Merry Christmas! I hope that many of you were able to make it to Christmas at DPAC—and what’s more, that you brought some guests with you. Perhaps your guests were part of the 14,627 people (wow!) that we saw pack DPAC over the past three days.
I can’t wait to hear about the stories coming out of this event (like Chenfei’s). For many, Christmas at DPAC is the very first experience people have with the Summit. And I know that hundreds of people heard the gospel presented clearly for the very first time.
If you missed Christmas at DPAC, you can watch it all right here. But for those of you who brought guests, you’ve opened up a conversation that you won’t want to let grow cold. Here are some tips for continuing that conversation.
1. Thank them for coming.
You might think it’s pushy to reach out immediately after Christmas at DPAC. But your friends will just find it weird if you don’t. So text your friend (no really … stop and text them right now … I’ll wait), and let them know how grateful you are that they attended Christmas at DPAC with you. Offer to meet them this week for lunch or coffee. And don’t just offer—go ahead and set up a date!
2. Offer to read a book with them.
Here are three suggestions:
- How Good is Good Enough? by Andy Stanley: This book is a simple, accessible, and short presentation of the gospel.
- The Reason for God by Tim Keller: This is an excellent read dealing with the primary objections people have to the Christian faith. It’s a lot like the Mere Christianity for our generation.
- Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary: Here’s your line for this one: “Hey, my pastor wrote this, and I thought you might like to read and discuss it together.”
3. Offer to read the Bible with them.
This is probably the most powerful evangelistic tool in your arsenal—just get them reading the Bible. Here is an approach called “Taste and See” that many people in our church use with great success.
4. Invite them to your small group.
5. Invite them to church with you.
The catch here is that we don’t want you to invite them to church this week, since there won’t be any services the weekend of Dec. 30/31. Take some time to Worship at Home with your family, and bring your friends to church with you on Jan. 6/7.
6. Have them over for dinner. Continue to get to know them.
Let them know they are your friend(s), not your church project. If you’re nervous about broaching the subject of the DPAC show, here are a few good opening questions to begin the conversation:
- What did you think of the services at DPAC?
- Do you think you are moving closer to God or further away from him? (I use this one all the time, DPAC or otherwise.)
- Can I tell you my story about how God became so important to me?
- Would you like to come back to our church with me sometime?
