Inviting a friend to church takes ten seconds. Sitting with them the whole time is the part that counts.

An invitation is cheap and the follow-through is not. Ten seconds puts somebody in a room where they know nobody and none of the routines. Staying beside them for the whole hour is what turns the invitation into hospitality. Most of what makes people feel welcome is somebody declining to wander off.

Whatever you invite a friend into this week, a club, a shift, a service, plan to stay beside them. Tell them in advance what will happen and when it ends. Then sit with them and resist drifting off to the people you already know.