“Are you the church that gave me the free bottled water at the parade last summer?” You’d be surprised how fondly people remember getting a drink of water on a hot summer day. That simple good deed is just one of the ways that members of Bethlehem, Lakeville, Minn., have invited many neighbors to hear about the Water of Life—Jesus—at their church.

Bethlehem is located in Lakeville, a growing community about 20 miles south of downtown Minneapolis. The community is expected to grow from 50,000 to 100,000 by the year 2025. “The top-notch public school system, low crime rate, and wide range of community activities are drawing many families to the community,” says Benjamin Blumer, pastor at Bethlehem. “These families are often looking for a church home.”

Bethlehem’s membership—as well as its worship attendance—has more than doubled in the past six years. More than half of Bethlehem’s church family have been members for less than three years. “As Bethlehem continued to be blessed with growth, of increasing concern was the ability of a single pastor to continue focusing on outreach, while working on the integration of newer members and still serving as shepherd to long-time members,” Blumer reflects.

Since the congregation was still under the auspices of Home Missions, it was able to seek assistance through the Mission Enhancement program, where financial assistance is provided to congregations for a limited period of time—three years for Bethlehem. These mission dollars helped fund Bethlehem’s second pastor, seminary graduate Steve Abramowski, in 2008.

Having Abramowski on board has allowed Blumer to spend more time with the evangelism chairman discussing strategies and recruiting members to help with outreach efforts. One way to describe their strategy is “invest and invite.” As Blumer explains, “We encourage our members to invest in the relationships that they have with the unchurched around them. Then Bethlehem creates opportunities for them to invite those friends to hear about Jesus.”

Blumer says his members are comfortable inviting others to church knowing that there will be visitor-friendly events where their acquaintances will be noticed and welcomed. From vacation Bible school and Christmas and Easter for Kids to seminars on relevant topics like in vitro fertilization, stem cell research, and raising teens, community members learn that the church cares about them. An annual premarital seminar for couples in the community gives the congregation an opportunity to share the gospel at a critical time in young peoples’ lives.