Inviting friends and family to Alpha doesn’t have to be scary – it can be casual and simple.
Here are some creative and easy ways to invite people to our next Alpha kicking off on Tuesday the 7th of February.
1. Prayer
Pray for friends and family who might be interested in talking about life, faith & God. Then pray for those who would never step foot inside a church but have been asking about life’s biggest questions.
2. Personal Invites
Invite those in your community face-to-face or send a personalized SMS or whatsapp. Tell them Alpha has free food, an interesting talk & honest conversation. There is so much power in personal invitation – 86% of Alpha guests say they came because someone invited them personally.
There are two ways to think about this:
i. Who do I already know?
You have a network of relationships that generally fall into four categories: friends, family, neighbors and co-workers/classmates.
Ask yourself these questions:
-Who do I know on a first name basis?
-Who are people with whom I share a similar interest or participate in similar activities (soccer team, gym class, PTA at school etc..)?
-Who seems open or likely to respond to an invitation?
-Who doesn’t appear to have a relationship with Christ or attend a church?
ii. Making the most of opportunities
God is always at work in people’s lives and he often directs us to people He is drawing His way. If we are willing and prepared, there are all kinds of opportunities to invite. Ask God to open your eyes: He can help you to see opportunities to invite people that may come through daily conversations at the store, at school, work, the shops or gym.
HOW SHOULD I INVITE?
Make it PERSONAL
Unless it is impossible, invite people to go with you. People are more likely to attend Alpha if they arrive with the person who invited them. For example – “John and I are going to an Alpha dinner and we would love for you to come with us.”
Make it INTERESTING
Be enthusiastic and positive about the opportunity. Think about how you would go about inviting someone out to a movie or rugby match. For example – “We have this really interesting event happening next week that I really think you and Jenny would enjoy.”
Make it RELEVANT
See if you can connect Alpha to a need or interest. For example – “You mentioned that you struggle to talk to your kids about God. We have this course at our church that can help you talk more clearly about spiritual issues.”
Make it EASY
Try to make it as easy as possible to attend. Don’t ask people to sign up for the course, just invite them to the Launch Dinner. Make sure the invitation has a “no strings attached feel.” Put yourself on an equal level with them – “I am going to check this thing out, would you like to come with me?”
Make it CLEAR
Have an Alpha flier (available from church) that you can leave with the person, or follow up with an email/SMS/whatsapp invite that has all the details. Let them think about it and get back to them later.
Anticipate the BARRIERS
Make sure you think through barriers that might cause them not to attend: • Getting there – Invite them to get a lift with you or provide a good map. (Don’t know anyone else – Offer to go with them.) ( Different faith background – Alpha is for everyone no matter what your faith background may be.)