Luke 5:1-5 “One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the Word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if You say so, we’ll try again.’”

Be That Somebody Who Keeps Trying
Hebrews 10:25 “Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.”
Psalm 92:13 “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
Saint Augustine: “The church is not a museum for saints, it is a hospital for sinners.”
Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the Lord’s house.’”
Questions people who do not attend church are not asking about our church:
➢ Who’s speaking this weekend?
➢ What denomination are you?
➢ Do you sing hymns or choruses?
Questions people who do not attend church are asking about our church:
➢ What do you offer for my children?
➢ Does your church accept outsiders?
➢ Am I welcome to ask questions for which you already know
the answers?
➢ Do you live by what you say you believe?
Recent research shows:
➢ 83.6% of Americans are not in church today ➢ 55,685 people live in Smyrna
➢ 46,552 are not in church today
➢ 766,802 people live in Cobb County
➢ 641,046 are not in church today
➢ 6,144,050 people live in the Atlanta metro ➢ 5,136,426 are not in church today
Barna Research: “The average unchurched person today can’t name one church within a 15-minute drive from his or her house.”
Barna Research: “If I invite them to a place they’ve heard of and they have a generally positive impression of, the chance is much higher that they will visit.”
Barna Research: “The unchurched tend to come when they are struggling with something and they need an answer. They’re not coming for an intellectual service. They’re coming for an emotional service.”
How Do People Start Attending Church? ➢ A friend Invited Me - 86%
➢ Organized Visitation - 6%
➢ Pastor Invite - 6%
➢ Advertising - 2%
Luke 5:6-7 “And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.”