Identifying Church Invitations - A Transforming Church Resource

by Mark Tidsworth, Founder and Team Leader

Every church, whether consciously or unconsciously, whether intentionally or by default, is extending invitations to their communities. This dynamic is embedded in the nature of organizations. Every non-profit, every business, every educational institution is inviting people to participate with it in some way. Churches are the same.

Given this, identifying the invitations of your church is part of becoming a compelling version of church. When mission-drift occurs, churches unconsciously (or not) communicate invitations like these below.

“O good, you have children and we need younger people here. Come join us.”

“You look like an energetic person and we are ready to hand off leadership and responsibility to others.”

“We are desperate here, so come and help us save our church!”

“Essentially, we are more interested in what you can do for us than what God or we can do for or with you.”

When newer people pick up on these mostly unspoken messages or invitations, they run for the hills as fast as they possibly can.

In contrast, those churches who do the work, identifying their mission as transformation, are positioned to extend very different invitations to their community. Again, these can be unspoken, but more often these churches are confident in who they are and what they are about, so they are more vocal with their invitations. Here are examples.

“Let’s partner together to become more loving versions of our ourselves.”

“Let’s partner together to raise our children in the Way of Jesus with strong community of faith support.”

“We are partnering with our community in this three block area of our city, pursuing God’s mission to transform our community. If you want to be part of positive movement in our community, come and partner with us.”

“We are being transformed as a result of participating with this church. Come journey with us and we will help each other become more Christlike while tilting this community toward the kingdom of God.”

Compelling invitations indeed.

This is the church at its best, life-giving, energizing, motivating, forward-moving. Churches focused on transformation are on the move, on mission with God, pursuing something significant and compelling. Most of us are hungry for this kind of church experience. We yearn to be caught up in the mission of God, transforming planet earth toward the kingdom of God.

So where is your church? Perhaps during this season when The Great ReEvaluation is underway it is a great time to clarify your spoken and unspoken invitations.

Find the video HERE.