Expect Friends to say “Yes” to Offers to Attend

He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  An invitation to Sunday is just that. It is an offer to discover who God is, who Jesus is, and why He came to live on this earth. It’s an offer to find peace and hope regardless of life’s circumstances.

A friend refusing the invitation is not usually the problem. The problem is usually friends don’t invite friends to attend Sunday School. Here are a few suggestions to help you invite and expect friends to say “yes.”

1. Invite them. Offer to meet them at a specific time and place at the church so you may accompany them throughout their experience at church.
2. Talk about things your class wrestles with in Bible study. Make comments such “I am in a Bible study group that meets each week and these are the kinds of things we wrestle with there.” 
3.  Talk about how you have seen people’s lives changed in your class.  
4. Connect everyday conversations and activities with things that remind you of Sunday School and, more importantly, with your relationship with Jesus Christ. Gifts, books you are reading, movies, local news stories, etc. are great opportunities to make invitations to friends.  
5. As friends encounter crises or know others who do, talk about things you see and hear during those times. Remind friends how you can still find peace and hope through your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Talk specifically about how your Sunday School class ministers to one another in times of crisis. 
6. Pray for lost friends by name.  Tell them you are praying for them by name. Some people fear they may embarrass friends. I find friends are touched by knowing you care about them.  
7. Expand your circle of friends. Develop new friendships with people who may not be followers of Jesus Christ. Start with places you already frequent and things you already love to do.

Attending Sunday School does not make one a follower of Christ. However, hearing, understanding and obeying the Word of God can. Friends should expect friends to say “yes” to an invitation to attend Sunday School.

You may find an expanded version of this article at www.scbaptist.org/smallgroups/invitingfriends.htm