COLLEYVILLE, Texas  First Baptist Church Colleyville attributes a mathematical strategy for its exponential from 400 members to 1,800 in two years.
The Baptist Standard reported the strategy, dubbed I², challenges members weekly to "invest" themselves in relationships with non-Christians and then "invite" them to church.
The strategy is infused into the congregation by the Rev. Frank Harber, senior pastor, and Ron Cogburn, chairman of deacons.
"We tailor everything in our church for our people to come and bring people. That's why our church has grown so fast" Harber said. "The church is the New Testament strategy to reach people on this planet. So the church has to be involved in the mindset to do this."
Regardless of the sermon topic, Harber presents the plan of salvation in every message.
"People receive Christ every single week," he said. "Our people know that our church is a place that they are going to hear the gospel. We've created a climate where people know how to bring their friends."
Cogburn, president of a Dallas consulting firm, also employs the strategy on his business travels, the Standard reported.
On a recent trip to Saipan, he explained the gospel daily to people he met along the way. As people responded, he sent home e-mails requesting tools to help them understand their new relationship with Christ, such as Filipino Bibles and discipleship books.
"I don't want to over-dramatize this, but you almost felt like you were reading one of (the Apostle) Paul's letters," said Kyle Mabry, one of Cogburn's friends who received the e-mail reports.
