“Extend Invitations and Follow Up,” New Era, Mar. 2015, 22–25

Extend Invitationsand Follow Up

Try these 11 easy ways to share the gospel in everyday conversations.

If you want to share the gospel but are nervous or aren’t sure how to do it, this article is for you. Sharing the gospel is more than just inviting your friends to meet with the missionaries. That’s a great idea, but there are so many other things you can do to “invite others to come unto Christ” (Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service [2004], 1). And it’s easier than you think. Maybe a soccer analogy will help.

Good players know how and when to pass the ball to their teammates to give them an opportunity to move forward. Inviting others to learn about the gospel is like passing the ball, only instead of giving them an opportunity to score a goal, you’re giving them an opportunity to come unto Christ.

Here are a few ideas to get you started. Pray for inspiration and be creative as you adapt these ideas to fit your friends’ interests or situations. Then cheer them on!

Invite a friend to Mutual

You have a friend who is obsessed with sports. So when you hear that this week’s Mutual activity is a sports night, you realize it’s the perfect opportunity to invite her along.

Invite a friend to watch general conference with you

You’re listening to a talk from general conference on your MP3 player while you walk to school. A friend asks what you’re listening to. You tell her the truth—you’re listening to the words of a living prophet of God. “What does that mean?” your friend asks. You explain about modern prophets and apostles and then ask your friend if she would like to join you in April to hear what those leaders are saying.

Share an article from the New Era

One of the articles from a recent issue of the New Era reminds you of a conversation you had with one of your friends. You share your copy of the magazine (or an online link) with him and invite him to read the article.

Tell someone about the Book of Mormon

Your ward has a goal to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year, so you take your scriptures to school. One of your friends notices your book and asks you what it’s about, so you explain what the Book of Mormon is and share your testimony of it.

Read Kenneth’s story later in this article to see what happened when he saw a Church member with a Book of Mormon at school.

Invite a friend to go to a Church dance

Your best friend invites you to hang out this Friday, but you have a Church dance that night. Instead of just rejecting his invitation, you invite him to the dance!

Invite a friend to church

You’ve been asked to teach part of a lesson on Sunday. When a friend asks what you’re up to this weekend, instead of skipping over your Sunday plans, you explain that you’ll be teaching part of a lesson at church. Your friend is curious, so you invite her to come with you so she can hear you teach.

Show your friends Mormon.org

Your friends have a lot of questions about our beliefs, so you show them Mormon.org to help answer their questions.

Share a scripture in a text message

During your morning scripture study, you come across a verse that would be really helpful for a friend who has been having a hard time lately. You send her a text message letting her know that you were thinking about her and came across a scripture that she might like.

Invite someone over for dinner

Dad is making his famous spaghetti this week! You notice a new student at your school who doesn’t seem to have many friends, so you decide to invite him over for family dinner. If it’s a Monday night, you might even ask him to stay for family home evening afterward.

Ask a friend to help you work on a Personal Progress, Duty to God, or Eagle Scout project

As you plan your big project, you realize that you’ll need help, so you decide to ask some of your nonmember friends to help. This can give you the opportunity to explain why you serve, and you can also have fun serving together.

Give a friend For the Strength of Youth

If a friend asks why you live by certain standards, give him a copy of For the Strength of Youth and talk about how living the standards has helped you feel happier.

Read Hannah’s story in this article to see how she shared this booklet with a friend.

Don’t forget to follow up

After inviting, the next step is to follow up. In soccer, the best players know their job isn’t over once they pass the ball—they have to keep moving and get open.

Following up can be as simple as asking what your classmate thought about the scripture you shared or how your friend felt after coming to church with you.

For an example of how following up changed a young man’s life, check out Kenneth’s story.

When you follow up after inviting others to learn about your beliefs, you’re showing that you care about their happiness. They’ll sense your sincere desire to help and they’ll feel comfortable asking you more questions in the future.

Small steps on the path to conversion

On the first day at my new school, I noticed a girl who was different from the others. She had a hard home life, and she was always teased by the other students. Because her locker was next to mine, I soon got to know her better. She was nice, but she had a bad habit of swearing.

I explained to her my beliefs and the standards taught in For the Strength of Youth. She was very interested. I invited her to Mutual for a few weeks, and she worked hard to overcome her swearing habits.

I eventually gave her a copy of For the Strength of Youth and a copy of True to the Faith. The next day at school she said she’d learned so many new things in those two booklets. I invited her to Mutual that night, and as we were cleaning up afterward, she said, “Hannah, can I get baptized?”

I froze. I’d never helped someone join the Church. For a moment I simply stood there—I couldn’t speak—but finally I took her hand and walked her over to a member of the Young Men presidency, who helped my friend get in touch with the missionaries so she could start preparing for baptism.

I felt so good that my friend had decided to be baptized. To think that I’d helped her along the path of conversion was wonderful. I immediately began brainstorming how to help others take the same path.

Hannah C., Idaho, USA

Would you like to learn about my religion?

There was something different about Apryl. I couldn’t put a name to it, but whatever it was, it was a good difference. I eventually discovered she was a Latter-day Saint.

One day at lunch, I sat down at a vacant table—vacant except for Apryl’s books in a small stack. On top of the stack was the Book of Mormon. I reached over and picked it up.

“I’m looking at your book,” I told Apryl when she arrived a few minutes later with her lunch tray. “OK,” she said, looking a little surprised.

I read a few pages and was fascinated. I believed in God, but I also considered myself a science-oriented person. What I read, however, had a ring of truth to it. It really could have happened. And if it really did happen, then what? It stirred my soul to think about it.

When the lunch period ended, I returned Apryl’s book to her and went to my next class. I was excited about what I’d read in the Book of Mormon, but I was still too shy to talk to her about it.

A few weeks later, Apryl approached me during study hall with a serious look on her face. “Are you really interested in learning about my religion?” she asked. I was, and I told her so. “There’s a special meeting this Friday for people who want to know about our Church,” she said. “I wondered if you might want to go.”

I did. At the meeting, the mission president explained some basic doctrines of the Church. Everything he said made sense to me. Soon I began taking the missionary lessons. I wasn’t instantly converted, but after fasting and praying, I received my testimony and was baptized.

My life is very different from what it would have been had I not embraced the restored gospel. And it’s a good difference.

Kenneth H., Alabama, USA