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« November 12, 2003 | November 12, 2003 | November 18, 2003 » Pastor's PagePosted on November 12, 2003 ...
Some years ago we mounted a poster in the hallway of the Education Building near our church offices. Printed in large letters on this poster was a simple message: "The church exists for those who do not attend it." Something inside of me wishes that I had that poster today so I could remount it as a reminder to us all. Most any Christian would agree that ministry to folks outside the church is essential to obeying Jesus great commission to “go and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Yet, I find that, unless I make intentional efforts otherwise, I tend to exhaust all my energies in ministries directed to the people already in the church. I am spending a great deal of thought and prayer considering ways our congregation can minister more intentionally to unchurched families and individuals. Will you help me in this? One thing you can do is to share with the church office the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of unchurched people you know. These may be family members, friends, co-workers, or neighbors. Many unchurched people will look for a special holiday worship service to attend. I will mail a special invitation to our holiday events to as many unchurched people as possible. Of course, your personal invitation is even MORE effective. The most successful tool in convincing an unchurched person to attend a religious activity is the invitation of a family member or friend. Our annual Thanksgiving Dinner is a great opportunity to introduce new people to our church family. At each year’s dinner I delight in meeting the people our church members bring as their guests. Right now, ask God to give you the name of someone you can invite to join us this Wednesday for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Then give them a call at the earliest convenience. Remember: "The church exists for those who do not attend it." |
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North Cleveland
Baptist Church · 2815 North Ocoee Street · Cleveland,
Tennessee 37312 · (423) 476-8524 |
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