Why I Quit Inviting People To Church

I quit inviting people to church.

Some of you might think that’s a breath of fresh air. Some of you probably think that is the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard.

Now, I’m not saying let’s lock the doors, implement security codes and retinal scanners to keep outsiders out. I’m just rethinking the purpose of the Sunday assembly or what we call “going to church.”

Jesus said, “Make disciples.”

When Jesus made disciples he met them where they were. He healed them. He fed them. He brought them back to life right where he found them.

I’m afraid personal responsibility to go make disciples has been replaced with something I’ve heard called “congregational evangelism” which is really just inviting people to church. Jesus didn’t say invite. He said, “GO!”

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Mt. 28:19

Disciples gather on Sunday.

Historically, it’s a day believers gather with other believers. We call that gathering church.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together… Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” John 20:19

On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Acts 20:7

On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. 1 Cor. 16:2

Assemblies were designed primarily for the church.

Church assemblies are huddle time. They are family dinners. The are team meetings.

We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer. Heb. 10:25

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thes. 5:11

Sundays are a memorial day.

Sundays are special. Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week.

After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning. Mark 16:9

The church gathers to remember this colossal event every week.

On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. Acts 20:7

When you meet together… Do this to remember me… For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. (Read 1 Cor. 11:17-34 here.)

Memorials are observed by citizens, members, countrymen and followers, even followers of the Christ.

If you want a more scholarly take on this, check out: The Purpose and Goals of the New Testament Assembly (Christ’s Church)

Now… Watch This

Sep 7, 2015Serena

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Comments: 14

Sandi Rog
8 years ago
AMEN!!!
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Edwin Crozier
8 years ago
Am I allowed to invite someone to my house for a Bible study as part of my making disciples or is that not allowed either because it is inviting them to come instead of me simply going?

My point is this: This teaching based on the word “Go” is not accurate. If followed to its logical conclusion I couldn’t invite anyone anywhere to pursue this disciple-making because that isn’t me going but trying to get them to come.

That wasn’t Jesus’s point. His point was not that I must “go” instead of stay. Or even “go” instead of invite. The word translated “go” is not an imperative, but a participle. It is not a command, but a description. It is not a command to “go” but a description of “going.” “While going, disciple all nations…” The picture is not one of Jesus saying, “Alright, you’re in your church’s meeting place, now go out of your church’s meeting place to make disciples.” The picture is rather, “Anytime you are going, you need to be making disciples.” Are you going to school? Make disciples. Are you going to work? Make disciples. Are you going on vacation? Make disciples. Are you going to assemble with the church? Make disciples. Jesus’s point is that anytime we are going, disciple-making needs to be part of it.

Jesus is not saying, “Please don’t make disciples in your assemblies, don’t ever treat the assembly as a positive part of making disciples, in fact encourage people to not make disciples in connection with the church’s assembly because I said ‘Go.'”

Further, don’t you have to “go” to invite someone? I guess it would be one thing if you just had a meeting place with times posted and discipled only those who happened to show up. But you start with “I quit inviting people to church.” You didn’t start with “I quit just expecting people to incidentally show up for our church’s assemblies.” Was Andrew essentially violating the “Go” principle when he invited Peter to come check out Jesus? Was Philip violating the “Go” principle when he invited Nathanael to come check out Jesus? Should they have made these men disciples before they invited them to come assemble with Jesus? Or was inviting them to come somewhere part of that “going and making disciples”? Didn’t they go and as part of their process of making disciples invite them to come check Jesus out?

Here is my point. Is disciple making limited to the assemblies? Of course not. But the exhortation to those who have limited disciple making to the assembly is not to say, “Quit inviting people to the assemblies.” The answer is to say, “Quit limiting your disciple-making to the assemblies.”

Finally, while the assembly is no doubt, in the main, a gathering for disciples, I Corinthians 14 demonstrates outsiders were not incidental or accidental to the assemblies, they were common. So common, in fact, Paul governs part of how the assembly is conducted based on how outsiders would view it. That only makes sense if having guests was a common part of the Christians’ assemblies. And how did those commonly attending outsiders learn about the assemblies of these Christians? Did they just accidentally show up? Was it so different back in the first century that people just accidentally showed up to an assembly and did so so often Paul needed to govern the assembly based on their presence without being told about it or even invited to it?
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- Serena
  8 years ago
  I simply shared my journey. That’s all.
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  - Edwin Crozier
    8 years ago
    I understand that. And I’m simply suggesting that you not let your journey end where it is right now.
    
    Did you notice that the article you recommend as a more scholarly approach to this does say that “visitors also assembled” and in the assembly they taught both Christians and non-Christians?
    
    I hope that you will continue your journey and get back to allowing the church’s assemblies to convict non-Christians like Paul expected them to in I Corinthians 14. Again, don’t limit your disciple making to the assembly, but don’t exclude it from that either.
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    - Serena
      8 years ago
      I am always aware of the Spirits working and molding of me in my life. I also think it’s ok for me to not invite non-believers to church, especially to the feast of the Lamb. I would much rather have an experience with them that is personal and convicting and custom fit for their needs. Then I bring them to the table able to partake of the Lord with me. I guess I don’t get why you would oppose that or think I would need to grow past that.
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      - Edwin Crozier
        8 years ago
        I oppose it and think it would be beneficial for you to grow past it because it doesn’t coincide completely with I Corinthians 11:26 and not at all with I Corinthians 14:23-25.
        
        According to I Corinthians 11:26, the memorial aspect of the Supper is merely one aspect, but is not the only aspect. It is also a proclamation. It is a proclamation of the Lord’s death. As sojourners would witness the Passover (see Numbers 9:14), guests witness the Supper and witness the proclamation of the Lord’s death. They see the Gospel in action. What could be better than for them to witness this Supper that reminds us and proclaims to them the deliverance we have experienced by the body and blood of the Lord?
        
        Regarding I Corinthians 14:23-25: Paul explains that if what we are doing in our assemblies is not convicting to guests and fit for a guest’s needs, we are doing it wrong.
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      - Serena
        8 years ago
        I think you’ve made a big and incorrect assumption that I said it was wrong. This is a personal blog where I share my personal journey in my faith. I have come to a place that my first move isn’t to invite someone to come into a setting that they know nothing about, using vocabulary they have never heard and observing practices that are strange to them. My preference is to introduce them to the head of the church who is my Lord before I invite them to church.
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      - Serena
        8 years ago
        I am completely confident in that. Most of the people I minister to have never been to any kind of church and have never read a bible. The way I’m doing seems to be working pretty well.
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      - Edwin Crozier
        8 years ago
        Please be aware that my responses have not been intended to say the only way to “go make disciples” is to first invite someone to an assembly. I am excited for you to do any Scriptural thing that spreads the gospel. That has been my point all along. I don’t want anyone to limit their disciple making to the assemblies, neither do I want anyone to limit their disciple making from the assemblies.
        
        I appreciate you just want to share your personal journey. Please understand, however, when you tie your personal journey to a command of Jesus as you say, “Jesus didn’t say invite. He said, ‘Go!'” you are doing more than sharing your personal journey, you are contrasting a right way and a wrong way.
        
        If you really don’t see yourself as contrasting a right way and a wrong way when you tie it to a command of Jesus, then we need to talk about what Jesus meant when He said “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth” right before He said, “Go.”
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      - John
        8 years ago
        This^. *thumbs up*
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Rhonda
8 years ago
Agreed. I love to see people who are visiting our services in search of a church that they want to identify with. But I agree that often times getting people to come to church with us in hopes that they will hear a sermon that will convict them has became the standard form of evangelistic outreach we expect of ourselves. When in reality, that day to day interaction that we have with people when we just have a natural outpouring of our faith is what tends to be the most meaningful and effective way to truly convert the hearts of people.
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Sandi Rog
8 years ago
I think there’s a disconnect here, or shall I say, a misunderstanding. While I realize Serena said, “she quit inviting people to church,” it was my understanding that she meant it in the way Rhonda described. We tend to “pass the buck” when it comes to reaching out to the lost. We invite folks to the assembly so that the “preacher” or “sermon” can convict them because we ourselves are too afraid to open our own mouths. That’s what I took from the post.

I believe we are more effective if we ourselves would be courageous enough to reach out to those we know and open our own mouths to preach the gospel, versus just hoping something will “click” because we invited them to the assembling of the saints. I didn’t grow up in the church, and honestly, a lot of what’s done is so foreign to an outsider that he/she might not know how to take it or what to think, especially if they’ve had little to no connection with anything Christian.

So, yes, invite those you know to the assembly, but don’t stop there. Don’t assume that’s going to be all you need to do. A person doesn’t care what you know, until they know that you care.

Blessings,

Sandi
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John
8 years ago
The question I would have doesn’t necessarily have to do with why people invite someone to church. Rather, my question is, isn’t worship a sacred act? From what I see in scripture, worship is for the saints. Can a visitor benefit from viewing a worship service? Probably. But if they don’t know or haven’t been shown more of who God is, how can they worship Him? How can you truly worship someone you haven’t been taught about or studied about and come to known? While yes, I know a lot of people use inviting people to church as a way to just let the preacher evangelize to them, when really it’s the job of all who are in Christ. But my question is merely, shouldn’t we wait to have people come to worship with us? Let them learn more about the glory, power, and majesty of the Creator so they have a motivation and a true desire to worship?
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- Serena
  8 years ago
  Beautiful point.
  Without knowing him they are only spectators.
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