If you’re like most Christians who want to know how to invite someone to church, your struggle is how to bring the subject up and move past the fear of your friend saying, “No.”
Perhaps your hesitation in extending an invitation is centered on fear and “what if” statements.
- What will my friend/coworker/family member think of me?
- What if they won’t talk to me anymore?
- What if it makes future conversations awkward?
You aren’t alone. The Bible reminds us that the fear of man is a part of life. But the Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome these fears and put our hope in Christ, not ourselves.
God tells us that we aren’t alone in our endeavors. We can trust that the Holy Spirit will give us words and wisdom to speak the truth. This takes faith, but the more you practice inviting someone to church, sharing the gospel, and being living proof of a loving God, the easier the words will come.
Remember, God doesn’t expect perfection. Rather, He asks us to be obedient and trust Him with the outcome.
When you position your heart in love and trust God with the outcome, you are free to extend an invitation and know God will use it to either plant a seed or water one that has already been planted.
What If My Friend Says, “No”?
If your friend says no, that’s okay! God doesn’t call you to be successful in all you do. He calls you to be obedient and to trust Him. If your friend says no, leave them with an open invitation. Let them know you understand and that the door is always open if they change their mind. Keep praying and looking for more opportunities to extend an invitation in the future.
4 Easy Ways to Invite Someone to Church
Always start with prayer! Ask God to place someone on your heart to invite to church. Then ask Him to open doors for you in conversations to bring up the subject. Ask Him to keep your heart soft, abide in Him, and prepare the heart of the one He wants you to invite.
- Get to know them and listen to their struggles and joys.
As you get to know someone, you will begin to hear what they are struggling with and how they need encouragement. After you listen, give them a word of encouragement and simply ask, “Would you like to go to church with me?” These could be the exact words they long to hear.
2. Ask them to attend a Christmas, Easter, or special service with you.
These types of services are easy times to extend an invitation. However, don’t simply inform them of the day and time. Be actively involved and let them know you will go with them.
3. Invite several people to go with you.
If someone knows they won’t be the only “newcomer,” they can be more likely to accept the invitation to come to church. Let them know you’ve invited several people and would love for them to join you and others.
4. Use social media.
Post an invitation to an upcoming event on your personal social media account and ask people to private message you if they are interested in attending.
The Benefits of Knowing How to Invite Someone to Church
There are several reasons why you should invite someone to church that God has placed on your heart. Here are a few biblical examples of the call to share the truth of the gospel and Jesus’ love with others.
- Taking an active role in the Great Commission
“ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” —Matthew 28:19-20
- Stepping out in faith and receiving an imperishable crown (reward)
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”—1 Corinthians 9:24-25
- Encouraging someone in their faith journey
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”—Hebrews 10:24-25
“Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.….” —Hebrews 6:1
- Becoming proof of a loving God to others
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”—Philippians 2:14-16
Inviting Someone to Church Is a Stepping Stone
When you know how to invite someone to church, you will understand it is not your job to “convince” them of anything. Rather, it is an opportunity to display the love you have for them and to be living proof of God’s love.
Inviting someone to church should always be done in love.
Furthermore, inviting someone to church is not the same as sharing the gospel. The idea is that these two things do go hand-in-hand, but Jesus’ command was to “go and make disciples,” not “go and invite a friend to church.”
If a friend accepts the invitation and there doesn’t seem to be any immediate fruit or doesn’t accept it, know this is between them and God. Keep praying and ask God to continue to plant and water seeds throughout their life.
Inviting someone to church is a stepping stone, not the destination. Think of it this way, when you extend the invitation to a party, you don’t show up with your friend and then leave them on their own. You engage with them while you’re there, and you ask them about their experience after you leave. The same goes for inviting someone to church.
How to Follow Up with the Invitation
If a friend accepts the invitation, follow up with them! Extend the invitation beyond the church service and ask if they could go for coffee or a meal. In your follow-up conversation, ask them these questions:
- What did you enjoy about the service?
- What part of the message was familiar and what part was new?
- Was any part of the service awkward or uncomfortable?
- Would you be open to trying out other events or services at the church?
- How can I pray for you this week?
As your friend shares, ask the Spirit to guide you into a deeper conversation with them. If they haven’t received Jesus’ gift of salvation, ask the Spirit to give you words to share the gospel. Perhaps they don’t know Jesus yet or are in a season of doubt and unbelief because of personal circumstances. Simply being a friend who desires to encourage and speak life into them could be exactly God’s plan for your heart’s desire to invite them to church.
Final Thoughts
As the writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”—Hebrews 12:1-2 (emphasis added).
We are called to stay the course and remain faithful. There are rewards for never giving up (1 Corinthians 9:24). So, let this be an encouragement to you if God has placed someone on your heart. When you know how to invite someone to church, fix your eyes on Jesus, ask them to a service, and trust Him with the outcome.