Momentum is building for National Back To Church Sunday, slated for Sept. 12. Already more than 2,800 churches across the country have committed to inviting people who once attended church—but who don’t anymore—to special worship services. Last year, hundreds of churches took part in the first national Back To Church Sunday, which saw members invite more than 700,000 friends and family. This year, an estimated one million invitations have been distributed to a Back to Church event. A survey by Outreach, Inc., a California-based church marketing company supporting the initiative, found that last year’s participating churches increased their weekend attendance on average by 19%. “A recent survey of 15,000 Americans indicated that 67% would be open to an invitation to church coming from a member of their family,” said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research. “Back To Church Sunday is a great opportunity for reminding and refocusing church members to reach out to their unchurched family members.” Churches wanting a free listing in the National Back to Church Sunday registry may do so at www.BackToChurch.com.
Christian NewsWire 7/19/10, Outreach 8/17/10
