Respect the Invitation

I want to share with you a thought that refocused the importance of doing an excellent job of followup with new people; it is this:

Respect the Invitation

Research tells us that around 80% of people come to church because someone invited them. More than likely when a guest shows up on Sunday in the service or your LifeGroup, someone in our church invited them.

Then it's up to us, the leaders, to care for and follow up with the guest. Now imagine what happens in the following scenarios:

Scenario 1

• The guest is noticed, cared for, we get their information, and follow up with them on Monday.
• The guest tells their friend, "What an awesome church! I want to go again."
• The friend that invited the guest is proud of their church and excited about how God can work in their friend's life.

Scenario 2

• The guest goes unnoticed, no one gets their information, and no one follows up with them that week.
• The guest tells their friend that invited them, "Church was good, but I didn't really get to know anyone. No one talked to me."
• The friend that invited the guest is frustrated and embarrassed that their guest wasn't noticed.

Which scenario would you want? I would be so sad to invite a guest and have them go unnoticed and uncared for by our church family.

That's why we must Respect the Invitation by doing the following:

• We must watch for & greet guests
• We must get guests names and a way to contact them (Email, Phone Number, Address)
• We must followup with guests again that week

Unfortunately, there are times when guests fall through the cracks. It's not because we don't love people, but if we're not careful, we fail to notice and care for new people. It should be very rare that a guest goes unnoticed at Newton.

Thank you for your heart for people! May God help us to be diligent & organized to care! People need hope, and we get to introduce them to a life of following Christ.