In a land where it's “always winter,” icebreakers are the best conversation starters.

That's why the College Hills church, Lebanon, Tenn., rented a theater and invited the community to two showings of the snow-filled fantasy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. John Grant, equipping minister at College Hills, said evangelism isn’t as simple as watching a movie with someone and leading them into a baptistery. But some films, such as the much-anticipated release of C.S. Lewis’ symbolically Christian classic, can be used in a special way, he said.

“It’s not as much likely to change a life as it is to start a conversation,” Grant said of Narnia. “But sometimes, that’s a gift all its own.”

Congregations throughout the U.S. were hoping to capitalize on an audience familiar with — or at least intrigued by — Lewis’ 1950 bestseller reaching the big-screen. Christian moviegoers were credited with helping to ring up $67 million in ticket sales during the opening weekend.

A month before the movie’s debut, more than 140 ministers and youth leaders from Houston-area churches gathered at the West Houston Church of Christ for a presentation that included a nine-minute trailer and suggestions for church activities that related to the movie.

“What the clips did was reassure me that the movie would be high-quality,” Matt Soper, senior minister at West Houston, told the Houston Chronicle. “Up until now, a lot of Christian movies have been B-grade.”

Disney’s $200 million, big-screen release isn’t an overtly Christian story, and many have speculated whether Lewis intended his fictional characters to resemble biblical ones.

While the answer is unclear from a historical perspective, the allegory is difficult to ignore for many in the church, including those who preached sermons or taught children’s ministry book studies on Narnia during December.

In Oklahoma, children at the Memorial Road church, Oklahoma City, and the Edmond church discussed the characters and themes of the movie in study settings.

The audience at the Highland Street church, Memphis, Tenn., was expanded somewhat, as sermons on “The Chronicles of Christ: The Real Narnia” were preached on Sunday mornings.

Church leaders asked small groups to initiate home studies, where members and their friends could read the story and discuss the movie in an informal setting.

For those who specialize in planning outreach initiatives, the prevailing thought was that while silence may be golden inside the theater, talking about the movie is equivalent to thinking about faith.

On Dec. 10, about 150 guests sat alongside the same number of church members at a 9 a.m. screening at Lebanon’s Roxy 10 Theater. The audience munched on free popcorn, sipped complimentary sodas and drank in the cinematic retelling of the story of the magical adventures of four children, talking animals, mystical creatures, redemption and resurrection.

The congregation planned an identical event the following weekend, planning for equal numbers of current and prospective Christians, Grant said.

The cost to church members for themselves and guests: $5 per person – tickets and snacks included.

The opportunity: priceless.

“The community participants were appreciative and the movie theater employees were intrigued,” Grant said. “Already we have seen one family express interest in attending College Hills as a result of the movie invitation.”