Stop inviting your friends to church. Let us explain. For years you’ve probably heard, “invite everyone you know to church”. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it can create some unintended consequences. Here’s a few:

Jesus left this world telling his followers to “go”, not wait for people to come to us. In a way, that’s what’s happening today. We mistakenly think we’re available because our churches hold weekly services but we’re often overlooked and not really on people’s radar. The Apostle Paul said it best, “We loved you so much that we not only shared the gospel with you but our own lives too” (I Thessalonians 2:8). That’s church. You and me sharing our lives with others so they can encounter Jesus in a real way. Our Sunday services are simply where we get encouraged and equipped to go where the real action is – out there!

Our hope isn’t to get people attending church services but to have them encounter a real God that changes them from the inside out. Beyond that, every follower of Jesus comes to a point of emptying themselves and turning over the control of their lives completely to Jesus. These aren’t simple or easy things to do. In fact, we believe it’s impossible without the Holy Spirit’s help and the right people to walk alongside of them in the process. This is where you and I come into the picture. We can go where church services can’t. Into personal and sincere life change. After all, that’s the real goal.

We’re often outsourcing the responsibility to reach people to the professionals (pastors, church leaders, etc.). “If I bring friends to church, then the pastor can reach them.” But the Bible says the role of pastors and leaders is to “equip God’s people for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” There’s a part that leadership plays for sure, however, it’s on each of us to reach others. This is why God’s Word says that you and I are His royal priests. That may sound heavy or foreign but God will empower anyone who asks for help in reaching people for Him. You can do this!

Whenever someone wants to climb Mount Everest, they have to do what’s known as acclimatizing. This happens by ascending the mountain slowly and in stages. This gradual approach forces their bodies to create more red blood cells, which in turn prevents them from collapsing or going unconscious. In other words, you can’t rush it. If we simply drag people to church but fail at cultivating our relationships with them, we’ll never reach the summit. How do we do that? Paul said, “I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.” For the S.O.I.L. approach, click here.

Just to be clear, we love our church services and the times we get together on Sundays! It really is a blast. But our hope is to help equip you so that your life can impact others and advance God’s kingdom. So let’s open up our lives and homes. Let’s share ourselves with each other. We believe there’s more potential for God to reach people from your couch than in a pew. Let’s help others acclimatize to the high altitude of being a follower of Jesus. In other words, let’s be the church, not just attend it.

If you’d like to know more or go through basecamp training, please submit the info below.