Note: I was recently asked for the location of my past article on "The Most Important Message of the Church." Following is the original article with links to the updated e-book and video presentation of it. It constantly amazes me how many churches are not clear about what it means to be a Christian and how to become one. Please take time to read this and look at the video to be sure your church isn't missing out on THE most important thing.
What is the most important message of your church? Obviously the answer to that is that the message of Gospel--of forgiveness of sins and eternal life in Jesus.
But do people know that after visiting your church? Stop a minute and think about it. When people spend an hour with you did you share with them:
- great music?
- inspired preaching?
- information about activities for the family?
- special events invitations?
- small group or recovery ministry opportunities?
You probably did and these are all good things, but did you share the most important thing? Do they know that your church can help them find salvation in Jesus? Did you mention that at all in your sermon? Is it even hinted at in your bulletin? Or announcements?
I'm not writing this to make you feel guilty--but when I was recently collecting samples for an ebook, Gospel Presentations in Church Bulletins, I was surprised at how many (by far the majority) of both church bulletins and websites do not tell people how to get saved. Somehow the most important thing we are about gets lost in the announcements and events that fill the life of a church. Please don't think I'm saying that any of these activities in church or during the week are bad, but as the subtitle of the e-book says:
What does it profit a person to have clear directions to the potluck, but lose their own soul?
Correcting this is easy to do
The gospel, at its core is pretty simple. John 3:16-18 in the Message translation sums it up:
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him."
It doesn't take much space or effort to include that in your church bulletins and websites along with links for more information and a person to talk to. The book referenced above has lots of examples and in addition, I did a short video on YouTube: Gospel Presentations in Church Bulletins that shows you how to do them.
A Gospel Presentation is not your Statement of Faith or What We Believe
Though these are very good to have on your website (unless it is a very large one, I don't think they are necessary on your church bulletin), they are not the same as sharing the Gospel. They are usually very corporate sounding and institutional. They sound like the operating rules and guidelines for the church--which they are and which are very important.
However, very few invite a spiritual seeker to join or to explore the faith. Don't do away with these, but have another way to share.
Please check out the video and the e-book, but most of all think about how you can invite someone to consider Jesus as Savior and how to find out more about Him. Do this briefly in your words and in your church bulletin every week and no matter what else goes on in your church service, you will have communicated your most important message.
Share your samples PLEASE!
One more thing.....if you share the gospel in your church bulletin or on your website, PLEASE send me a copy of it (PDF or original files or web link) along with this permission statement (just copy and paste it into an email)--so I can put it into future collections of our Great Idea Swap ebooks or website entries to inspire church communicators.
Permission statement
The attached materials are given to Effective Church Communications to use without compensation, restrictions, or attribution in return.
Send to: yvon@effectivechurchcom.com. Thanks so much!
Please share your thoughts, comments, questions!