This Sunday's sermon will be about the Gospel text for the week, which is tough and complicated. It begins with Jesus telling the disciples to leave alone someone who is casting out demons in his name, then telling them that if anyone causes a child to stumble it would be better for a him to have a stone tied around his neck and be thrown into the ocean, then telling them to cut off hands and gauge out eyes that cause offense, then telling them to be salted with fire.
Where's the thread? I'm going to talk a little bit about the urgency and refusal to compromise Jesus calls us to, the passion for the Kingdom found in all these sayings. Jesus seems to be urging us: "Care! This stuff matters! Don't just let it slide! Don't give up easy! Don't cut corners! Don't get apathetic! Re-light the fire!"
At the same time, I keep thinking about all the statistics that I've been hearing lately about how often folks invite people to church. As I wrote in an earlier blog, Mike Slaughter says that United Methodists invite someone to every 38 years. MFUMC's youth pastor, Jared Parker, was just sharing with me today that a recent study says 97% of churchgoers never invite someone to church. Again, I don't know about statistics, but this seems awfully apathetic to me.
Adam Hamilton teaches that before any church can ever have any effectiveness in evangelism, it needs to settle three issues. First, we need to believe that people need Jesus. Second, we need to believe that people find Jesus through the church. Third, we need to believe that our church helps people to find Jesus. There are many reasons that church people may doubt any of these. People may not want to seem like fundamentalists or condemn others to hell, so they become complacent about their belief that people need Jesus. People may believe that Jesus is terrific, but believe that church is an unnecessary institution and that people can walk with Jesus all by themselves. People may believe in Jesus and believe in church in theory, but think that the particular church they go to is so conflicted or unhealthy or boring that they would be embarrassed to bring a friend to visit. We need to settle these issues, and the more quickly, the better (I intend to address them this Sunday, as a matter of fact).
If we care, then we will be excited to find opportunities to gently and joyfully let people know that we have a church that would open its arms to them. I invite people to church all the time. They are less likely to come when I ask, because I'm a preacher and it sounds like a sales job coming from me. But there is no more helpful way to connect people with a a community that will help them to discover Jesus' love for them then for a church person to invite another person to visit church with them.
Years ago, UM Communications had a media drive that offered a very helpful way for folks to think about who to invite to church. They called it the FRAN plan. They suggested that each church member think of a Friend, Relative, Acquaintance, and Neighbor to pray for and to invite to church. I've often thought they should add Kids to the list--a FRANK plan wouldn't rhyme, but I know many people who know Jesus today because someone besides a parent brought them to church during childhood.
There it is! Evangelism 101.
1. Care! The Gospel matters! (but don't be obnoxious about it)
2. People need Jesus, people find Jesus in the church, people find Jesus in my church.
3. Have a plan for identifying folks to pray for and invite to church (friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, and kids are great prospects).
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