How to Encourage Your Congregation to Start Inviting People to Church

by

If every member of your church invited just one new guest each year, your congregation would grow in leaps and bounds.

Unfortunately, most of your members aren’t going to do that.

But, more of them will if you give them a lot of easy and less-intimidating ways to do it. And that’s what this article is all about.

The Best Way to Increase Church Attendance

The best way to increase church attendance is to get your congregation to start inviting people to church. It’s no secret that personal recommendations are the most effective means to encourage people to do anything. We all want to know that something is worthwhile before we give it a try, and 47% of Americans are open to being invited to church by a friend.

Plus, attending a new church can give a lot of people anxiety. Newcomers will feel more comfortable walking into a new church if they already know someone who attends.

Getting members to help with increasing church attendance is something you should be constantly working to instill and improve. It’s what expanding churches are doing well.

How to Motivate Your Members & Help Them with Inviting People to Church

Inviting people to church is not something that comes easily to most people, so simply asking members to invite their friends and family isn’t enough. Fears of rejection or of what people will think are common deterrents. Therefore, you need to guide your members and make it easy for them.

Here are some powerful tips to help you inspire your congregation to begin inviting people to church…

Mix It Up

If you ask your members to invite people to your church at every Sunday service at the same time and in the same manner, they will start to block it out. Instead, interject it once or twice a month and find creative ways to do it.

Here are some ideas as to how to mix things up:

Offer New Attendees & Those Who Invited Them a Special Gift from the Congregation

Incentives are always helpful in getting people to make the extra effort needed for inviting people to church. You can offer a special gift to those who bring a guest to entice them to step out of their comfort zone. Don’t forget to present the guest with a gift as well.

Though many churches offer things such as T-shirts as gifts, you can make your gifts extra special.

1) Ask your congregation to donate gift cards or something that is representative of the business they own or work for.

2) Create a welcome/thank-you basket that includes all of these goodies.

This is a wonderful way for members to get to know other members and for congregants to market one another’s businesses. It’s a gift that doesn’t cost your church anything, and it is something that would be desirable to members and guests alike.

Make It a Warm & Welcoming Environment

If your members feel welcomed, as well as personally appreciated and valued, they will want to share that experience with their friends and loved ones. The warmer you can be to your members, the more you can expect them to engage in inviting people to church.

Carry that warmth through into a system that ensures new attendees feel it too. Use these tips to help you:

Create a Welcome Team

Ask your friendliest members to be part of your welcome team. They can be available to answer questions at your welcome desk, greet people as they enter the church, and engage in conversations with newcomers.

Mention Newcomers during Your Sermons

Make a callout to newcomers during your sermons. Instead of making them raise their hands or stand up, which can make some people feel uncomfortable, just say something like, “We welcome everyone who is visiting us today. We are so glad you are here. Please stop by the welcome desk on your way out to learn more about us and to pick up your gift.”

Mention Members during Sermons

Although it’s important to make mention of your newcomers, it is equally important to show your members how much you appreciate them. Express your gratitude to those who have invited guests or who have volunteered or assisted the congregation in some way.

Follow Up with Visitors

As visitors head to the welcome desk to receive their gift, ask them to fill out a contact card. Then, send them a handwritten note or something that will stand out and demonstrate your warmth even further.

Offer Events for Newcomers

Hold regular events for new members and visitors so that they can visit your church in a less intimidating way than Sunday services. You could hold a welcome lunch or pizza with the pastor, for example.

3 Ways to Help Your Congregation with Inviting People to Church

It is essential that you give your congregation tools and ways to make inviting people to church a breeze. The easier you make it, the more growth your church will experience.

Friends hugging at church, showing the importance of inviting people to church.

Here are some ways you can do this…

1) Get Your Members Engaged through Social Media

Inviting people to church doesn’t always have to be an outright invitation. Social media is a great way for your members to help you get the word out about your church. Encourage your members to “like” and share your social media posts.

And don’t make all of your posts directly about your church. Include posts that are helpful for everyone, whether they attend your church or not. These kinds of posts are easier to share and will still get your name out there.

Here are some examples of posts you can make in this regard:

One of the most effective ways to encourage members to invite people to your church is to ask them to be active on social media during the service. For example, if they hear something that impacts them during your sermon, ask them to Tweet it or make a Facebook post about it and tag your church.

2) Hand Out Invitation Cards

Invitation cards are easy for members to hand out and can take a lot of the pressure off of them. You can pass them around with your donation baskets, place them on tables where members can pick them up, and/or put them in the pews next to the Bibles.

Include the following on your invitation cards:

3) Add an Invite Page to Your Website

Your website is an easy way to provide your members and nonmembers with everything they could possibly need regarding your church. Having an invite page is just as important as having a donation page.

Provide everything your members need for inviting people to church, such as…

In Summary

The key to getting your members to start inviting people to church lies in your creativity. This is an area that you never want to allow to get stale. Always be on the lookout for fresh ideas and try them out.

When you’ve got this working like a well-oiled machine, you will experience growth like you’ve never seen before. Then, you can use these tips to help you increase church giving.

 


At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.

Stay Up To Speed in the Ever Changing World of Marketing!

Sign-up today for FREE, monthly marketing tips, loopholes, and news to EXPLODE your Return on Investment!

 
 

Share your knowledge and gain exposure by becoming a guest author on our blog! Learn how to write for us.

Filed Under: Marketing by Industry

About Lindsey Perron

As Thomas’ daughter, Lindsey was introduced to the world of sales and marketing at an early age. Curious about what her dad did, Lindsey would jump at every opportunity to help and ride along on sales calls. Always quick to take charge and lead the group—a trait that has only grown with time—Lindsey was frequently told by her parents that she was destined to be a manager or CEO of some sort. While working toward earning her bachelor’s degree in human services from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Lindsey interned with the UW Office of Equality and Affirmative Action and served on several councils, which gave her the opportunity to develop her persuasive writing skills, researching skills, problem-solving skills, project management skills, and more. After working as the lead teacher of the 4-year-old room at the local daycare center, Lindsey decided to switch gears and join the Viral Solutions team. In her position, Lindsey is able to help clients think through an end goal and reverse engineer it into the steps needed to achieve it.

When she’s not working, Lindsey loves spending time with family, be it traveling somewhere together or just hanging out at home.