One of the greatest challenges of growing a small church is the “family style” church getting comfortable. I suggest that you train the congregation in the principle of Luke 10, called “Finding the Person of Peace.” The principle is simple. All you have to do is pronounce a blessing over someone to identify if they will receive the gospel from you. A simple prayer for them will do just fine. If they receive the pray or blessing, you have found a person of peace. The Person of Peace is a person the Holy Spirit is already dealing with and they are open to the gospel and will receive the gospel from you.
If you can get the congregation well trained in this principle, they should be able to identify 5 UNCHURCHED people in your community.
1. Every Sunday, ask them if they are praying for their 5. You can even ask them to high 5 someone and ask them if they are praying for their 5 unchurched people. They need to commit to praying for these 5 unchurched people every day.
2. Every Sunday, ask them if they have invited one of the people they are praying for to come to church that week. Keep this challenge before them every week.
3. You may also want to provide them with an “invite” business card from the church with the churches name, address and contact information. The front of the card should say, “INVITATION – I would like to invite you to sit with me in church- I’m saving you a seat.” The back side of the card should have in information on it.
4. Challenge everyone in your church to get those 5 people to come to church and sit with them by the end of the year. This type of relationship evangelism is the best way to grow a small church, or a church of any size. It’s a practical way to fulfill the Great Commission.
