Facilitating Evangelism in the Church
November 1st, 2007
(By Jesse Johnson)
If evangelism is a lifestyle, not an event, are there certain things that pastors can do encourage people to be faithful to their calling?
Here are some ideas that we have used at Grace Church to facilitate, encourage, and equip our people for evangelism:
Hand out free New Testaments to your congregation: Have the church purchase these, and hand one to everyone on a Sunday morning. Encourage them to hand them out to someone whom they know, but with whom they have been reluctant to share the Gospel. Encourage the people to personalize it in some way, such as marking their favorite passages or favorite chapter. Many non-believers who would not read a tract or be open to a church invitation, may very well respond to a gift such as a book, especially when the person giving it has put thought into what he is asking them to read.
Offer an evangelism training class in Sunday School or at home Bible studies: More mature believers can easily forget how intimidating evangelism can be. What should people say, how do they turn a conversation toward the Gospel, how do they (or should they) witness to their boss? These are questions many people in church have. A short class (at Grace it is 4 weeks) that trains people on the basics in evangelism is very useful in answering these questions, and creating a climate where evangelism is expected. We offer these classes on Sunday morning, as an alternative to Sunday school, as well as at many of our home Bible studies. Often, small group leaders are excited to take a break from their current study in order to do a short series on evangelism.
It is not necessary to even use a particular curriculum for these classes, although many good ones are available. If you have gifted teachers, perhaps just having them teach a series through evangelistic passages of Scripture might be effective.
Take advantage of Christmas programs your church already does: Easily Grace’s biggest evangelistic event of the year is our Christmas concert. We mail tickets to our neighbors who live around the church, and many of our members invite several friends. One of our pastors does a brief Gospel presentation in the middle of the concert. This does not make the concert that much longer, but increases the church’s love of the concert dramatically. People begin praying about who they are going to invite weeks in advance, and there is a genuine excitement around the campus as it seems everyone is bringing non-believers to church that week.
Model through your lifestyle your priority of evangelism: Those that know Pastor John know his love for evangelism. He models it from the pulpit by the way he earnestly proclaims the Gospel and offers salvation. He models it in his prayers by how he asks God to save others. He models it in his ecclesiology, by having the focus of the church be on the salvation of sinners. And he models it in his personal life, by witnessing to his neighbors, doctors, and those whom he comes in contact with. His love for evangelism is prevalent through our church, and is contagious.
Great article! I find it difficult to get people motivated to evangelize. As you said, many are afraid or intimidated about sharing Christ, and that can be discouraging as a pastor. However, we must continue to impress upon people the need to come out of their “comfort zone” and spread the gospel - it is a calling for all Christians.
Thank you for your article - it was helpful!
Josh Buice
http://www.deliveredbygrace.com
These articles are always such an encouragement for me. I enjoyed this one very much.
Jesse,
Thanks so much for these articles. My main objective right now is to motivate and moblize our congregation to evangelize as a way of life. You’ve given us some great suggestions.
I hope you will be doing a few seminars on evangelism at the Shepherd’s Conference!
Blessings,
Steve Lamm
I am new to this site but very excited to have found it. I fear that many of the articles and comments will be “over my head,” but I am thankful for the insights and thoughts of others. The most recent two articles about evangelism have really brought a friend to my thoughts. He is a Christian who won’t go to church. He claims that the hypocrisy from the pulpit and the pews makes organized church a farce. I’ve talked with him about the sin and imperfection that would shroud us all were it not for the Blood of Christ. Regarless of what I say, he always has an argument. I don’t know that God would lead me to re-open the discussion with him, but I do feel that nagging. (Maybe ‘nagging’ is not the best word to describe the work of the Holy Spirit…) If God does open the door for me to talk with him again, what Scriptures have those of you in ministry found helpful in witnessing to people like my friend? I’m not looking to debate whether or not he is right or wrong. I believe we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves. I believe in corporate worhip and prayer. I believe it is the responsibility of the church to love, teach, hold accountable and correct…to equip the saints for the work of the ministry…blemishes and all. I am sincerely seeking guidance. Since I read yesterday’s article, I can’t get him out of my mind or off my heart. I know that his salvation is between him and God, but if there was something God could use me to say, I want to be ready in due season.
Dear Sandy,
Your friend is like many I have seen in my ministry. They list various reasons for not attending what they call “organized church,” but their failure to be a part of a local body of believers is sin, plain and simple (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Consider this, anyone who claims to love God, yet despises his brethren merely because they belong to a local church may in fact not be redeemed at all (see I John 2:11; 2:19; 3:10,11).
Now, for the sake of discussion, suppose your friend is redeemed, yet has chosen to disobey the Lord and not join with a local fellowship of believers. Then he despises that which Christ loves, for Christ loves the church and gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:25-27) which is His spiriual body (Eph. 1:22-23).
The local church, with all of its flaws and sins is the biblical expression of Christ’s universal body. If Christ loves the local church (as is plain to see in Rev 2-3) then it is a slap to the Savior’s face to despise that which he loves so much!
I’ll make this suggestion to you: challenge your friend to read through the entire New Testament in some reasonable time (say 2 months) to see if his views hold water biblically (they don’t). Then meet together with him and see if he’s changed his mind. There’s no need for you to argue with him about it.
If your friend can read the New Testament without so much as a pang of guilt for not belonging to a local assembly of believers, then he is likely not saved and needs to repent of his sin and confess Christ as Lord and Savior.
God bless you as you for your love for Christ’s church (even with all of its obvious flaws).
Steve Lamm
I have been told that evangelism is more “cuaght” than “taught” and tho this may be true, training is a must. In Eph. 4:11-12 we read that among the men the Lord gave the church are the evangelists whose responsibility is to equip the people to do the work of evangelism. So it seems then that churches should have an evangelism trng program conducted by evangelists.
From personal experience, let me share that classroom trng is good and fundamental, but it can’t stop there. In evangelism we can’t tell people here is what you need to know and now go do it. It needs to be “seen” in real life situations - knock on doors, go to a park/mall and engage people, whatever, the point is people need to seet it done.
I believe that most people in sound evangelical churches likely know what to share - sin and its consequences, the person and work of Jesus, the human responsibility: repent and believe. The issue is how to engage people.
I have found that an excellent tool is the video series produced by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron “The Way of the Master.” This is excellent in how to engage people and share the bad news before the good news of Jesus Christ.
If you are looking for trng tools/helps, consider “The Way of the Master.” Oh by the way, for those of you who care, it is endorsed by John Mac.
I agree that Way of the Master is excellent for training how to do evangelism. Mark Cahill Ministries (a friend of Way of the Master) is also very good.
As for handing out New Testaments, along those same lines you can get 30 free Gospels of John per month from the Pocket Testament League to hand out. Their address is http://www.pocketpower.org/
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and encouragement, Steven Lamm. It was an answer to prayer. I will continue to pray and “discuss” with my friend as the Lord leads me. Thank you for confirming in Hebrews that failure to join a body of believers is sin. My friend, with all of his intelligence and ways with words, can put up a strong argument. However, I know the TRUTH, and it became flesh and dwelt among us. Amen.
Vince,
I want to state a concern. When we speak of life-style evangelism, or personal evangelism, or relational……
Where is that taught? There is of course an implicit admontition to share the good news. But, you hit on a very good point. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones thought that the gift of evangelist was still operative in the Church, and I agree with him. Then, too, is Paul’s admonition to Timothy as a Pastor to do the work of an evangelist. It is not the primary responsibility of the congregants to evangelize, it is secondary. It is, however, primary to those called to be Elders, beside those who are particularly gifted being called specifically, as evangelists.
I agree with this, it is the leadership who has the primary responsibilty for evangelism and it has been sinfully delegated to the congregation. The leadership should lead out in the public proclaimation and personal witnessing, but it should be as a discipling tool in expression when it is being expected of the neophyte learner. In other words, except for the everpresent opportunity of sharing the gospel on a relational level, the church should lead its members under the watchful eye of its teachers into the street, door to door, to the highest house in the city, to proclaim the gospel.
One thing that the modern, and I believe unbiblical paradigm of personal evangelism as the norm, has produced is a church that is able to operate under cover out of the scrutiny of the public for the most part, allowing it to remain in the good graces of the community. If it ever becomes again that our churches truly speak out the Word of God publicly we would not have such good relations with our neighbors. I know that John MacArthur is a controversial figure, but until recently, relatively unknown publicly outside evangelical circles. And, for the most part the public discussion centers mostly around goofs which the pop-media targets to ridicule Christianity.
Something happen around 1948. It became unpopular to preach Christ crucified by the Jews at the hands of gentiles. It became considered anti-semetic. Since that time, the Gospel as a public proclamation, rarely exists. When it begins again, then we can lay claim to evangelism. But, that good news is eschewed even in the most conservative churches today for fear of reprisal. And, that is in part why evangelism is laid upon the shoulders of the laity. Not that it properly belongs there, but because it keeps it out of the public eye.
People so often don’t realize that there are always little opportunities to share the Gospel which come our way, if we’re paying attention. Not everyone is cut out to stand on a street corner, or in a pulpit, or in front of a crowd of any size. Small steps, one on one with someone, can do so much.
Tom,
Interesting point. I do agree that pastors ought to do the work of an evangelist. But it is not limited to them. Again, Eph. 4 makes that point clear. Evangelist in the church teach the congregation to do the work of the ministry which involves evangelism.
In addition, didn’t Paul say something about God giving “us” the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5). Paul was talking to the whole Corinthian church - not just the elders.
The church is not the place of evangelism - the world is. The Point of Mat. 28 is that “as you are going.” That is, evangelism is part of daily living. When evangelism is done by the leity it DOES bring it to the public eye. Can’t get more plubic that taking the gospel to the whole world.
Tom…you wrote alot to contradict Scripture. Repent.
One more thing Tom…
An unevangelistic attitude reflects:
1. No love for the unsaved
2. No love for the Savior
I like these ideas. Keeping the evangelism temperature high in the local church is a challenge. Entropy keeps the passion down all the time, so it’s hard work to keep it lit.
Pastor Chris
EvangelismCoach.org
If you get rid of the classrooms and the church events and move your people into the streets and the homes of your community, then you’ll have a fair chance at teaching evangelism. Our concept of education is too building-centric. Get your leaders to take your people out, into the communities. Let them learn by hearing and then doing. Get folks into uncomfortable place side-by-side with your leaders and good things can happen.
For many years as a Pastor I too was faced with the same issue this article was meant to engage - the reluctance of the congregation at large to verbally witness. I also must admit that I considered that to be characteristic of my own walk as well. I certainly had no problems preaching the Gospel or taking the lead at Evangelistic events or even in intimate home visits, but overall I constantly felt a great sense of guilt for failing to be a faithful verbal witness in my “private” life. Compound that grieving over known personal failures with a strong desire to see my congregation engage in the very thing I was admittedly failing to do, and you can see how it made for a few very difficult years of growth. Then, by God’s great grace in sanctification, it occurred to me one day what was at the root of my failures in this area.
I had heard the Gospel, been saved in and discipled early on in a Southern Baptist Church. That statement suggests no particular criticism of Southern Baptist churches or their doctrines for the most part, but those acquainted with typical Southern Baptist tradition regarding evangelism know that there is an undeclared mindset that makes “winning souls” the “brass ring” of ones life with Christ. Indeed, in the minds of many Southern Baptists it even serves to prove a great deal about ones “spirituality” and could even testify to the reality of one’s conversion. Additionally, in that theological system, great emphasis is placed on the Armenian position. This makes it incumbent upon anyone witnessing to be exceptionally good at it - i.e. well skilled, able to answer any objection, complaint, argument etc., that would keep a person from “accepting Christ” (though I must state that I do agree with the idea of being as well equipped as possible to responsibly handle the Gospel). I cannot recall how many times I have heard Ezekiel 33 interpreted as a shadow or type of our responsibility in personal evangelism.
That is a great weight to have to carry around. If witnessing is everything, and everything regarding anothers eternal state is dependent upon my witnessing (or failure to witness) to him - you can see how that really elevates personal evangelism in one’s mind to an unhealthy and unnatural preoccupation.
After coming to understand, believe and rightly interpret the Gospel through what many would call the “Calvinist” position, the following thought occurred to me. If God is indeed ENTIRELY responsible for an individuals salvation, and if He has already set aside certain individuals FOR salvation; then as a witness I am not going out with some vauge hope of being good enough at witnessing to win some soul to the Lord through my ability - rather, I am able to go out in FULL ASSURANCE that DESPITE my INABILTY there WILL BE MANY come to Him through witnessing - maybe even my witnessing.
What a liberating and joyful thought! I can approach personal evangelism from the perspective of being ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE in what God is already successfully accomplishing rather than from the perspective of being very nearly solely responsible for the eternal decisons of others. This idea of simply being allowed to particpate in God’s work of salvation is also very motivating in GENERAL in that I believe that most Christians sincerely desire to know that they are being used of God in some way.
In keeping with the topic of this article I only wanted to say that when I shared those thoughts with my congregation, most of them found them to be as liberating and empowering as I did and within literally a few short weeks - problem solved.
I guess that I would encourage believers who find that they have difficulty with personal evangelism to prayerfully consider what exactly WHAT it is they are afraid of, and allow the Scripture to address THAT particular thinking. Not only will that help with the witnessing problem but will usually serve to reach into other aspect of one’s walk where they experience failure.
I liked this article but I wonder if in some way it struck anyone else as being written from the perspective of DOING rather than BEING. Like, “here are some things you can DO to see if this will help get a church to begin witnessing.” Those approaches usually seem to be short lived and are not always very substantial.