Pulpit Magazine

(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.

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