Entry Points

I have been thinking about entry points lately. What kind of entry points to we create for people to connect with our church?

I firmly believe that the best method of drawing people is coming to church on the arm of a friend. We call it "tag-team" evangelism. You bring your friend to church, tag me. Then I speak the truth, while we work hard to create an inviting encounter with God. After service I tag you, and you take the relationship to a new level.

But there needs to be entry points for people to connect. Some of those entry points are Life Groups. we always have some groups that are pretty much just a relational group. For example the Cycling Club, is a relational group. We dont have any kind of theological exegesis on the text before we ride... We just ride and have fun. It is a great opportunity to invite your friend.

Others are weddings. I know churches who have 600 rules about weddings, the music, the reception, the whatever. In turn they don't perform any weddings. But a wedding is an awesome opportunity to share Christ with someone. They are asking for God's blessing in this step, why not try to get them connected in the church? It is an awesome entry point. Whether its the lead pastor or not, doesn't matter to me. It could be a well developed staff performing the weddings, I just feel like its a great time to invest in their life as they are open enough to want Gods help in their marriage.

We are brainstorming about what entry points look like at JCFC. New babies? A care package at the hospital if someone is sick? A new neighbor moving in? Jobs, school starts, changes in the routine?

How can we be involved in some of the natural changes in peoples lives, and connected them through entry points?

BTW, we had 154 for the weekend! Awesome. Some of which are a part of the church through some of the non-traditional entry points.