Last time we talked about developing great inviters.
More than 90% of all people in churches today tell us they were invited by a friend. Great inviters are critical for the momentum of your church. The more inviters you have, the more guests you will see in your weekend services.
Once pre-Christians show up in your church, how do you invite them to give their lives to Christ? Some pastors are uncomfortable presenting a gospel invitation because they’ve never been in a church where they saw the gospel presented effectively.
Please take a minute to pray, asking God to give you an undistracted fifteen minute window to speak to you just now, as you read.
Grace and Truth
John 1:14 tells us that when Jesus dwelt among us, he was full of grace and truth. Some churches are full of grace, they love people; others are full of truth, they’re great at Bible exposition and telling people right from wrong. When Jesus came, he was the perfect combination of both.
In my experience, it’s harder for people to receive the truth without experiencing grace. This is partly why I don’t feel compelled to give a direct salvation invitation at every church service, yet people still come to Christ every weekend.
Some people come prepared by the Holy Spirit to receive Christ during their first visit. Others need to experience some grace before they are open. Being a friendly church is a means of grace. If we can help people decide to return weekly, eventually they’ll be loved into God’s family.
That being said, one of the most important skills you must master as a pastor is how to give a clear, compelling invitation to receive Christ.
Giving an Altar Call
I want people to have a chance to think about it, rather than respond emotionally, so on the weekends that I’m giving an invitation, I try to forecast that it’s coming two or three times during the sermon.
I’ll say something about salvation, or the benefits of being part of God’s family, and follow with, “And I hope some of you will experience this today.” Or, “And I’m wondering, if I were to invite you to come into God’s family today, would this be the day you cross the line of faith?” There are a hundred ways to hint that the opportunity is coming. You get the point.
An example can be worth a thousand explanations, so let me show you what I did recently and then dissect it for you.
I was preaching out of Eph. 2:4, about the God who is rich in mercy. I told stories about various ways God has been rich in mercy to me, and then I said:
And this God wants to be rich in mercy to you too. I’m wondering how many of you have never formally invited God to be merciful to you. In a room like this, I’m guessing that there are several of you who’d like to do that for the first time today.
It might surprise you to know that God has been waiting all your life for you to ask him to be merciful to you, to be in relationship with you. This is why Jesus came, died on Good Friday, and rose from the dead. His death paid the price for your sins and mine, so that if we would only ask, God would extend mercy to us.
On January 20, 1971, I asked Jesus to be merciful to me, and his mercy from that day to this has been almost overwhelming to me. [Here I referred back to some of the stories I’d just preached.]
If we passed a microphone around the room, you’d hear hundreds of stories of others who have experienced more mercy than they ever imagined, because they asked Christ into their lives.
So in just a minute, I’m going to ask you all to close your eyes, so we can have a private moment. But first, look up here at the screens. In just a moment, I’m going to invite you to pray this prayer with me. You can pray it quietly, under your breath, or you can sort of repeat my words to God in your mind. Or you could just say in your heart, “God, that’s what I’m praying right now.”
Here’s the prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to experience your mercy today. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. I admit I’m a sinner in need of a Savior, and I’m inviting you to be mine right now. Come into my life. Forgive my sin. Live in me as my Leader from now on. I believe you are a God who is rich in mercy.
Okay. Bow your head with me, and pray this along with me. [I then prayed the prayer through again, and the words were up on the wall.]
If you prayed that prayer with me, I’d like to rejoice with you about it, and give you some things that will help you live with Jesus and experience his mercy every day. So if you prayed that prayer, would you raise your hand for just a minute?
Great! I see your hand… and your hand… and your hand. If you’d leave them up for just a minute, I have a friend who has a packet for you that will really help. So keep your hand up until you receive one…
Super! Let’s conclude the prayer. [At which point I thanked God for those who had come to faith, asked him for mercy for everyone in the room, etc.] …In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you prayed that prayer, your entire eternity has changed. The Bible says that all things have become new for you, and that the angels are throwing a party for you right now up in heaven. If you prayed that prayer, please do two things for me. One is, on the back side of your Connection Card, there is a box that says, “I made a decision today to receive Christ.” Would you check that box for me and put it in the offering when it comes around. And if you received a packet, please stay in your seat for two minutes after the service and someone will come walk you through it. If you didn’t receive a packet, please come up after the offering, and we’ll give you one.
Breaking it Down
Let’s walk through this.
In the first paragraph, I tied the sermon message to the gospel message and started talking personally to the unsaved in the room. In my experience, this is a moment when the Holy Spirit begins to work overtime, and heart rates start elevating because eternity is in the balance.
I said, “I’m guessing several of you would like to do this,” to help those who were thinking about it to realize they wouldn’t be the only one.
I then explained the essence of the gospel. (“God has been waiting, Jesus died, etc.”)
I followed this with my personal example, so they could see that I had done what I was inviting them to do, that coming to Christ involves a specific time and place, and that I had benefited from the decision. Often I will take some time to spell out the benefits of salvation: eternity with Christ, forgiveness, peace, purpose, a new family, etc. I didn’t need to do this that day because I’d illustrated so many benefits of his mercy during the message.
In the next paragraph, I affirmed that what we were about to do was normal – hundreds of others in the room have done it as well. Then I gave clear instructions of what would happen next. I even gave them a chance to hear and read the prayer, so there would be no surprises and no bait and switch. Then we closed our eyes, which made the moment sacred and gave a sense of privacy, and I prayed the prayer out loud.
At that point, I had no idea if eternities were changing. But in the next, when I asked for hands, 19 went up, which was incredibly encouraging! (And challenging for our Next Steps Team, who were busy handing out packets.) When that many hands go up, sometimes you have to say a few more words to give the team time to get to each one of them.
Once all had received packets, I closed the prayer, gave assurance of salvation (and some celebration), and added further instructions on what to do next.
Next time, I’ll tell you more about what the Next Steps team does following the altar call, how to keep new believers from slipping through the cracks, and how to follow up with them in the first week after their decision.
Taking Action
Just one assignment this week, but it might be the most important thing you do in Momentum Bootcamp.
Assignment 1
Give an invitation soon, so you can begin to master this important skill. Look for a time in the next month when you can give a gospel invitation during one of your sermons. If your church isn’t used to having pre-believers present, you might even tell your congregation when you’re doing it so they can bring friends. Begin to plan regular times to present the gospel in your church – during each sermon series, at the Men’s Breakfast, at MOPS, or at an all-church party. Your church will get the hint that this isn’t just the latest thing, but that you are serious about being a fisher of men.
1,000 Blessings,
Hal
Need to Catch Up?
Get the lessons you missed here:
- Why Some Pastors Make a Bigger Difference
- The Prayer that Changes Everything
- You are Not Alone when Hearts are Cold
- What Everybody Ought to Know About Building Momentum Through Preaching
- The Secret to Attracting People to Your Church
- 9 Ways to Build Momentum with a Church Campaign
- 48 Things You Should Do to Make Your Church Campaign a Success
- How to Make it Easy to Invite People to Your Church
Hal Seed is the founding and lead pastor of New Song Community Church in Oceanside, California. Get more resources and equipping for leading a better church at PastorMentor.com.
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