“On big Sundays, such as Christmas or Easter, consider adding a little something extra to the free gift you give to first-time guests. We’ve been known to put movie tickets or ice-cream gift cards inside the Unshakable books we give as gifts. Never underestimate the power of wowing your guests.

The unchurched first-timers who walk through our doors are usually steeped in the every man for himself mind-set so prevalent in our society – they are not used to being cared about by strangers and certainly are not used to getting something for nothing. That’s why so many of them have a hardened heart toward Jesus’s message. His sacrifice doesn’t make sense in their reality. If we can show them even in small, seemingly insignificant ways that we want to serve them without anything in return, they will begin to see the reflection of God’s love through that service.”