Rev. Scott Reynolds reminds us to start thinking about practicing invitation within our communities of faith this Easter and beyond.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Easter is the most important holy day for Christians. On Easter Sunday we celebrate resurrection, celebrate the goodness of God’s grace in a world touched by brokenness, celebrate the good news of God we find in Jesus.
The Easter story is steeped in a call to proclaim this good news. It is the risen Christ who says to his disciples, “So wherever you go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to embrace all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). It is the risen Christ who says to his disciples: “You are witnesses” (Luke 24:48). It is the risen Christ who says to his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21).
Even the Gospel of Mark contains this call to proclaim. Yes, the women at the empty tomb—at least initially—“said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid ” (Mark 16:8). But the reason that’s such a surprise is that they have been told by an angel to “Depart and tell Jesus’ disciples and Peter that Jesus goes ahead of you into Galilee” (Mark 16:7). This ending is a kind of challenge to the reader. Will we take up the angel’s request to invite others to come and find Jesus with us in the world or will we be captured by our fears and stay silent?
Our church matters to us deeply, but we sometimes have a hard time naming how God has been present in our lives through the ministry of our church. That’s especially true when we’re in conversation with our friends and neighbours who don’t already attend. Who might God be calling us to share this message with during this season?
The Growth Department has created a resource to help prepare congregations to speak more confidently and faithfully about their church and their experience of Jesus. Maybe this is something your congregation does regularly and with great joy and comfort, or maybe this a growing area for you. The Plan to Strengthen Invitation This Easter can be found on the Easter Sunday worship page, under Related Material. If you would like to work with a Growth Animator to implement the suggestions in this guide in your congregation, or if you already have a practice of invitation through which the Holy Spirit is moving in your midst, get in touch with and let’s set up a conversation.
The lead-up to Easter is the perfect time to work on the invitation culture of your church. In this season, people are welcoming the new life that comes with spring, and many people with no church connection are curious about what the church has to offer. Friends who don’t typically ask about church are more frequently asking the Christians in their lives questions like, “Why do you call it ‘Good’ Friday?” or “What does Jesus have to do with Easter anyway?” These kinds of curious questions are amazing opportunities to talk about our faith.
Even many of those who profess to belong in the United Church probably need to be invited if we want them to actually come. In data collected from 2017–2019, just 19 percent of Canadians who identified as belonging to the United Church stated that they participated in group spiritual activities at least once per month. An additional 26 percent participated at least once per year, and 39 percent said they never attend group spiritual activities. That means that even the majority of people who identify as belonging to the United Church will likely require a personal invitation if we hope for them to come!
One of the three prongs of the United Church’s call is Bold Discipleship. So let us move forward together with boldness, let us rely on the Spirit of God to help us overcome our fears as we take up the challenge of proclaiming the good news of new life in Christ.
Would you like to work with a Growth Animator on developing your congregational invitation for this Easter, or at any time of the year? Contact us at .
—The Rev. Scott Reynolds serves Christ and the church as the Growth Animator for the Chinook Winds and Pacific Mountain Regional Councils.
The views contained within these blogs are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of The United Church of Canada.