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1. Eliminate Christian jargon. For everything we have to say or pray, words can be found to replace standard "Christianese." Even biblical phrases like "washed with the blood of the lamb" may be incomprehensible to someone who has never read the Bible or been to church. Alert visiting speakers to be sensitive to non-believers and ask them to adjust their talks accordingly.

2. Welcome newcomers. Have a specific time for greeting visitors. The core of the chapter can participate by searching the crowd for new faces, and then those sitting next to any newcomers can introduce them to everyone else. Some chapters really get into this, with applause, hoots and hollers for the new folks.

3. Create a comfortable atmosphere. An accepting, fun and warm atmosphere helps set people at ease. Seekers, while open-minded and curious, may be uncomfortable with a somber or formal format and tone. Look and sound like a student-led group who loves the Lord. Gear music to the audience: upbeat black gospel songs, songs by current popular groups (even cool secular songs), and purely fun songs. Sing one or two slow songs, but depending on your group's goals, it may not really be a time for people to lift up their hands in worship. Again, think about what is best for your audience.

4. Present the gospel creatively. Involve people personally in the gospel and create anticipation from week to week. Trenton State College students once linked a four- part series--on God, people and sin, Jesus Christ, and our response--with a role play using true-to-life characters. In this ongoing role play, the actors played out their responses to each part of the series in accordance to how they would actually have responded prior to receiving Christ. As the audience found themselves identifying with the characters in the role play, they also began to relate to the characters' struggle to accept the gospel.

   Five characters--a self-righteous church-goer, a partier, a jock, a person from a dysfunctional family, and a workaholic- -were introduced in the first role play as having been assigned to do a biology project together. Through the characters' interactions week to week, the audience saw what kind of people they were, and they even got in on their thoughts. As part of the skit, a prerecorded "thought tape" was played at strategic points, revealing the discrepancy between the characters' thoughts and actions.

   There is always some opportunity for the audience to get involved. After one especially effective role play the audience was told, "Imagine that these characters have just heard the talk tonight about God." Then they were asked, "How would you line them up according to their closeness to God?"

   On the night of the last role play in the series, there were two other extremely popular events going on. People were hard-pressed about which event to go to, but because this was the final role play, everybody just had to know how it would end. They came to I-V to find out!

   That last talk focused on responding to Jesus and was dramatized by the presence of a large wooden cross. Jesus figured as an additional character in this role play. Large nails were passed out in the large group before the talk. Afterwards, the five characters, now familiar to everyone, made public confessions of their sins, and accepted Jesus' invitation to nail their sins to the cross, which they proceeded to do by literally pounding the nail they held into the cross with a hammer that Jesus provided. The role play ended with members of the audience still holding onto the nails representing their sin.

5. Provide alternate worship and growth experiences. How can your chapter live and grow spiritually with a large-group format geared for non-Christians? Spiritual feeding and worship can happen at local churches--and should be. It's also important to train small-group leaders to lead excellent Bible studies and to get chapter members involved in your local area's training events.