Yesterday when I was getting my hair cut I told the girl that cuts my hair about the Trunk or Treat coming up at my church. I told her that her 5-year-old son would love it. She said, “I’ll bring him!” I sat in the chair thinking, “Man that was easy!” Then I started thinking about what would happen if every family in my church would personally invite one or two families to Trunk or Treat. It would be powerful.

I believe that the personal invitation is where the future of the church lies. It takes more than fancy marketing, cool billboards, and snazzy television commercials. It takes more than a McDonald’s playground in your church, a Starbucks in the foyer, or a rockin’ worship band.

When’s the last time you received a personal invitation? Not necessarily to a church event. Maybe it was a card party, or a movie night. Invitations can be so personal, yet so powerful. While everyone has demands on their schedule every day, few people receive personal invitations from friends or loved ones. That’s why a personal invitation is a powerful tool.

The institute for American Church Growth asked over 10,000 church-goers this question: What was responsible for your coming to Christ and this church?

2% - I had a special need
3% - I just walked in
6% - I liked the pastor
1% - I visited here
5% - I liked the Sunday school
1/2% - I attended a gospel meeting
3% - I liked the programs
79% - A friend or relative invited me

So what can we do to equip and motivate the church to extend personal invitations? What about the kids? We haven’t even touched that one. It’s hard to say no to the invite of a child.

Jesus always extended personal invitations. He told us to go into the highways and hedges and compel (or invite) them to come in. Let’s give some serious thought to what we can do to revive the personal invitations in our ministries.