Welcome to Part 2 of the “Are You Reaching Non-Christians This Christmas?” mini-series. Yesterday, we talked about the importance of making sure your church is outwardly-focused, especially during the Christmas season. If you missed that post, you can check it out below.

Now that you realize how important it is to focus your attention on non-believers this season, let’s jump into the best ways to do just that. We all know that God will bring more first-time guests than usual to your church this month, simply because it is Christmas. People who rarely darken the door of a church will often show up for a holiday service. You already have some natural momentum working in your favor. So what can you do to maximize that momentum?

You can work with the Spirit in prompting people to your Christmas service – through evangelism! Evangelism is critical throughout the year, but at Christmas it takes on particular significance.

Servant evangelism is one of the easiest and most effective forms of evangelism – and one that you can get your members and regular attenders involved in. It’s a simple way to serve the people in your community as you invite them to church.

Around The Journey, we are big fans of Servant Evangelism. Throughout the year, we mobilize our people to stand on street corners and hand out granola bars, packs of gum or bottles of water along with an invitation to church. In fact, 30% of the first-time guests who show up at our services say that they discovered The Journey through a Servant Evangelism touch.

At Christmas, you can take advantage of the power of Servant Evangelism to invite the people in your community to your Christmas service. Here is a brief overview of the steps you need to take to initiate an SE outreach before Christmas:

•    Have some postcards printed that advertise your Christmas service. Make sure you include your church’s location, meeting times and some information on the message you’ll be preaching.

•    Buy several dozen (or several hundred!) boxes of candy canes.

•    Pick a date, time and place for the SE project. Choose a busy downtown area or maybe a location near a popular shopping mall.

•    When your volunteers arrive, hand each person a couple of boxes of candy canes and a stack of postcard invitations. Coach them to hand a candy cane and an invitation to each passerby as they say, “Would you like a free candy cane?” or even just “Merry Christmas!” Then, spread your people out over the area and let the evangelism begin!

Not only will this Servant Evangelism project bring non-Christians to your Christmas service, it will also stir your members’ passion for the unchurched. Engaging your people in evangelism at Christmas-time reminds them what the season is all about.

Check back tomorrow for some tips on how to make your first-time guests feel comfortable when they arrive for your Christmas service!

– Nelson

P.S. For more information, tools and resources on Servant Evangelism, click here.

© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.