How do you invite people to a micro-church?

Our current (and soon to be old) strategy is that Sunday morning is the first step—bring them to a Sunday AM service first, then show them the steps to get into a Community Group. In other words, there’s been one avenue for getting people into church. Anyone who came to church through a Community Group first was an exception to the rule. Now, we have to change our thinking—if we are the church, aren't people "going to church" whenever they come in contact with us?

Many of us are so used to “going to church” and try to get people to “come to church” that we’ve forgotten that we are the church wherever we are—in a “church building”, in the park, in the bowling alley, in our homes, at the movies, etc. That means that there are multiple ways “invite people to church,” because if you’re a Christian, you are the church wherever you are.

Does an unchurched friend seem open to checking out your Sunday meeting? Invite them to it. Do they seem a little unsure of that, but they’ll come to a BBQ? Invite them to your church’s BBQ first. Are they service-minded? Invite them to join your church in a COMPASSION project. In all of the above scenarios, you’ve invited them to church because you and your group are the church. Is our ultimate goal to see them become Christians and see them participate in all aspects of the life of our church? Absolutely. But now, there's more than one way to get them started on that path.

So... identify those people in your life that you want to see become Christians, start praying for them, be Jesus to them (serve them, show them that you care, etc.), and ask God for the wisdom to know which environment to invite them to first—your Sunday meeting, your 2nd weekly meeting, a COMPASSION event (they can serve right there with you), a COMMISSION event, or when your church is just doing life together. In any case, they'll be "going to church."