Would you invite anybody to next year’s Christmas dinner? If your experience this year was rich, with a wonderful meal, good conversation and a fun time, you’ll probably be excited to share dinner with others next year. However, if the meal fell short of expectations and there really isn’t much to remember you may not be thinking invite. I ask this question as we prepare to equip members to invite people to church in 2010. What about the experience will get people excited to invite?

People invite others to an event or experience when they are excited about it. I say this after sharing a recent conversation with a pastor. He asked me this question, “How can we get members to invite people to the church?” My response was possibly not what he was expecting. I suggested teaching moments that remind us of the Great Commission and a worship experience that gets peopel excited to  tell other people.

Excellence comes to mind when I think about equipping members to invite. How can we build consistent excellence in the worship experience? Getting to people to invite people is easy when you know the experience will be a good one. Too often members are hesitant to invite.  When asked why they never think to invite friends, family and neighbors,  typical responses go something like these comments:

“I am not sure if my friends will like our church.” Or I have even heard, “We’re not quite ready for company but when we get our new organist I’ll invite.“

Equipping members to invite friends, acquaintances and even strangers may mean creating an experience of excellence. As you prepare for 2010, think of the many ways your congregation can grow in excellence. Whether its the music, the hospitality, the teaching moment or simply the overall experience delivering excellence may matter.

What are the ways you can worship with excellence in 2010?