Eventually, you approach them and inquire a little suspiciously, “What are you up to? How’s the missionary work going?” They respond excitedly, “It’s great! We are just out here being examples and know that eventually someone will ask us a question.”

Of course this sounds like an outrageous approach for the full-time missionaries, so why do we make it ours?

Sharing the Gospel requires more than just being an example.

Being an example is definitely a prerequisite to helping others come closer to Christ and should not be dismissed. However, it also shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of our efforts. Just as we expect the missionaries to be proactively inviting others to come to Christ, we should do the same.

I’m willing to guess that if you are reading this, you are already giving it a good effort to be “an example of the believers” (1 Timothy 4:12). And that should definitely be celebrated! But here is where you can stretch yourself even further:

Couple your example with invitations.

Invite them to come to church.

Invite them to serve members of your faith and community.

Invite them to learn from missionaries.

Invite them to dances and parties.

To read more of Collette’s articles, click here.

Invite them to dinner.

Invite them to read applicable talks and scriptures.

Invite them to cheer you on when you give talks.

Invite them to let you practice a Sunday School lesson.

Don’t example them to “come unto Christ.”

Invite them.

Collette Brennan

Collette Brennan, the self-proclaimed “okay-est” mom you’ll ever meet, is passionate about the gospel and how each of us can find the right tools to share it. She is the founder of Life By Letty, a website devoted to helping ordinary moms find extraordinary joy.

If you haven’t heard her Audio CD, add it to your Christmas list.

So why is that so outrageous for most of us? Because we are making it too hard.

Now, I feel the need to add this disclaimer: there is obviously no right or wrong way to invite someone to church. My opinion may not apply to every situation, but with the Spirit you can discern that.

Often times there are two mistakes we make:

1. Our invitations are too complicated or dramatic.

2. We keep postponing until our friendship has reached some undefined level.

I’d like to propose two solutions.

Keep Your Invitations Short and Sweet

Don’t psych yourself out over inviting someone to church. This is not an invitation to be baptized.

How would you feel if friends invited you to their baby’s Catholic baptism? Or if your Christian friend invited you to a Saturday night sermon?

Chances are that you would not feel pushed. In fact, you may even be flattered that they want to share something important with you.

We don’t need to make our invitations to church complicated and dramatic.

Here are some examples of a short and sweet invitation to church:

Friend: “Oh, are you a Mormon?”

You: “Yeah, I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

Friend: “Oh okay! My friend in high school was, too.”

You: “Really? Well, I’d love to have you come with me this week! Church is at 11 and I can save you a seat.”

Or perhaps:

“Hey Mikayla, the children at our church are putting on the service next Sunday with songs about Jesus. I thought your little girls would enjoy it. Would you like to come with us?”

You may notice that these examples did not require a missionary lesson or conversion story. (Although both of those things are great when the time is right.)

Keep it simple. Help them get in the chapel doors and the Spirit will follow.

Invite Everyone Regardless of Your Level of Friendship

Clayton Christensen writes in his book The Power of Everyday Missionaries, “. . .building a friendship is not a prerequisite to inviting people to learn about the gospel” (p. 17). Phew! What a relief, because without this knowledge, we can spend an eternity building up to the big moment when we finally invite our friend to church.

Instead, make invitations to church a part of your relationship from the beginning.

Let’s say you are meeting someone for the first time. You might say, “By the way do you have a church you attend around here?” Whether they respond yes or no, you can then offer, “Well, I’d love to have you come with me anytime. We meet at 11 on Sundays.”

(Don’t be deterred if they say they have a church. That doesn’t always mean they are active, and it doesn’t mean they aren’t curious about other churches. If they are active, they’ll let you know, and that’s great! No harm done.)

To read more of Collette’s articles, click here.

Maybe you’ve been caught in the trap of waiting for the “right moment.” In this case, try, “Hey, I was thinking about you and your family at church last Sunday, and thought that we’d love to have you come and sit by us sometime. Are you around this week?”

With God’s help and a little practice, we too might be able to have a friend at church with us each Sunday. What a blessing to us and our families to share in the Spirit of God with friends of all faiths.

So get out there and quit making it too hard! People like you, and God is with you.

Collette Brennan

Collette Brennan, the self-proclaimed “okay-est” mom you’ll ever meet, is passionate about the gospel and how each of us can find the right tools to share it. She is the founder of Life By Letty, a website devoted to helping ordinary moms find extraordinary joy.

Okay, we’ve all felt it. Sharing the gospel is scary! This is the most important thing to you and rejection hurts. Even more so, you don’t want to ruin a relationship or come off as weird. But at the same time, you feel like you should share the good news! So here to help are five starting points when sharing the gospel is uncomfortable.

1. Talk to Strangers

Missionary work takes some extraversion, so those of us who are introverts will find it especially uncomfortable. One of the first places to start is talking to strangers. It isn’t always natural — after all, when was the last time you made conversation with your cashier, bus mate, or the person next to you in line?

Get out of your comfort zone a little by just opening your mouth. Try a simple, “Hello,” when you pass someone on the street. You can make a goal to compliment five people a day. Go a whole day replacing bland questions like “How are you?” with “Busy day at work?” or “Did you learn anything interesting at school?”

I’m not asking you to distribute pass along cards; just get comfortable conversing.

2. Ask Better Questions

The gospel meets people at their core. For anyone to accept Christ, they are going to have to open up. All it takes is better questions.

Every person and situation will have different needs, and that’s where you and God will need to work together. But here are some simple questions to help others open up:

• “Oh really? Are you close with your dad?”
• “You sound pretty busy — what’s the hardest part about all of that?”
• “Sorry you’re tired! Has something been keeping you up?”
• “Did you have a church growing up?”
• “What’s on your mind these days?”

As an example, the missionaries in my area invited me to share a general conference talk with a friend. I had a friend in mind, but we had never had a significantly meaningful conversation. I prayed for an opportunity to get to know her better.

A few days later, our kids were at the park together and she mentioned that her sister was coming into town. I said, “Nice! Are you close with your sister?” to which she responded, “Well, we got a lot closer after my mom died and my dad left the picture.” One simple question taught me how to be a better friend.

3. Practice Inviting

Church aside, inviting anyone to do anything is nerve racking. I stay in bed for a week when someone turns me down for a lunch date. So if you are looking for a starting point, just practice extending invitations and getting comfortable with rejection.

When someone rejects your invitation, try not to take it personally. As you shift your mindset around “no’s,” you will develop the courage necessary to invite others to “come unto Christ.”

4. Use Gospel-Related Words

I don’t believe in the “wait for your friends to ask questions” approach to sharing the gospel because it’s a little too passive for me. But there’s nothing wrong with opening the door. By actively using gospel-related words in conversation, you are opening the door if your friends want to know more.

For example, every Monday the number one question at work is going to be, “What did you do this weekend?” Church is so routine that we typically leave it out. What if instead we said, “I went rock climbing on Saturday, and on Sunday I taught the 9-year-olds at church about forgiveness.”

The other day I was babysitting for a friend while she went to the temple. At the park, another friend came up to me and asked whose child I was with. I responded “I’m just babysitting for a friend.” How I wish I would have opened the door by simply adding, “I’m babysitting for my friend who went to the temple.”

5. Practice Explaining Your Beliefs

Sharing the gospel can be uncomfortable because we are afraid we will say the wrong thing. What if we say something offensive, confusing, or weird? The gospel is simple, but sometimes explaining it isn’t.

Find ways to practice stating your beliefs in a safe environment. Start with common questions you get asked, or common scenarios you are in. Then with a family member or friend, teach a principle in 30 seconds.

To read more of Collette’s articles, click here.

Focus on the benefits of the gospel like peace, happiness, and a relationship with God. Nitty-gritty details come later. Ask the friend or family member you’re practicing with how they felt. What made sense and what didn’t? Return to this exercise often in FHE, Sunday School, or family scripture study.

For more tips on sharing the gospel, click here — and feel free to share your own missionary work tips in the comments below!

Collette Brennan

Collette Brennan, the self-proclaimed “okay-est” mom you’ll ever meet, is passionate about the gospel and how each of us can find the right tools to share it. She is the founder of Life By Letty, a website devoted to helping ordinary moms find extraordinary joy.

Why Do We Share the Gospel?

What’s up with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints getting all up in everyone’s grill? Don’t we know that people don’t like it when someone “shoves religion in their face”? Everyone else seems to keep to themselves just fine. So why do we believe in member (and full-time) missionary work?

I write this as a preface to any member missionary-related articles to give a clearer picture of why we share the gospel.

What is Missionary Work?

This last month, I was introduced to a new budgeting software that completely changed our financial lives. I was so thrilled about it that I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I was proselytizing this company so hard that they should have been paying me the big bucks. After a couple weeks, I had to slow my roll and tell myself, “Collette, not everyone wants to talk about budgeting.” (But I’m sure you do, so ask me about it later.)

I took a step back and realized how my new budgeting software and the gospel are the same, I mean, for the most part. They both solve a problem, they both make my life a bit easier, and they both make me happy. Turns out that when we find something like that, we want to share it.

In short, sharing the gospel is a very natural and good response to discovering joy. It provides meaningful relationships, a sense of purpose, and an increase of happiness.

What Missionary Work is Not

Let me clearly state what member missionary work is not — or at least, what it should not be. This is not an effort to prove who is right or better out of the mixed bag of religions. And it is not about forcing ideas or a way of life on anyone.

Think of it like a party. It will be a better experience for everyone, host and attendee, if everyone invited genuinely wants to be there. In other words, there is no part of us that wants anyone to be converted to The Church of Jesus Christ unless they actually feel a desire.

Why I Write on Missionary Work

The bottom line is this: God loves each of His children and wants them to find joy. Therefore, His Spirit will be what guides any missionary efforts. No amount of skill can compensate for the power of God in this work.

However, missionary work can be scary and intimidating. It can leave you feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable. My goal is to help build a toolbox so that invitations will be a more positive experience for both the giver and receiver.

To read more of Collette’s articles, click here.

This is not about foolproof tactics, conniving, or flattery. That is not how Jesus Christ worked, and it is not how we should work. Instead, this is about reaching out in love and joy to all of God’s children.

So join me as we learn together how we can better invite others to “come unto Christ.”

Always feel free to share your experiences and ideas in the comments.

Collette Brennan

Collette Brennan, the self-proclaimed “okay-est” mom you’ll ever meet, is passionate about the gospel and how each of us can find the right tools to share it. She is the founder of Life By Letty, a website devoted to helping ordinary moms find extraordinary joy.