Even if you’re a regular churchgoer, it can seem arduous or even frightening to invite someone to join you. After all, faith is a deeply personal part of one’s life.
But a new survey from Lifeway Research found that nerves don’t get the best of most Protestant churchgoers: 3 in 5 have issued at least one invitation to someone to come to church with them in the last six months.
The survey found that 21% of churchgoers have extended at least two invitations and 20% have extended three or more.
Why some churchgoers do or don’t invite guests
Some key differences exist between the churchgoers who are most likely and least likely to invite someone to church, per Lifeway Research.
For example, people age 50 or older were less likely to invite someone than people younger than 50. And Black Americans were more likely to extend invitations than any other racial demographic, while white churchgoers were the least likely.
More than one-third of white churchgoers (36%) said they have not invited anyone to join them at church in the past six months, LifeWay Research reported.
Evangelical Christians were more likely than members of other faith groups to invite someone to join them at church. Lutherans, meanwhile, are some of the least likely to have invited anyone in the last six months, the survey found.
When asked to explain why they don’t invite guests more often, respondents offered a variety of reasons, according to Lifeway Research.
“Around a quarter say they don’t know anyone to invite (27%) or those they invite refuse their invitations (26%). Another 13% say they’re just not comfortable asking people to church, while 7% say they don’t think it’s up to them to bring people to church,” the survey report said.
“It can be easy for churchgoers to have their own relationship needs met at church and not know anyone else to invite,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “It takes intentionality to be meeting new people in your community to have opportunities to invite them.”
Are people likely to accept invitations to church?
An older survey from Lifeway Research found that about one-third of surveyed non-churchgoers were willing to accept invitations to church, according to the Christian Standard.
Willingness seems to depend on the relationship between the inviter and person they invited. Someone is more willing to attend church for the first time with a close friend or family member.
In addition, if the invited person accepts, they usually tell others about what they experienced at church. Statistics from Auxano say that “guests will talk about their initial experiences 8-15 times with other people,” per the Christian Standard.
These surveys come in the context of a shifting religious landscape in America. As the Deseret News reported in January, the growth of religiously unaffiliated Americans is plateauing — and may even reverse course in the future.