David Francis on hospitality
I only teach two things:
- You can double your class in two years or less. It only
takes 40% growth, or an average class going from 10 to 14 in a
year to double in two years or less. Yet, the results are
amazing. A group that doubles every eighteen months can reach a
thousand people in ten years. That is a fact of simple math.
Fact is, there is a world-wide movement of God by which this is
happening. - Parties are one of the best ways I know to grow a class.
Here is the formula: invite every member and every prospect to
every fellowship every month.
I saw it happen again last week. We had a dinner and a movie at
our house last Friday night. It was great. Pot-luck dinner at 7:00,
movie to follow. Curious thing, we didn't have any new people show
up at the party, but we had our all time high attendance on Sunday.
I have seen it happen more times than I can count. So has David
Francis.
David Francis, leader of Sunday School for Lifeway endorses the
party driven approach. Here is an excerpt from his excellent (and
FREE!) guide to Sunday School growth called the I-6 Plan. For
details and a link to the full pdf file, as well as an excellent online
learning piece, see:
Parties: The Mark of an Inviting Class
by David Francis
used by permission
by David Francis
used by permission
Did you mean to say
fellowships or socials?
No, I mean parties!
There may not be a better tactic for creating opportunities for
invitation than department or class or group parties.
Parties should be scheduled regularly.
It requires discipline and a committed leader who will take
the responsibility for planning such events, typically called the
Activities Leader, Fellowship Leader, or Connect Leader. I’ve never
heard one of these leaders referred to as a Party Planner, but that
is the essence of the job. And it is a very important role in a
group serious about creating a culture of invitation.
In a church I served
as Minister with Adults, we asked Sunday School groups to plan 10
parties a year, one per month except in June—when Vacation Bible
School Family Night was the major Friday night event—and
November—because of Thanksgiving.
Christmas parties were scheduled early in December—and were
some of the biggest events of our church year.
Departments and classes that included parents had their
parties on the third Friday, with childcare provided for a small fee
at the church. Because all the kids were there together, they had
something planned for them as well, and they liked Party Night as
much as their parents. We mailed out only one large postcard which
listed the theme and location of each department’s party, and
contact information. The card was mailed to every adult on the roll,
every prospect, and every associate member serving in preschool,
children, and youth classes. Most often, parties included the entire
department. Sometimes, each class had its own party. Twice a year,
groups could opt to use the night as a “Parents Night Out,” with
couples or smaller groups enjoying a more intimate dinner or other
activity. This provided a great opportunity to invite a prospective
couple to get to know them better or have a spiritual conversation
in a relaxed atmosphere. Most of the time, the parties were the
typical fare of food, fun, and fellowship—with the food usually
providing the theme. A
favorite menu that made its way among our groups (who often stole
the good ideas of other groups they saw on the card!) was Mexican
Stack Up. People signed up for the various ingredients: chips,
ground beef, beans, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, onions, sour
cream, cheese—even pecans and coconut.
Guests were asked to bring something such as a 2-liter soft
drink or a bag of tortilla chips, so they could feel a part of the
gathering. When the weather was nice, outdoor activities might be
included.
The Party Night
principle can apply to other special events as well. If your church
is taking a group to a ballgame, use the event to invite a FRAN in a
non-threatening environment. Most unbelievers not only need to hear
the gospel of Christ, but they also need to see that Christ
followers are real people. Becoming a Christian is almost always the
result of socialization as well as evangelization.
Romans 12:13 [Living]
Offer hospitality to one another without
grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9 [NIV]
crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. Luke
5:29 [NIV]
And do what Jesus said, don't invite just your friends:
- Then he told the man who had invited him, "When you invite
people for lunch or dinner, don't invite only your friends. Luke
14:12a [GW]
You might "get into the habit" by doing what I heard of one class
doing recently. They have a party planning party once a year. Once a
year they have a party to plan out the calendar for the whole year.
There is an idea.
Here is another idea. Have a class vision day once a quarter.
Once a quarter, on the day that you get your new quarterly, have a
vision day. Re-cast the vision for the class. Talk about what three
fellowship you are going to have for the next three months. Talk
about who will invite every member. Talk about who will invite every
prospect. Talk about who will host the parties, who will plan the
parties, and who will help clean up after the party. Get organized.
Get everyone involved. Evaluate your progress from last month.
Re-cast the vision.
If we will love people in common, ordinary pedestrian ways, their
heart will warm up to a message about a God who loves them. If we
will be their friend, their heart warms to a message about, "what a
friend we have in Jesus." It is not enough to tell them about a God
who loves them, we must love them. Love at its best is often
pedestrian, earthy, Diet Coke and table games, and pot-luck dinners
and bowling pins and somehow in the mix of all that stuff, people
feel loved. Community must precede content.
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