Five Ways to Mobilize Your Church to Invite this Easter

Pastor, the resurrection stands at the center of the Christian faith. Paul contends, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:13-14). Yes, the resurrection is true! Easter is coming!

Studies continue to confirm that the most effective way to get someone to attend a local church is a personal invitation.

Social media posts, mailers, and other methods all yield results that simply pale in comparison to a personal invitation.

Here are five ways you can mobilize your church to make invitations to church this Easter:

1) Teach them to listen for “prompts”

In the numerous conversations your church members will have with others God is opening up doors for gospel conversations. They may share something difficult that is an echo of the brokenness of our world. Perhaps they share about a beautiful moment that points to God as the giver of all good gifts. There are plenty of open doors. If we’re ready to see them!

In their book, Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations, Jimmy Scroggins and Steve Wright explain, “if we’re going to reach the millions who have yet to hear the gospel, we need to rethink our current invite strategy.”

Teach your church members to listen for simple prompts that might be an open door for an invitation to church. These can include, “I’m actually new to the area. I just moved here” or “I’m going through a really hard time” or “I know something needs to change.” If we have the ears to hear and the eyes to see, God is opening doors all around us.

2) Personally call your church contact list

I don’t mean set up an auto-call message. I mean print up the list, the whole list, and make a personal invitation to each person you have contact information for. Maybe they haven’t attended in a while. Maybe they’ve lost touch with the church.

A personal invitation from you (or you can divide the load among a leadership team) will make a big impact. You don’t have to get fancy and it doesn’t have to take long, just a simple, “Hey, this is pastor Jeff from church. I’m going through our church list and just wanted to invite you to Easter services.” If you haven’t talked to them in a while it can be a simple opportunity for a pastoral check in, “while we’re on the phone, can I ask: how are you doing?”

3) Create time for testimonies

Personal testimonies are powerful motivations for invitations. When someone hears the story of how a person came to faith in Christ and the role a simple invitation made in that process, it can be the spark to help them invite others. We are encouraged when we hear stories of God at work to labor with him!

What if you contacted two people in your church to share their testimony as part of your sermon in the coming weeks?

4) Pray

Make this a point of personal prayer and corporate prayer. Use biblical prompts such as Colossians 4:2-4 and pray that God would “open up a door for ministry.” Pray through Luke 10 that God would send laborers and that he would use your church.

Give enough time in corporate worship to the point that those who are present will know you take this seriously.

5) Plan your Easter sermon’s invitation now

Imagine that God does use you to mobilize your church to invite their neighbors this Easter. Imagine that they do make the invitations and that people do come! Imagine that many of your members are sitting with a pew full of family and friends who have come with them that morning.

Brother, I have no doubt that you will preach the gospel that morning. And my prayer with this point is that you will plan how you will make the invitation that morning. How will you make this appeal? How will you call sinners to repentance and faith? How will you plead with them to feast on Christ that morning? Prepare the invitation!