“100% of your new converts come from your visitors.” This is a point that I stress in every church growth seminar I teach. If you want your church to grow, you must increase your door traffic. You must also get these visitors to return, because only about 5% receive the Holy Ghost the first time they come. So a strong effort must be placed upon effective guest follow-up.
There are many ways you can encourage guests to visit your church. But among the best has been a sermon series or seminar topic that captures people’s attention. It should be a topic that motivates your members to invite their family, friends, work associates and general acquaintances. Historically, one of the topics that has seen the most success is a prophecy conference. People have a keen interest in knowing the future, and in this day of global uncertainty and societal distress, explaining what the Bible says about soon-to-happen world events can be a sure winner.
Bringing in a special speaker that has a quality presentation with PowerPoint graphics is best. But if you can’t afford such an evangelist, most pastors are capable of teaching this subject themselves. Even if you are not a student of eschatology, many great books are available to assist you in such a seminar series. One I would recommend is The End Times in Chronological Order by Ron Rhodes. Taking this book and breaking it into five sermons is not difficult. End each lesson with a strong altar call. Design PowerPoint slides to accompany each major point. Graphics are easily found in Google Images. Don’t get bogged down in details – stick with the broad themes of Signs of the End Times, Rapture of the Church, Rise of the Anti-Christ, The Great Tribulation, and the Second Coming of Christ. Keep the slides simple and visual. Don’t preach too long and make the altar call your focus of the evening.
Advertise and promote this seminar well. Flyers, posters, and even billboards and newspaper ads help. But the greatest number of guests will come from the personal invitation of your church members.
If you would like a PowerPoint presentation on the end time that I have designed and successfully used, e-mail me and I’ll be glad to share it.