Invest and Invite

In a book that some of us have read recently, Can We Do That? by Andy Stanley and Ed Young, the authors identify their strategy for evangelism. It’s called, “Invest and Invite."  The idea is that each member is to partner with the pastoral staff in winning people to Christ.

Here’s how it works: We promise to provide the good news to Jesus in a biblical, relevant and interesting way each Sunday morning, where you and your friends will be blessed, challenged and encouraged. You promise to do what we cannot do: invite your friends to Sunday worship.

The beauty of this partnership is that everyone does their part. Let’s face it, fear and ignorance are the primary obstacles to personal evangelism. I remember as a youth being terrified to go door-to-door “witnessing” and it never seemed to work. But this partnership is an exciting adventure we take together to introduce your friends to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Each of us becomes responsible for using out relational influence to further the kingdom of God. Our commitment to you is to design a service that will teach, enrich and honor Christ.

And here’s the really good news: God, by His Holy Spirit, will be in this place, doing His work of loving, calling, convicting, and drawing people into an intimate relationship with Him.

A wonderful model of the Invest and Invite strategy is Andrew, one of Jesus’ disciples. When Andrew discovered Jesus’ true identity, the Bible says he went and found his brother Peter, and “he brought him to Jesus.” (John 1:42) I would like to challenge you, in the name of Jesus, to invest and invite. Will you take the challenge? The reward will be eternal.

For the Kingdom,

Pastor Duane