People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Christmas
Celebrations
by James W. Moss, Sr.
I must be old fashioned, but I will not wish anyone a "Happy Holiday" this season. I will always say, "Merry Christmas." I believe this season of the year is about celebrating the birth of Christ. There, I said it. I know you are already into the busyness of the season. Just felt motivated to share a few thoughts for the last minute.
Keep in mind that you may have visitors during Advent and especially at the Christmas Eve service. You still have time to be aggressive in outreach at this time of the year.
1. Plan a minimum of three strategies to encourage visitors for this month.
First, prepare some handouts for the Advent Season. Take time to do them neatly. Give them to your people so they might give them with along with a friendly invite.
Second, prepare door-knockers and hand deliver those to the 500 homes closest to the church.
Third, purchase an ad in the local newspaper to let people know about the Christmas Eve schedule.
You may choose to do something different. Fantastic, but do something.
Don’t hesitate to be aggressive. Walking people through the door is an important part of evangelism. I have bought into the theory of stair-stepping people to Jesus. You win people to yourself. You win people to your church. Then you win people to Jesus. Very seldom does a person go from zero to Jesus in one step.
2. Make every effort to be visitor friendly.
First, have extra people prepared to greet.
Second, make special efforts to get the name and addresses of visitors. There is no question in my mind that more people come back for a second visit if there is follow-up to a first visit. Special efforts have to be expended on Christmas Eve. The temptation is to be lax on Christmas Eve and enjoy the celebration.
Third, if the parking lot may full, have persons in the lot to assist people to find parking places. That is so important.
Who might show up during this blessed season? I believe that this is the prime time for persons who had once been churched but have been absent for extended periods of time to return to the church. The absence may even be extensive. It may stretch out a decade or more. All of a sudden, a long term absentee in the midst of a teachable moment may be prompted to return for a visit. If there is one visit, why not more?
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Read about Jim's seminars and books.
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November 30, 2005. Volume 8, Issue
18.
People Spots Online
is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life
Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org.
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