Everyone likes to be personally invited. For all of us, our mailboxes and our inboxes are full of impersonal and indirect messages to purchase, join, get a deal, and more. If you’re like me, after awhile, it’s all just a blur.But, when someone you know, someone you have a personal relationship with, personally invites you, when they personally recommend that you try a product, or a store, or a service, you are much more likely to take them up on their offer. A recent study reminds us that “82% of the unchurched are at least somewhat likely to attend church if invited.”–Dr. Thom Rainer, The Unchurched Next Door.
Here’s an unfortunate statistic from the same study: “Only 2% of church members invite an unchurched person to church. 98% of church-goers never extend an invitation in a given year.”
This Easter at Pathway (March 26 & 27), we’re asking you to personally invite someone and bring them with you to a service. That’s what our And1 series is about–giving those around us another chance to score, by inviting them to experience the life changing message of Jesus. All this month we’ll be talking about how to pray, invite, and encourage those around you to come with you to an Easter service at Pathway. We’ll be discussing how we can take advantage of opportunities to invite, our responsibility to invite, and the results when we invite.
Remember, more people potentially come to a service on Easter weekend than any other time. Many of your friends and neighbors are just waiting to see if you will invite them. Will you? Make sure and
read their story about how Paul and Emily Emberson invited their friends, Brian and Christy Youngers.
An invitation to church is all it took. That simple invitation can have eternal consequences. We’re making room for hundreds of new people this Easter. Find a
time, date, and location for you to invite and attend with someone, an Easter weekend service. We’re counting on you. Jesus is counting on you. Will you “make the ask?”