52 Salvation Invitations
An informal survey of PAOC speakers giving an invitation with a response to salvation at the end of Sunday revealed some interesting insights. The intent was to observe best practices and glean how often an invitation was given. The results showed that pastors open to a challenge and a change could have a huge opportunity to see an uptick in salvations over the next twelve months.
The challenge and change: Plan and prepare to give a salvation invitation at the end of every Sunday message in the next 52 weeks.
Start with the benefits.
Giving an invitation every week means:
You remind yourself of the simplicity and power at the heart of the gospel.
The congregation clearly observes the pastor's heart for evangelism.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is seen and celebrated as the priority of the congregation.
Even if you think there is no one unsaved in attendance, giving an invitation every Sunday assures your congregation that they can invite friends or contacts who are seekers on any Sunday of the year and know that their guests will have the opportunity to make a decision to follow Jesus.
If you have people raise their hands as a response, even if the same person puts their hand up every Sunday, acknowledging their action can "prime the pump" for seekers to feel freer to raise their hand in response. And that person may need reassurance of salvation.
More seekers will make decisions to follow Jesus.
Plan and Prepare
Prepare your message with the end in mind. Start preparing your message with the invitation. Allow enough time at the end of the message without feeling rushed.
After your message intro, let people know you will give a clear invitation to become a follower of Jesus at the end of your message.
Connect the invitation to your message content. What you have just preached about from the Bible can be lived out not by trying hard but by trusting in Jesus.
Conclude your message with an invitation, prayer, and then the application(s) of the message. Invite a response to salvation and lead people in a salvation prayer. Then, give one or two ways for people to apply your message.
On one Sunday (or more) in the next 12 months, preach a whole message on the simple gospel. Why Jesus came; what is sin; the reality of heaven and hell; how Christmas and Easter connect; why Jesus died; Jesus' resurrection; religion is spelled DO, and trusting Jesus is spelled DONE.
A clear next step for a new believer. "Raise your hand." "Lift your head up so you catch my attention." Give an invitation to the front after the service concludes. Use a QR code for a response that can be affixed to the back of a pew or chair. Text "YES" to a number displayed on a screen as a decision.
Train an onsite response team – people to connect with decision-makers. Point out their location in the lobby or in a space in the auditorium. "Meet Marie and Frank in the lobby at the red desk." "Meet Marie and Frank at the front to the side."
Follow-up process. Immediate response to a text or QR code with a message of congratulations and a link to a simple online resource of the next steps. Hand out follow-up literature onsite. Make a phone call within 48 hours of the decision. Host a new believers meeting once a month or more often.
Schedule a water baptism service in the next 45 days. Be prepared to host regular water baptism services over the next twelve months.
What To Do When You Have New Believers In Your Church
Meet them ASAP.
Have a meal/coffee together.
Confirm their decision to receive Christ.
Get new believers started in the Bible. Give them directions on what to read.
Encourage them to meet a few times with a follow-up leader or the person who invited them to church to learn more.
Help new Christians find a place to get involved in group prayer or as a volunteer.
Help them join a small group, like Alpha.
Talk about water baptism on a Sunday and with new believers.
Encourage new believers to invite their friends and family to church.
A 60-second Invitation Outline
God loves you and created you for a relationship with God and others.
Our relationships with others are broken. Sin is what breaks those relationships. Selfishness, fear, hurt. Sin prevents us from having a relationship with God.
Thankfully, Jesus can make us right with God.
We can be changed forever by humbly repenting and surrendering our life to Jesus.
"Repent" is about direction. Make a U-turn from following after your way to following Jesus.
"Believe" Jesus died on the cross, and God raised Jesus from the dead for my salvation.
"Surrender" to Jesus as the God of your life.
Invitation Script
"There is a God in heaven who loves you. He made you who you are. But because of sin – sin is the word God uses for mess-ups and mistakes – none of us are perfect. We become separated from God. We don't have the relationships God wants us to have. In fact, because of sin, we are destined for death and eternity apart from God. God responded because He loves you. The Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His son, Jesus, that no one should perish."
He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins and your sins so you could have a relationship once again with God. He makes a way for you to have a "right relationship" with God once again. This is all a part of God's plan for the world.
So what do we do?
We respond by admitting and confessing our sins and turning and following Jesus. The Bible calls it repentance. It's a directional turn. A U-turn.
Here's what it looks like. You're going down your own path. You're walking after your own way. And you stop. And you repent and U-turn to follow after Jesus. You set your eyes on Jesus. You start to follow Him. You take all your past, your mess-ups, put them at the foot of the cross and say I will follow Jesus.
You can make that decision now."
Lead in a prayer for decision-makers privately or for the whole congregation to pray out loud.
Watch this video, Leading People to Christ, with John Albiston.
Prayer Support
Do you have a regular weekly prayer meeting? At that meeting, pray every time for salvations. Discreetly tell the back stories of salvations in your church.
Invite your congregation to pray for souls personally and daily.
Set up a 19-hour prayer clock from 5 am-12 am daily. Individuals sign up for 15-minute segments.
Trying this for the next 52 weeks will likely see you doing this for the remainder of your pastoral ministry.
Please email us at coach@abnwt.com when you give your next invitation, and let us know how many new followers of Jesus you see.
We want to celebrate with you and heaven!
Bob Jones is the founder of REVwords.com, an author, blogger, and coach with 39 years of pastoral experience. Bob is also an Advance Coach with the ABNWT Resource Centre. You can connect with Bob here.