Were you recently appointed as the new pastor of a small church?
Over the summer, I’ve met with new pastors, freshly ordained, who have been appointed to very small churches in rural areas, or some churches in urban pockets that have been in decline for years.
What are some possible ways the small church pastor can help grow the church through evangelism? [Read more…] about So You Are the New Pastor of a Small Church, Now What?
As I finished out my chapter through chapter re-read of the book of Acts, I see believers and non-believers in various settings:
The biblical DESCRIPTION of what happened in the NT church involved these elements. It gets mighty confusing to look at the book of Acts and to say
What is obvious is that people were being regularly and daily saved. This no basis to say that these conversions were occurring within or outside of the gatherings.
Acts merely describes what was happening.
It does not define a how the church will function following this particular era.
The church as a gathering PLACE is in development.
The earliest glimpses in Acts shows groups of people meeting in synagogues, public squares, and in houses. Today’s PLACES of gathering is very different than the gatherings in the book of Acts. Most of us meet in a dedicated space or building set apart for church meetings.
The church as a gathered PEOPLE is still a theological concept in development.
It is later spelled out in Paul’s letters.
The church gathered for the PURPOSE of a particular expression of worship is not the same.
It does not look like the weekly gathering of God’s people for worship as we know it in nearly any form today.
To ask the book of Acts for evidence about inviting non-believers to a church is ultimately a practice that will fail.
As the remaining passages deal with the missionary expansion of the early Christians there were no “churches” in these towns for the gathering of the saints They were being created as the apostles went forth, so looking at these passages for evidence of church practices may be pointless.
As I’ve discussed this with people, I’ve encountered a few uses of Scripture and examples that attempt to prove the point that we should not invite unbelievers to church.
I want to touch a few of those points below.
2 Corinthians 6:14 reads:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
I’m not convinced that applies to inviting a unsaved person to church hear the gospel message. Inviting a unsaved friend to church is not spiritually uniting with them. It is not asking them into membership. It is not offering them a leadership position. Instead it is inviting them to come and hear the word of God proclaimed, where they can evaluate the message for themselves.
The underlying imagery from the OT is two different animals walking together.
I see this passage applying to marriage, business partnerships, church leadership and other places where two would walk together in close unity. I’m not sure Paul talks specifically about church gatherings, but a lifestyle.
In terms of church life, I’d see it applying to membership, church leadership positions, pastors etc.
They are the leaders of the church. Members who have joined a church should of course profess faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We do not have atheists as church members, unsaved as elders, etc.
I don’t think this “yoking” or spiritual mixing occurs when we invite a non-believer to hear the word of God proclaimed in our worship services. If I invite a non-believer into a leadership position – to help me lead the church in some way – THEN that line is crossed.
1 Corinthians 14:22-25
Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
Paul challenges the Corinthian church to be sensitive to visitors. At this point in the development of the church meetings as a gathering of people, unbelievers are in their midst.
This passage ASSUMES their presence, but doesn’t indicate the manner in which the non-believer arrived. The verb is simply “COMES IN” but gives no indication of the manner: by invitation, by curiosity, by advertising, nothing.
I’ve seen this passage used to share that the presence of such visitor was RARE. That assumes facts not in evidence. The one clear mention of a non believer being present doesn’t mean it was rare. It is an unprovable assertion. Paul’s point is addressing the misuse of tongues, not church invitations. Likewise, I cannot prove from the texts that it was a COMMON practice. I’d have to assume facts not in evidence.
One cannot say the practice was RARE or COMMON without assuming facts. What we can say is that Paul does not prohibit the presence of non-believers in the midst of the assembly, nor does Paul specifically command that we give invitations.
The point of this passage is that the Corinthian church should be sensitive to the non-believing visitors in their midst. I believe this should be part of every church’s DNA, whether you speak in tongues or not. You want your unsaved visitors to declare that God is in your midst.
The assertion that I’ve seen is that Jesus did not have a non-believer in his group of 12, then we shouldn’t have them as well in our churches.
However, the particular question we are discussing – can we invite the unsaved to our church services – does not seem to be answered by Jesus as an example. This is a straw man, I think, for this discussion.
There was no church to invite people to. He lived in a different time than an organized church.
Of course he didn’t yoke himself with a non-believing sinner who advocated for things not of the Lord. But he did hangout with people who needed him. He clearly hung out with people, welcomed people who sought him out etc.
I don’t see him rejecting people who don’t yet believe based on a meeting place or specific type of gathering.
Let me ask you this:
For what reasons SHOULD we invite our non-Christian friends to church? Answer in the comment field. . .
Should we invite non-believers to our church services? The question came up in a discussion group I am a part of, so I’ve chosen to examine the early church patterns from the book of Acts.
As I have looked at the gatherings of the disciples so far, what is clear so far there is no pattern of inclusion or exclusion, or if it is even possible to make a definitive conclusion.
Now that I’m at Part 5 and into the missionary expansion of the church, Luke is even less helpful in answering the question that I want a clear answer to. My question was not Luke’s question. After these passages, I will stop this particular review from the book of Acts, even though I’m 10 chapters from the end. [Read more…] about Invite Non Believers to Church?–Part 5
From a pastor friend of mine:
“Two Amazing stories from church today…card from one Campus said, “the guy I used to buy drugs from came to church and got saved today.”
Report from another campus “I was on my way to buy heroin to kill myself tonight b/c I had no hope…saw the church…came in…gave my life to Jesus…found hope.”
I love the KING and HIS Kingdom!!!! Thank you church for being the church that helps people find hope in Christ.”
My pastor friend bragged on his church. A good form of bragging.
I was excited for him.
Stories of life transformation is part of what propels me to help churches with their evangelism and hospitality.
Hearing conversion stories is exciting.
Being involved in a local church body where people are finding Jesus, experiencing redemption from their past, finding hope where they had none is a dream for me. I want to be part of a church that is helping people find Jesus.
The power of the gospel in action is exciting.
Newcomers come to church where they can encounter hope as they learn about what it means to follow Jesus.
Transfers from other churches will stay in churches where the gospel is transforming lives.
Keep inviting your unsaved friends to church. Help them to belong while they are searching and see how Jesus can change their life.
Your hospitality will play a role in people inviting friends to church.
Your hospitality will play a role in helping people come back to hear more of the gospel.
Over the years, I’ve talked with several churches that have lost this vision. Their vision is survival, budget maintenance, or keeping the sheep well fed. For them, it’s all about discipleship. I don’t sense any excitement about the gospel’s power of redemption.
I have asked: “What would it take to see 10 adult baptisms this year?”
In those churches, I’ve seen sighs of hopelessness, objections, and even instant pessimism that it’s not possible. They have lost the vision to reach people for Christ.
There is no excitement about what Jesus can do.
I wouldn’t want to stay involved in such a church. Even if I came for a few weeks because the people were nice, I don’t think I’d stay long term if the church doesn’t have a compelling vision to reach the lost.
I encounter many churches that believe hospitality ministry will fix their attendance problems.
That may be true short term, and I encourage churches to improve and fix their hospitality ministry.
Improving your welcome can help you increase the number of visitors who return to your church.
But hospitality is not the end.
My pastor friend wrote:
Having a nice auditorium or cafe is great and people appreciate it, but it will never do what only the gospel with do.
Without having a culture of grace, the congregation often doesn’t feel free to invite people who need that grace.
So in turn they only invite other Christians and don’t have the opportunity for people to respond to the message.
We have worked hard on creating a culture of Belong, Believe, Behave.
Our first objective is to get people to feel like they belong regardless of their past or present situations. Like Thomas, this gives Jesus the opportunity to show up to people.
A good welcome helps people come back.
But what my pastor friend is doing is helping people find faith in Jesus Christ.
That’s what I can be excited about.
I’ve taken several of the top articles on EvangelismCoach and turned them into a downloadable ebook that you can purchase, rather than spend hours digging through the over 1000 pages on this website.
It’s a shortcut to practical action steps.
If you are leading a hospitality committee looking at these issues, buy your copy of How to Welcome Church Visitors and get a head start.
The fall ministry season is approaching in the US.
Perhaps it’s time to review the materials in your church welcome folder.
If you do not have a visitor packet ready, you are missing out a great opportunity to help newcomers find their way into your church family.
You can check out this list of 15 things to put in your folder, as well as some more ideas for visitor welcome packets.
Perhaps you’ve encountered an objection like this:
I think a folder like this or little marketing gifts is a bribe we are offering for people to come back. I feel like we don’t need to bribe people. Why do we feel the need to resort to the world’s tactics to bribe and entice people to embrace God?
1. Visitor Welcome Packets are not Bribes
They are a communication piece.
Your visitor folder shares information about your church, and perhaps includes a small token of appreciation for making the effort to come and visit.
If I visit a church, I’d like to know more information about it. I will not learn everything in my first visit.
This packet allows the church to communicate aspects of its program, how you can grow closer to Christ, how you can serve Jesus with us in the community, etc. . .
2. Welcome Folders a Useful Tool for your Visitor.
Just because similar ideas are used in business seminars does not mean we must dismiss it as a worldly tactic.
Speakers speak at business seminars too, so I’m not dismissing my preacher as a worldly tactic.
Rather, these folders become a useful tool for communicating important information about your church to people who are considering their involvement in the life of your church.
Think about your first time visitor for a moment:
Your welcome packet has the potential to answer those questions and in a way that a single Sunday morning service cannot.
These are packets that can be taken home and reviewed in the quietness of a morning, or in a family discussion over lunch.
The primary purpose of the church welcome folder is to communicate information about your church to the first time visitor.
This visitor may have never attended church before.
Your visitor may have been shopping for churches for the last 5 weeks prior to coming to yours.
It is simply a tool to help them in their decision making process, with the caveat that the Spirit of God can work in a person’s life no matter what you put in your visitor folder.
What about church visitor folders? Are they a useful tool?
Did you receive one that was helpful to you? What made it helpful?
If your church visitor doesn’t fill out a connection card, how can you follow up with them?
They have chosen not to fill your:
They have signaled that they wish to remain anonymous.
Depending on the size of your church, you might not even know they have come.
If you don’t get their contact information, you can’t
How can you follow up with them if you have no record of their presence?
Give them a church visitor welcome packet before they leave.
A church visitor welcome packet gives your guest something to review when they get home after their first visit.
It provides a way for your anonymous first time visitor to learn something about your church after they have experienced your worship service for the first time.
The packet can help anonymous church visitors become a little more familiar with your church structure, background, worship practices, and beliefs.
It also provides a way to share low commitment next steps towards becoming a regular attender, if they choose to come back.
Hopefully, your awesome church hospitality will help them decide to come back, but your church visitor folder can give them information to consider once they get home.
I’ve written about this before, so see:
Five more ministry leaders have chimed in on the discussion:
David – Our guests get a box that folds to look like a very small gift. Inside is info on all major ministries, easy ways to get connected to serving and groups, a welcome note from lead pastor, and a memory stick with a couple high energy videos about the church and multiple links to our website. Goal is to move them toward connecting and be memorable…thus the gift box look.
Ron – We offer a stainless steel travel coffee mug filled with candy to new guests. This works well in getting them to fill out a card with contact information (95% effective rate). We also give a small group directory, welcome letter, CD recording of the service message, and offer free bibles, post dates for upcoming water baptisms, baby dedications, Discover Membership luncheons, an tri-fold color brochures of various ministries in the church. We have coffee, water, lemonade, bagels and sour cream, donuts etc specifically for Guests. The Congregation had other refreshment areas. We send a letter from the Pastor and call them within 24 hrs.
Leslie – We include a coffee cup, a flash drive with a video about the congregation and it beliefs and activities. We include a brochure of activities and the schedule. We invite them to a six session introduction to the congregation at the end of which they can decide to become as a member or not.
Jennie – Our visitors packet contains a contact card, brochures about our various activities, a coupon for our bookstore, a free snack coupon for our cafe, and a flower. The flower is easy to find and our congregants make a point to greet people when they see this flower. We don’t make people stand up, just raise their hand, and we applaud them for taking time to visit. Our visitors’ table in the back of the sanctuary is a place to meet the pastor after the service and get plugged in right away. We always are in gratitude for our visitors and conscious of their experience. As a follow-up, our pastor calls each visitor a couple days after their visit.
Jeanne – Our packet has a sheet welcoming them & tells about our church and what we believe. It also contains our vision and mission statement. It includes a worship CD, a teaching CD & our 10 year DVD. We have home bible studies we call Community Groups. The brochure listing the latest homes is included.It contains a church business card and info on our radio station. The service times, etc are also on the business card. We have a separate New Believer Pack with lots of info on how to receive Christ. Our church has free bibles in the chair seat backs for people to take & are encouraged to do so if they want/need one.
You’ll want to make sure some of the basic information about your church is available somewhere in the packet:
I found this sample church visitor packet on line (a download PDF) and like how it is laid out.
Under the Radar Image credit: 72soul / 123RF Stock Photo
Please share your ideas on what you put in your church visitor welcome packet in the comment field below.
Do you want more first time church visitors to come back a second time? Taking care of your hospitality systems can help you keep more of your visitors. I’ve put an ebook together to help you review your hospitality systems.
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