“Make hay while the sun shines” was a familiar phrase in the rural Midwestern small towns of my childhood. Even people without agricultural experience or ties to life on a farm could generally figure out its meaning – take advantage of the chance to do something while the conditions are good. Regular readers of this blog will recognize some of the things we do at Resurrection to take advantage of times when there are more than the average number of first-time visitors present – particularly Christmas Eve and Easter. These include “fishing expedition” sermon series, radical hospitality, and excellent follow-up. When done well (and in that order), this sequence of disciplines consistently produces interest among new people in joining the church.
Which brings us to yet one more of the disciplines that keep our church outwardly focused on people who are not yet part of our community – regularly inviting people to join the church. Typically four times a year, especially following each fishing expedition sermon series, we schedule an event called Coffee with the Pastor(s). Though it has evolved over the years, the basic components of this event remain the same – our senior pastor’s personal testimony, a brief history of our church, the church’s purpose and vision, and the expectations of membership. You can find samples here: https://sharechurch.com/resource/coffee-with-the-pastors/. The event also always includes a short break after all the content has been presented – during which people who decide not to join can comfortably slip out – followed by a brief joining ceremony for those who are ready.
A rhythm of inviting and celebrating new members not only creates momentum and energy in the life of the church, it also:
Shows new people we are expecting them.
You don’t have to attend worship at Resurrection long before hearing an invitation to join the church that flows naturally from a progression of sermons or the time of year (several weeks after the beginning of the school year, for example). It signals that being new is not out of the ordinary here, that your arrival was anticipated, that we’re prepared to answer your questions, and you aren’t going to be the only one(s) exploring membership.
Encourages people toward commitment and engagement.
By scheduling these events strategically, they become a natural next step for people drawn to the church by our intentional outreach. Because they are regular but not too frequent, people know they can join whenever they are ready but, again, they also know they won’t be doing it alone. If we’ve done worship, hospitality and follow up well, people are often excited to make this their church home, and we want the method to be clear and simple.
Provides an opportunity to clarify our purpose and expectations.
Making the joining process simple does not necessarily mean lowering the bar for membership. If anything, we discourage people from joining if they are not ready to join us in pursuing our purpose and to commit to our membership expectations. In fact, we emphasize that being a visitor (which many are for a long time, some even years) comes with special treatment and privileges (closer parking, preferred seating, free pass on stewardship mailings and capital campaigns, etc.), while becoming a member means giving all those up and taking on responsibilities.
When new people find your worship moving and your preaching relevant, when they are warmly welcomed and feel comfortable from the moment they arrive, when others follow up with them effectively and express genuine interest in their presence, you’ve created the opportune conditions for them to join your church. By regularly and strategically offering an invitation to join, perhaps you too should be “making hay” and experiencing momentum and growth in both membership and discipleship.
How does this apply where you're serving?
Jonathan Bell is our ShareChurch Leadership Resources Specialist. He is passionate about helping people and churches live out their faith in the world and helps strengthen other churches by equipping their leaders with ideas, tools, resources and training. He loves being married to his wife Angie and doing just about anything with their six kids. He particularly enjoys hiking mountains, catching fish, baking, holding babies, serving others, and growing things.