Beyond the Church Door

Beyond the Church Door:
Healthy Strategies for Serving, Inviting, and Sharing

Millions of people in North America choose not to become part of a congregation. The majority of those persons self-identify as Christian; what they have given up on is not Christ but the church as an institution.

The majority of church members feel uncomfortable talking about their faith and rarely if ever invite people to worship or other church activities. Beyond the Church Door provides practical, tested strategies for reaching out to people outside the church in comfortable, nonmanipulative ways. Readers will learn:

Why it is important to reach out to people who do not belong to any congregation. (Chapter One)
How to understand people outside the church, respecting the faith they may already have and recognizing the hurt they may have experienced in a faith community. (Chapter Two)
How to share in acts of servant evangelism that bring people into positive connection with the church, relying more on actions than on words. (Chapters Three, Four, Five)
How to comfortably invite family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others to church activities. (Chapter Six)
How to comfortably talk about their faith with people both inside and outside the congregation. (Chapter Seven)
How to practice the kind of biblical hospitality that will result in guests becoming members and growing in discipleship. (Chapter Eight)
How to expand their circles of friendship in ways that include persons they may previously have avoided. (Chapter Nine)
The book includes a guide for class and group study.