Invitational Witness

Turnaround 2020 – An Invitational Witness

While it is often the case that the smaller the church the more pastor must do, it is not the case that the pastor of a larger church has lots of free time.  Wise pastors whether they pastor small or large churches learn the value of partnership, delegation, and raising up new leaders.  Churches that wish to engage in Turnaround so that they are once again seeing conversions, baptisms and new members will be served by pastors who are engaged in personal outreach.  They will also be served by pastors who find creative, effective means of sharing the load.

It’s not hard to imagine the impact if each one simply reached one.  If this were repeated for a few short years the entire world could be won to faith in Christ.  If each person attending your church reached one new person in the next five years your church would double or triple in size.  It doubles by having everyone reach one.  It triples by teaching those who are reached to reach one and by equipping those who reach one to go ahead and reach two or three.

Why doesn’t something like this happen?

Not everyone is equipped to share their faith.  This leaves many unwilling to offer an Instructional Witness where they argue apologetics with a skeptic.  It also leaves many unprepared to share an Informational Witness where they tell their story.  Nevertheless, everyone is capable of extending an Invitational Witness like the Woman at the Well who simply said, “Come and see”.

Often we do not present a workable strategy to prepare people to extend an Invitational Witness.  What is everybody’s business is nobody’s business so motivational challenges to “invite everyone in town” fall on deaf ears.

Here’s a strategy to equip the folks in your congregation to offer an Invitational Witness.

First, offer Invite Cards for your people to use.

Be sure these carry the proper date, time and location of the service you are promoting.  Several online printing companies can produce these cheaper than you can buy toner for your copier.  Business card sized invites are easy for folks to keep handy.  Consider coordinating your Invite Card with your bulletin cover, banner, and projection background.

Second, distribute the cards in a just-in-time fashion.

For example, Easter Invite Cards could be distributed on Sunday, April 2 and again on April 9.  Consider two cards per attendee that could be stuffed in the weekly bulletin, distributed at the door or otherwise handed to the worshippers.

Third, make this a spiritual experience not just an advertising gimmick.

At the conclusion of the service ask everyone to take out one Invite Card and place it in their left hand.  Then ask them to hold up that card.  Pray “Lord place in our paths those people who need to receive these cards.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”  Repeat for the second card held up in the right hand.

Fourth, consider making Invites to targeted groups and link these invites with specific prayers for those who will be invited.

The Turnaround Plan Book (available at www.Turnaround2020.net) suggests several target groups.  These include targeted groups include

  • the people on my street,
  • relatives,
  • friends,
  • those I speak with on the phone,
  • people I come in contact with in my daily schedule.

Don’t include all the groups in one blanket appeal.  Spread these out over several weeks or several months and focus on them one at a time.

Remember there are only four core processes that will result in Turnaround:

  • Inviting people to Christ and the Church,
  • Connecting with those who show up so they return,
  • Discipling those who stay, and
  • Sending them back out into the world to be neighborhood missionaries.

JUMPSTART YOUR MINISTRY:  EQUIP PEOPLE TO SHARE THE FAITH

Jumpstart Turnaround 2020Equip your people to share the faith with a tried and tested resource like Four Spiritual Laws.  Hand out copies to everyone and even use the content to guide your sermon while they follow along.

Four Spiritual Laws

Many folks are not as comfortable sharing their faith because they have never organized their thinking to present a clear gospel message.

 

Specialized training and illustrations on how to use this resource may be found at www.crustore.org.

Not comfortable with this approach?  Then find another pre-printed booklet or tract that you can use in the same fashion.

Turnaround 2020 – Share Your Story

Since people win people any pastor who intends to lead a turnaround will of necessity have to teach people how to share their faith.  In these days of reality TV the power of story cannot be overstated.  How can believers learn to tell their stories?  Here’s an outline that has been around for a while but one that still works.  Where and when can you teach this strategy?

Four Parts of Your Testimony

Part 1. What my life was like before I met Christ.

  • What common circumstances would an unbeliever identify with?
  • What were your attitudes that an unbeliever would identify with?
  • What was most important to you?
  • What substitute for God did you use to find meaning in your life?  (success at school, sex, drugs/alcohol, having fun, entertainment, popularity, hobbies, etc.)

Part 2. How I realized I needed Christ.

  • What significant steps led to your decision for Christ?
  • What made you dissatisfied with the way you were living without God?
  • How did God get your attention? What motivated you?

Part 3. How I committed my life to Christ.

  • What specifically did you do?
  • Where did it happen?
  • What did you say in your prayer? Be specific.

Part 4. The difference it has made in my life.

  • What benefits have you experienced or felt?
  • What problems have been resolved?
  • How has Jesus helped you change for the better?
  • How has it helped your relationships?
  • Give a current example.

Telling Your Story Resource, The Difference Maker, by Nelson Searcy

This short book not only challenges readers to make a difference but also provides helpful guides for telling personal stories.  Specific illustrations of classic evangelism tools are also included such as The Bridge and The Roman Road.  Available through Amazon or by direct order from Church Leader Insights.

Jumpstart Turnaround 2020JUMPSTART YOUR MINISTRY:  WORSHIP SERVICE SURVEY

Worship is the primary product of the church.  Here’s a simple survey to help improve your product.

 


Worship Service Survey

This survey is being sent to several members of the congregation to gain helpful, positive feedback from today’s worship service.  Please be gentle but honest and specific and return your completed survey before you leave church today.  Thanks in advance for your help and for your positive service in the life and ministry of our church.

1. What do you appreciate most about today’s worship service? What were its strengths? Please list three or four items.

2. What are one or two aspects of today’s worship service that need improvement?  Where are we weak?  Please list one or two items.

3. Where should we focus as we seek to improve the worship experience?  Please list one or two items.

4. On a scale of           1—2—3—4—5—6—7—8—9—10

(Help!—-Weak—-Average—Strong—–Super!)

How would you rate the worship services…?

Now ________                       One year ago ________

For additional comments or feedback, use the back of this form.

Turnaround 2020 - Conversional Growth

Turnaround 2020 – Conversion Growth

Successful Turnaround efforts in a local church will add new people to the fellowship.  Some will be transfers from other churches.  Many times those already committed to Christ and His church move to new communities while others may leave a church environment they view as uncomfortable or even toxic.  Growth by transfer is important to conserve the overall impact of The Church.  Nevertheless, when the church receives transfer members the local church grows but The Church does not.

Real Turnaround then must focus on conversion growth rather than transfer growth.  Conversion growth means that those who come to personal faith in Christ will also come into the fellowship of the church that won them.

In the not too distant past, churches relied on the visibility of their buildings or on a simple advertising campaign to attract new participants.  Bill Easum describes an early effort to attract people to church by borrowing a piece of earth moving equipment and pushing piles of dirt across the church lawn.  The visibility of apparent construction activity helped gain a crowd.  (See Go Big!).  This was in a day, however, when people routinely went to church so the main goal was to gain recognition of location.  An early mentor of mine pointed out three criteria for church growth:  location, location, location!  Many suburban housing developments in the 60s and 70s routinely allowed for a few lots to be sold to churches.  The church growth strategy in those days was that people from the immediate locale of the building would simply show up because everybody went to church.

In the 21st century buildings do not win people, nor do programs guarantee church growth.  For example, in recent generations young families would be attracted to church about the time the children entered public school.  In those days an effective children’s program guaranteed the growth of a church since religious education was the driving motive in a family’s return to church.

In the 21st century neither programs nor buildings guarantee church growth.

How then does a church experience turnaround?  Only when church leaders understand that people win people will a church be ready to take the first steps in turnaround. When it comes right down to it only four processes grow a church and anything else has little to no impact. These four core processes are:

  • Inviting people to Christ and the Church,
  • Connecting with those who show up so they return,
  • Discipling those who stay, and
  • Sending them back out into the world to be neighborhood missionaries.

This basic premise of the Turnaround 2020 initiative is that people win people.  Thus, we must teach, train and motivate people in our congregations to share their faith with people in their spheres of influence so that folks may be won to Christ and to the local church.

The starting point for this faith sharing process should never be an attempt to guilt or shame folks into sharing their faith.  Rather, the starting point is simply the beginning point of a pastor leading by example.  Pastors who are soul-winners will lead churches that are soul-winning churches.  Pastors would do well to ask some significant questions:

Pastors must also focus on a disciple making process for new believers.  When people new to the faith are encouraged to share their faith, accelerated conversion growth can be realized.  This means that the most important person to reach is the next one.  Winning the next person to faith in Christ sets the stage to connect with a whole range of friends, relatives, and neighbors of the newly converted, properly discipled believer.

A discouraged pastor recently reported, “We’ve surveyed all the homes around the church.  We’ve knocked on all the doors but they still won’t come.”  Door-to-door work produces fewer results these days.  The key to winning people is not cold-calling but the development of a warm, friendly relationship.

JUMPSTART YOUR MINISTRY:  START WITH THE BASICS

Jumpstart Turnaround 2020So where does a pastor who wants to reach people start the process?

  1. Connect with guests who have attended your church recently.  Use the information gained from their connection cards to establish personal relationships that extend over several weeks/months.  For some specific strategies see Fusion by Nelson Searcy go to www.textinchurch.com for suggestions.
  2. Cultivate people/families for whom you have provided needed pastoral services such as funerals and weddings.  Find a way to support connections with them for at least 3-6 months as you get acquainted and as you invite them to share your faith in a natural setting.
  3. Track your movements throughout the week.  Who is it that regularly comes into your sphere of influence?  Bi-vocational pastors have the edge here since they are vocationally connected to people in their business or professional capacities.  Some studies I have read suggest that bi-vocational pastors, overall, perform better at winning people than do vocational pastors.
  4. Commit yourself to a minimum number of witnessing efforts every week.  Keep a written record and hold yourself accountable.

The goal is rather simple.  You are to move people from the prospect list to the guest list to the membership list.  You cannot teach others until you have mastered the process yourself.  You can’t wait for others to get started first.  This urgent task needs your immediate attention so Turnaround may begin!