On countless Sunday mornings, I make people mad.

The scenario is always the same. Someone approaches me a couple minutes before Church begins and says, “I need you to make this announcement.” I speak kindly and decline to say what they are asking me. Then I offer alternate possibilities for getting the word out, and they usually leave unhappy with me.

I do this for several reasons. First, if you had all week to get me an announcement to put online and in the printed program and did not do it – that is on you. A lack of preparation on your part does not equal an emergency on my part. To take it a step further, once people see me do that, it becomes the expectation for everyone to wait until the last minute to ask.

Second, I have a lot on my mind Sunday mornings. I have people telling me all kinds of information, and I can almost guarantee that I will forget when it comes time for announcements.

Finally, and this is the biggest, announcements are not the way to generate interest or excitement in any activity. When I make more than one announcement on Sunday morning, people quit listening when I go on and on with more. The same is true with digital or print. The more information on a page, the less people are interested in reading it.

Personal invitation is the key to having a well-attended activity or growing small group or thriving ministry.

When you walk up to someone and personally invite them to join the fun. They are excited that you thought of them. They know you value them enough to ask them into your world, whatever form it takes. It moves the Church from two-dimensional information on a page to a person who cares about them.

No amount of advertising will ever be more significant than personally inviting someone to attend.