y secret to easily inviting others to church is I believe my church is more exciting and more inviting than my favorite restaurant or movie. I know the positive impact attending church has had on my life. I believe every visitor has the potential for a life-changing experience. I’m just offering an invitation. God will prepare their hearts and minds to hear the message.
While acting in a community theater production, I invited the other actors to our church to see “Jesus Christ Superstar.” I invited a single mom to our Moms & Tots program when she was looking for opportunities to meet with other adults. My husband plays bass guitar. He invites musicians he meets and works with in the community to church.
We both talk about our church lives to family, friends and acquaintances. It’s natural to speak of ministries we’re involved in, life lessons we learned, the youth group ski trip, etc.
In 1993, Marc and I had been happily married for five years. We had a beautiful baby boy, many friends and great jobs. Outwardly it looked like we were living the middle-class dream. But inside we were miserable, unhappy and empty.
Dr. Sheffield was my husband Marc’s boss. He always treated Marc and me with respect. He was a Christian; however he never forced his beliefs on us. He was interested in our lives from the moment Marc was hired. We saw his faith lived out with his wife and children. He had a peace that we could not understand. When he initially invited us to attend his church, we politely declined.
Around the same time, Loretta, one of my co-workers, also invited us to visit her church. She was, quite frankly, a little scary. She spoke of hell and damnation more than the love of Christ. She was not interested in my life; she seemed only to be concerned with my conversion. She never took the time to find out about me. She preached at me more than talked to me.
When we finally decided church might help our emptiness, we picked Dr. Sheffield’s church over Loretta’s.
I learned two lessons from this experience. First, not everyone will be ready or willing to attend church when I invite them. God will tug at their hearts at the right time. Secondly, I can control how approachable I make myself to others.
During our first visit to Dr. Sheffield’s church we encountered a community of purpose-driven people who had filled that void we were feeling. People were friendly. One gentleman escorted us to the book store and then to the coffee shop. Another couple invited us to lunch. The pastor asked if we had any questions and gave us his phone number. Everybody was welcoming and gracious. They genuinely cared about us.
Most people say they don’t go back to a church a second time because they don’t feel welcomed the first time. Our current church has over 700 weekly attendees. As members of the flock, we try to provide a friendly, open atmosphere for all who visit.
God is not a respecter of persons; so we approach teens, the mentally challenged, those dressed in suits and those in shorts. We welcome everyone into the house we’re calling God’s dwelling place. Each Sunday we try to recreate that feeling we got during our first church visit. We cannot invite everyone to lunch; but we can say hello and offer to sit with newcomers, and we can direct them to the coffee and donuts or the children’s ministry.
Within a few weeks of our first visit to church, Marc and I invited Jesus into our lives. We learned that God was the only one who could fill the void we were feeling. He was the one who created it. That was almost 15 years ago. We attribute our conversion directly to Dr. Sheffield’s friendship and invitation to church, the people we encountered at church, and God preparing us to accept his offer to fill the void he created.
We realize the importance of living a life that reflects fullness in Christ, inviting others to church despite our hesitations and welcoming church visitors to a warm and inviting atmosphere. We know how church has transformed our lives. Why would we not want to share that with everyone we know?
Back
