the pew racks with instructions.
c. Assign a shepherd or shepherd family to those who join. These would be “mentors” who contact the new person or family, and let them know that they are a resource for any questions they may have. The shepherd may send birthday cards to the new member, and make sure that they have someone to connect with or talk to in the life of the church. Studies show that if new members do not establish a significant relationship in the church within the first few months, they will drop out or leave within the first year.
d. Invite new people to become involved in a small group such as Sunday School, Bible Study, support group, etc. People come looking for community, and too often we put them on a committee. If new people do not build significant relationships within the first six months of joining, they will most likely leave.
Step 5: Set the table with what people want. What are people looking for?
- Meaningful worship with a relevant message. People are looking for a sermon that is biblically grounded and relevant to the issues they face on a daily basis.
- Clear understanding Christian values, proclaimed and lived with conviction.
- Friendliness and warmth of the congregation (most people decide in the first five minutes of worship whether or not they will return to your church).
- Children to be taken seriously (Is childcare provided for every church gathering and meeting: in a clean, safe environment? Does worship speak to children?)
- A variety of quality ministries for the whole family
- Adequate facilities (is the church bathroom as nice as what a visitor would have at home?)
- Make sure your congregation offers what the community around it wants: if it’s a community with children, offer a preschool. If it has many older adults, offer some form of seniors ministry. If the community has a number of Hispanics, consider offer English as a Second Language Classes, and so on.
Step 6: Train people to share their faith. Methodism grew rapidly when we were a lay-led movement. Imagine your congregation filled with people who are comfortable talking about why they believe, and inviting others to explore the Christian faith with people in their community. Most Christians today need to be trained in order to feel comfortable enough to do that. For faith-sharing training material, see Faith Sharing and Authentic Outreach listed in the resources at the end of this document. A very simple summary of steps to share your faith would look like this:
- Pray for someone you know who is not an active Christian.
- Build a Relationship with this person because you care about them.
- Know your own story of why you believe and what Christ means to you.
- Share your story when the moment is appropriate.
- Your faith will grow when you share it!
Step 7: Open the Door Where is a comfortable place for people to enter the life of the church? (People want to have identity, and a sense of belonging. Any church group is a doorway, you may think of others.)
Youth ministries
Recovery Groups: Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Divorce Recovery
Seniors Ministries
Preschool (Classes for mothers of preschoolers while the children are in school, too)
Sunday School Classes and Short-Term Studies
Worship: Traditional, Contemporary, or Blended
VacationBibleSchool
Support Groups (marriage, divorce, grief, parenting, etc.)
Recreational Teams
Scouting Ministries
Choirs/Hand bells/Bands
Step 8: Make Disciples, not members
Help people become disciples. Invitation is the first step. And just because they decide to join your church does not make them a disciple. People need to be transformed by Christ.
a. Encourage new people to grow in their relationship with Christ. Give new members’ names to Sunday school classes and other appropriate groups, so that the class/group can invite the new person to join them.
b. Invite the new person to be in a Disciple Bible Study group: a big commitment, but people in a new place in faith are often the most eager to grow.
c. Share the requirements of the congregation’s shared covenant: prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Teach tithing, at the beginning, as a spiritual discipline, not as a church fund-raiser. Make involvement in prayer accessible. Let people know you expect them to be present in worship every Sunday (and call them if they’re not). Give them a list of places where they can get involved in the church’s service ministries and study groups.
d. If we set low expectations, we will have uncommitted pew-sitters, and not disciples.
Step 9: Evaluate what’s working and what’s not.
a. Survey recent new members to evaluate your evangelism ministry. Here are some possible questions:
- How did you first hear about us?
- Why did you decide to come to church?
- Why our church?
- Why did you come back?
- What might have made you not want to come back?
- Did anything make you feel uncomfortable?
- What do you feel is the most significant ministry of our congregation?
- How long did you live in our community before you started attending here?
- Describe your faith prior to coming here.
- What was your previous denomination (if any)?
- Where do you live?
- Which worship service do you prefer?
- What is your age?
- How many children do you have (include their ages)?
b. Ask a “stranger” (a friend of yours) to visit your church incognito, and ask them to give you their honest impressions. See the “Mystery Guest Audit” from Igniting Ministry in the appendix.
c. Look at your church’s statistics (membership, worship attendance, Sunday School attendance) over the last 25 years or so. Compare that to the population of your community. How have you been doing at making disciples of all people? Experts say that a congregation needs a minimum of 15% new members per year in order to have a future. The national average for congregations are: 2.5% baptized and raised in the church, 8% by transfer from other churches, 5% by profession of faith.
Resources
HelpfulReading and Resources:
- Igniting Ministry: a media campaign by the UnitedMethodistChurch, and resources for local churches in Evangelism
United Methodist Communications
P.O. Box 320
Nashville, TN37202
- Leading Beyond the Walls: Developing Congregations with a Heart for the Unchurched, Adam Hamilton, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 2002.
- NaturalChurch Development, Christian A. Schwarz,
Church Smart Resources
Carol StreamIL60188
1-800-253-4276
- Radical Outreach: Recovery of Apostolic Ministry and Evangelism, George G. Hunter III, 2003.
- Faith Sharing, Eddie Fox and George Morris, Discipleship Resources, 1997.
Discipleship Resources
P.O. Box 840
Nashville, TN37202
- Authentic Outreach, The Evangelism Insitute
1006 Pump Road
Richmond, VA23238
- Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them,Thom S. Rainer, 2001.
- Marketing for Congregations, Norman Shawchuck, Philip Kotler, et.al., Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1992.
- Faith Sharing Congregation, Roger Swanson, Shirley Clement, Discipleship Resources, 1996.
- The Church Growth Handbook, Bill Easum, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1990.
- Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, Kennon L. Callahan, Harper & Row, San Francisco, 1983.
- Reclaiming the Great Commission, Bishop Claude Payne and Hamilton Beazley, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2000.
Invitation Resources
- The Invite a Friend Project: (encourages members to invite their friends to a special “invite a friend Sunday” with the hopes that these people will then continue to come)
Religion in American Life
2001 W. Main Street, Suite 120
Stamford CT 06902
- FRAN Plan: Encourages members to pray for, and share their faith with, Friends, Relatives, Associates, and Neighbors.
Discipleship Resources,
P.O. Box 840
Nashville, TN37202
Inviting New Residents
- New Movers Evangelism, P.O. Box 381 Westerville, Ohio, 43086-0381; (for approximately $15-20/month, depending on the number of new residents, provides you with a list of all new addresses in your zip code(s).
- AmericanChurch Lists, 5711 S. 86th Circle, P.O. Box 27347, Omaha, NE68127, ;
- Neighbors Newsletter, Virginia Annual Conference Office of Communications
Now being offered as a free download on the Virginia Conference home page:
Newspaper Advertising:
- Igniting Ministry
United Methodist Communications
P.O. Box 320
Nashville, TN37202
- Church Ad Project: (Print-ready ads for newspapers)
Welcoming Brochure for New Visitors:
- Growth Partners International, Inc: (resources for a quality church brochure)
- Spire Resources, P.O. Box 180, Camarillo, CA93011,
Appendix:
When completed, please return to (churches, stamp name and address below):