A Shocking Church Statistic About Christmas

Perhaps you’ve seen strange videos of fish jumping into a boat. It’s interesting to watch, but after a while, I’m sure it would take the fun out of fishing. The intrigue of fishing is to throw out a baited line and wait for nibbling fish.

There is one day of the year that special “fish” jump into the boat. Christmas is when much of the world celebrates the birth of the Savior, and it’s on this day that many feel an obligation to attend church. In a poll of 1,000 Americans, Lifeway Research found six out of ten Americans typically attend church at Christmas. However, among those who don’t attend church at that time, a majority (57%) said they would likely go if someone they knew invited them. That’s worth repeating. More than half said they would likely go if someone they knew invited them. That’s not what my dumb and fearful imagination tells me. It says that most people would never darken the door of a church at Christmas. So, don’t be like me and listen to your fears. Ask that friend or that neighbor if he or she would like to come to a Christmas service.

We don’t know the reason people go to church at Christmas. Perhaps their conscience is stirring them to do what they believe is the right thing. Most who do so probably think that their attendance is pleasing to God. Others perhaps think it will help to earn them a place in Heaven. But we know better. Scripture tells us that it’s not by works of righteousness that He saves us but according to His mercy (Titus 3:5). And mercy cannot be earned.

With all the negatives of Christmas—the commercialism and emphasis on everything but the cross—sinners coming to a service is a wonderfully silver lining. As Christians, we are fishers of men, and we should therefore know how to toss out a line to a friend, coworker, or neighbor.

Here are three things that you could do to help your church effectively do this:

Teach them what to say to invite their friends and neighbors to church. You may not think this is needed, but most of us find it a little nerve-wracking (because of a fear of rejection) to invite someone to a service. So, a little help is much appreciated. Give them examples, perhaps from the pulpit or in your bulletin, such as: “I go to a great church. I’d love you to come for our Christmas service. Would you like to come?” Or, “Do you ever wonder what happens after people die? Where they go? My pastor will be talking about that issue for our Christmas service. Would you like to come?”

Remind them of the importance of greeting strangers who attend the service. These are dark days in which people are rethinking their relationship with God, and they will be touched by a warm welcome. Again, give some examples of what to say to greet people and to show them that you care. I remember the moment when someone turned around in the pew and showed interest in me. I was a new Christian, and it was my first time attending that church. I will never forget the warmth of their greeting.

Hopefully, your pastor will be faithfully challenging the lost. Christmas lends itself to a gospel presentation. We start off in the manger and end up at the cross. Don’t water down the bitter medicine of sin, righteousness, and judgment. If we do that, we may make the message palatable, but we will strip it of its curative properties. Always remember that when we proclaim the gospel to a dying person, death could seize upon them within the hour. In the light of their eternal destiny, what they think of us doesn’t matter.

“Don’t let this Christmas pass you by without a concerted effort to reach out to this sad, fearful, and dying world.”

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Our ministry exists to help church leaders equip their people to reach the lost. One way we do that is by taking advantage of national holidays. We have a million-dollar gospel tract designed for Christmas. We are not endorsing a belief in Santa Claus. Instead, we are bouncing off his soft stomach with the gospel. In Acts 17, you will see the apostle Paul bouncing off Greek poets when he addresses the Athenians. This is because his heart was to reach the lost.

Scott McConnell, vice president of Nashville-based Lifeway Research, said, “Regular churchgoers may assume the rest of America has already made up their mind not to attend church. In reality, many would welcome going to a Christmas service with someone they know.” In the light of that thought, don’t let this Christmas pass you by without a concerted effort to reach out to this sad, fearful, and dying world.