It's 2024, and guess what, some old fashioned "truths" still hold true today.  I guarantee, if you eat a few hundred calories less per day and combine that with burning a few hundred calories per day through new intentional exercise, in a month or so, you will lose pounds of body weight.  In addition, if you show up everyday you are scheduled to work @ your job and work the hours you have been scheduled, your paycheck will be much larger than if you don't.  They're "old fashioned" concepts, but hey, they still work.

 

     As a minister, and my Church's Outreach Director, I am always thinking about and trying to develop "NEW" and "INNOVATIVE" ways to increase attendance.  It's sort of a closet obsession with me.  It consumes alot of my mental capacity and focus.  I really want to see our local Church grow.

 

     However, when I look at the data, as much as I don't like to admit it, sometimes, "old fashioned" concepts still work and maybe "new" and "innovative" ways  aren't as effective.  Here's what I mean.  In a recent research poll dedicated to this very topic, pollsters asked individuals who attend Church, "What initially brought you to Church?"  Here is what they said:

- 6-8% walked in by their own initiative

- 2-3% liked a program offered

- 8-10% liked the Pastor

- 3-4% had a need met by the Church

- 1-2% were evangelized

- 3-4% were attracted by Sunday School

- 70-85% were invited by a friend/relative

>>> The average is 83% came to Church because of a Personal Invitation by a Friend or Relative who attended the Church!!!>>>

 

     It appears, according to the data, that the Good 'Ol Invite is still an extremely effective way to get people to come to Church.  But being a "numbers" guy like myself, what does that translate into?  Well, think about this....

 

     The Billy Graham Association issued a statistic that says the average Church going Christian can identify 7 unchurched people that they have a personal relationship with.  They conducted a national survey and found that 82% of the non churched say they would attend church with their friends and relatives if invited.  (For reference: 82% of 7 = 5.74). So even if we round down the 5.74 to 5, the data states that if we called/texted/face to face invited our 7 unchurched friends/family, 5 of them would show up.

 

     Here's a little hypothetical visual for you to explain this a little further...  If your Church had 100 regular attendees, and half of them (50) said, "You know what, I'm going to give this a shot & invite my 7 unchurched friends and family!", according to the data, that congregation of 100 regular attendees would experience over 250 NEW VISITORS & GUESTS!!!

THAT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE TO WITNESS!!!!

 

     So, to end this blog, I am going to take a few steps toward just that Remarkable Outcome!  If you are reading this and you live in the Warren, Ohio area, and you do not currently regularly attend a Church that you call home, I would like to personally invite you to be my guest of honor @ the Apostolic Pentecostal Church of Warren located @ 3101 Deforest Road (44484).  Our Sunday Morning service starts @ 10:30AM and runs until about Noon.

 

     If you do attend a Church, and especially if you attend APC of Warren, please feel free to repost this blog to your social media walls and use it as an invitation to your unchurched friends and family.  Sometimes, "Old Fashioned" became "Old Fashioned" because it simply works!!!!

 

Be Blessed!!!!!!

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