Evangelism: The Invitational Style
Biblical
Example:
The woman at the well in John 4
Theme Verse:
Luke 14:23 - Then the master told his servant, "Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full."
Traits:
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Hospitable
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Persuasive
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Enjoys meeting new people
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Enthusiastic
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Spiritually opportunistic
Cautions:
Don't let others do all
the talking for you. Your friends and acquaintances need to hear how
Christ influenced your life. In addition, they have questions you could
answer concerning the implications of the gospel.
Carefully and prayerfully consider which events or church services you
take people to. Look for ones that are clear with truth but sensitive to
the needs of spiritual seekers.
Do not get discouraged if people refuse your invitation. Their refusal
could be an opportunity for a spiritual conversation. Also, their "no"
today may become a "yes" tomorrow.
Suggestions for Using and Developing This
Style
When inviting people, try to get written details about the event into
their hands (either preprinted or handwritten). Whenever appropriate,
offer to pick them up and do something together before or after the
event.
At events, mentally put yourself in the place of the other person. Ask yourself if you were that person whether the event would relate to your concerns and mind-set. Reinforce the positive aspects to the person you invited.
Offer constructive
feedback to the event sponsors consisting of specific and realistic ways
you think they could improve the event and make it more compelling to
the people you bring.
Team up with friends who have other styles that may be better matched to
the personality of the person you hope to reach.
The Samaritan Woman's Invitational Approach
Don't you love the way God picks unlikely people to fulfill His divine
purposes? We've seen it with the blind man, with Matthew, and now with
this woman from Samaria. And, as you get more involved in personal
outreach to others, you'll probably feel this way about yourself. I
sometimes look at God's activity of touching people through me and say
to myself, "Who'd have ever thunk it!" God seems to delight in using
ordinary, everyday kinds of people in surprising and exciting ways.
The Samaritan woman had three things going against her: she was a
Samaritan, she was a woman, and she was a living an immoral lifestyle.
Back then, any one of these would be enough to disqualify her from being
taken seriously by society. But do you think that stopped Jesus? You can
read in John 4 how He ignored all the conventional wisdom and political
correctness of the day by striking up a conversation with her.
It didn't take long for the woman to realize that the man she was
talking to was no ordinary Jewish teacher. His prophetic insights and
authoritative answers convinced her of His claim to be the Messiah.
So what did she do? She immediately went to her town and brought a bunch
of people to the well to hear Jesus for themselves. This simple
invitation resulted in His staying in their town for two days. Many of
the woman's friends declared, in verse 42, "Now we have heard for
ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
There are many people who would make great strides in their spiritual
journey if someone would go to the effort of strategically inviting them
to a seeker-oriented church service or outreach event.
And a lot of non-Christians are open to this approach. A poll by George
Barna showed, for example, that about 25 percent of the adults in the
United States would go to church if a friend would just invite them.
Think about it: One in four of your friends would be willing to join
you! The primary question you'll need to answer is what kinds of
events---church services, concerts, movies, plays, or other programs in
your church or community---would be appropriate to bring them to.
Consider their perspective and interests in order to make the best
choice.
Although invitations are a great way for all of us to reach out to
others, some people, like the woman at the well, have a knack for
getting people to go places with them. Maybe you're one of them. Do you
find yourself constantly widening the circle of people involved in your
activities? Have you found that when there's an outreach event going on
your minivan is getting a bit tight? Maybe it's time to trade it in on a
full-size SUV so you can expand your evangelistic efforts!
It's hard to think of well-known examples of people with the
invitational style. Many of these Christians tend to stay out of the
limelight. But when you see one you'll probably know it. They love to
pick up strays. They're the unsung heroes who make outreach events
successful by filling them with people who need to hear the message.
This information is adapted from the book and Participant's Guide,
"Becoming A Contagious Christian", by Lee Strobel, Mark Mittelberg and Bill Hybels
