Needless to say, in order to grow a church, we have to invite people who are NOT coming to our churches now, and who aren’t even thinking of coming to our church later! The Visitors!!!! VISITORS are the life line to growing the church and yes, growing the Body of Christ. And, unfortunately, so many of us don’t think about church as growing the Body of Christ.
Who are the Visitors we should be inviting on a regular bases? Actually, its people we already know, like family, friends, co-workers, local officials and public workers, and the list goes on.
Tips on inviting, inviting, and inviting some more….
- INVITE family VISITORS to your church. Many of us have gotten push back from family and friends. But invite them from time to time anyway. Remember also many non-Believers make it a point to go to church on special occasions. YES Easter.
- INVITE VISITORS to non-worship events at your church. Yes, non-worship events like lunches, picnics, movies, games, dinners, house warmings, parties, and the list goes on….
- INVITE VISITORS to come BACK when they show up at weddings, baptisms, and yes funerals.
- INVITE VISITORS but do not make things complicated just because you do not agree with them on certain principles or ideologies. Don’t let negative words just roll off your tongue because people are living together unmarried, LBGTQ, have liberal or conservative viewpoints, criticisms of the last church they went to (and you know the criticism is really true), and some will just let you know that they just don’t believe in church at all! And of course, the list goes on. In spite of everything or anything that happens INVITE THE VISITORS back again, anyway.
- INVITE VISITORS and don’t necessarily expect them to like you the first time they show up. The second or third time they show up, rush over and really get to know them.
Remember most of the VISITORS will be people you and your members already know. If they come once and don’t already have a church you might have a good chance at interesting them to come back. BUT never push, because you want the next interaction to be good and go along well! Dr. Tillman’s book How to Grow a Church Step 2 is all about engaging visitors so they will keep coming back.
At Greater Harvest Ministries we can show you how to develop a Strategy that will not only give VISITORS a motivation for showing up, but also a motivation to want to come back. To learn more about how we can help your church grow, contact Rev. Dr.Beverly Tillman at DrTillman360.com for an appointment to schedule a FREE 30-minute Discovery Call.
