One of my favorite stories from college ministry started with something incredibly small: a little “You’re Invited” card.
It was the very last event of the year. A student walked up to us and said, “I came today because I found this card stuck to the bottom of my shoe in the middle of the college library.”
He went on to explain that all semester long he had felt like God was nudging him—calling him to grow in his faith, to do something different. But he hadn’t acted on it yet. That tiny invite card, stuck to his shoe, became the tipping point. It was the thing God used to give him the courage to finally show up.
Did the card get dropped accidentally? Was it left in the library on purpose? We’ll never know. But we do know this: God used an ordinary piece of paper to change somebody’s life.
That’s the power of a simple, personal invitation.
God Is an Invitational God – And We Are an Invitational People
In our college ministry, we printed “You’re Invited” business cards all the time. On the front, big and simple: You’re Invited. On the back, all the details—time, place, contact info, social handles.
We even did a whole series every year called “You’re Invited” because we wanted to reinforce a simple truth:
- God is an invitational God.
- We are called to be an invitational people.
We didn’t just want students to attend; we wanted them to invite.
So every semester, we’d give each student five cards. We’d ask them to:
- Pray over those five cards.
- Ask God who they should invite.
- Hand those cards to five specific people and personally invite them.
And God used those simple invitations in incredible ways—sometimes through intentional conversations, and sometimes through a lost card on a library floor.
Why Christmas Is the Perfect Time to Invite
Christmas is one of the most natural, open-hearted times of the year for people to attend church. Many are:
- Feeling nostalgic or spiritually curious
- Looking for meaning in a hectic season
- More willing to say “yes” to an invitation
A personal invitation during the Christmas season can be one of the most effective ways to help someone feel seen, welcomed, and wanted.
That’s why this year, we want to help you mobilize your congregation to be inviters.
A Simple Way to Mobilize Your People: “You’re Invited” Cards
You don’t need a huge budget or a complicated campaign. Sometimes all you need is:
- A clear, warm invitation
- A simple tool to put in people’s hands
- A little vision for how God can use it
Our free Canva Christmas Card Invite Template is designed to make this as easy as possible for you and your church.
You can:
- Add your church name, logo, and Christmas service times
- Customize the colors and wording to match your branding
- Download and print as many as you need
Then, cast vision for your people:
- Share stories (like the library card stuck to a shoe)
- Remind them that God often uses simple things
- Encourage them to pray over a few people by name
- Challenge them to hand those cards out with a personal invitation
Practical Ways to Use the Christmas Invite Card
Here are some ideas to help your congregation put these cards to work:
- Sunday handout: Give every person 3–5 cards with a clear challenge: “Pray this week and invite five people.”
- Small groups: Have groups spend a few minutes praying over names and then commissioning each other to invite.
- Welcome team: Keep invite cards at your welcome desk and with greeters so regular attenders can grab more.
- Local spots: Place cards (with permission) at coffee shops, campus boards, or community centers.
- Family focus: Encourage families to invite neighbors, teammates, or classmates with their kids.
Remind your congregation: they’re not just handing out paper—they’re extending an invitation that God can use in ways they may never fully see.
Don’t Underestimate What God Can Do With One Card
That student who found a card on the bottom of his shoe didn’t know the person who dropped it. The person who dropped it probably never knew that card changed a life.
But God knew.
You never know how far a simple “You’re invited” can go:
- It might lead to a first-time visit.
- It might open a long, honest conversation.
- It might be the moment someone finally responds to what God has been stirring in their heart for a long time.
Our prayer is that this Christmas, God will use your church’s invite cards in the same way—to draw people in, to open doors, and to change lives.
Get Your Free Canva Christmas Card Invite Template
To make this as easy as possible, we’ve created a free Canva template you can customize in just a few minutes.
Use it to:
- Add your church name and logo
- Update times and locations for your Christmas services
- Match your existing Christmas series branding
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Ready to get started?
Fill out the form below to get instant access to the free Canva Christmas Card Invite Template and start mobilizing your congregation to be inviters this Christmas.
Our hope and prayer is that someone new will be sitting in your church this Christmas season—simply because they received a card and an invitation through you.
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