Most of the pastors I know are beginning to establish a church with a deep desire to evangelize. In a sense, what else could you do? Almost no new pastor proposes to found a church “stealing sheep. “They want a vibrant church, centered on the cross, centered on Christ, that bears an evangelical witness and is full of new enthusiastic believers.
And they will evangelize after understanding how to retrofit a sound system in a high school gymnasium, after deciding where the nursery will be kept in the building, and after taking care of creating the website.
- Although most pastors see evangelism as a key to the spiritual health of a believer’s life and church life.
- Given the incredible amount of things to do for a new church.
- Not to mention sinful internal resistance to evangelism.
- It is easy to lose.
- Our fervor in evangelism.
- Apparently.
- Evangelism is always postponed.
If evangelism must be present in the configuration of the life of a new church and its pastor, it needs consideration and planning.
Here are 10 things I’ve learned that can help
If you have been so immersed in a seminary or support ministry that is separated from non-Christians, then you need to think about how you can treat evangelization like any other spiritual discipline.
Well, let me give you my opinion: if you haven’t been involved in regular evangelism, you probably shouldn’t start a church. Anyway, try to share your faith regularly now before you start setting up a church. you have time to do it, you never will.
Define the Gospel: “God’s Message That Leads Us to Salvation. “
Define this message: “God, man, Christ, respond” or “Creation, fall, redemption, consumption”.
Define evangelism: “Teach (or preach) the gospel to persuade. “
Define biblical and biblical conversion well. Check out Michael Lawrence’s excellent new book on the subject.
And when evangelism is demonstrated or ordered in the scripture text you preach, be sure to point it out to your congregation.
I once saw a man who would occasionally go to church with his wife. I approached him after the service and said, “Tim, I’m curious, how are you in your spiritual life?”, “I’m not a believer. “He told me. I’m really just here to please Gina. “We talked a little more. I invited them to lunch and talked about spiritual life and the gospel.
Nothing else happened, but Ginny later told me that during all the years he was in church no one had asked him about his spiritual condition. Don’t let that happen. Many people who go to church are surprised when people talk more about sport than spiritual truth and, over time, convince them that they are doing well. Instead, preach your fear of man on the cross and question new people about your spiritual life.
The best place to evangelize shy pastors and evangelists is with the people who go to church, after all, they are in the church!
Assuming the gospel is the fastest way to kill a church in a few generations. I was recently in Portland, Oregon, and noticed that the city was full of empty churches.
But there was a time when dynamic Christians sacrificed their money and time to build these buildings. What happened? They began to assume the gospel. An alleged gospel leads to a confused gospel, leading to a lost gospel, and when the gospel is lost, the blood of church life is emptied.
Examine all sermons with a question: “Could someone who is not a Christian attain faith through what I preached today?”
You examine the songs you sing, do you communicate that people can approach God, regardless of the condition of their heart?We do this when we stimulate affections with great melody, but we sing words without the message of the gospel.
Make sure that the truth of the gospel is found in the prayers of the congregation and in the reading of the scriptures; make sure the gospel is clear in the sacraments (does it protect the table?) Ask people to bear testimony to the church before they are baptized, examining them in advance to make sure the gospel is obvious.
When you interview members, if someone is confused about the gospel, make sure they are a true believer, let people know that you like to talk about the gospel, and that you will gladly set aside time in your agenda to do so. those who have a real interest.
Share the gospel often with those who love it; more people than you think listen, especially children.
I guess it’s obvious, but you have to lead evangelism. It is not enough to simply preach the gospel, although it is the highest priority. The congregation will know if you share your faith personally. Of course, you’re so busy with Christians that it makes their job harder. Yes, he works hard. But talk to your congregation about your desire to share your faith, make them pray, and tell them about their successes and failures.
Do you need the whole church to talk about Jesus? Not just the shepherd. That is why the church should be asked regularly about its opportunities for evangelization. And remember: they can help you. Tell your members that if you help them, they will enjoy talking to their non-Christian friends.
You may find it helpful to obtain my book Evangelism: How Does the Whole Church Speak of Jesus?[Evangelization: How the whole Church speaks of Jesus], why a healthy church is the most important means of evangelization.
Pray collectively for the victorious evangelists of the congregation and ask them how they are doing. If the congregation knows that this is a priority for church leadership, then members will be more likely to practice evangelism as a priority in their lives.
Of course, you want to talk to your people about successful evangelization opportunities, but don’t forget to share chess stories. Ninety-nine percent of my evangelization efforts go nowhere, but when they do, it is only useful to know that we are in battle.
Like you, your congregation needs help sharing your faith, but don’t create multiple evangelization programs. I often say that programs are for evangelization what sugar is for nutrition. Programs can make you feel evangelized when you haven’t. , as well as eating sugar can make you feel like you’ve eaten when you haven’t.
That said, help your congregation stay active with practical help. Here’s an example: Covenant Hope Church in Dubai asked everyone to write the names of five non-Christian friends on a map and pray to share it with friends on this list. and I practice. The church asked them to put the card in their purse or wallet and consult it regularly. Let them think about the plan: an invitation to a café, an email with an invitation to the church, etc. your faith will be much more effective than any church-wide evangelization program, regardless of its size.
I don’t mean “be offensive and aggressive when you share your faith. “I just want to say that you have to take more risks in evangelism. Be honest; Let people know where it’s from. It may sound a little strange, but one of the great things about his desire to talk to people about the gospel is that if he is rejected, he has saved a lot from his time and his.
Learn how to proclaim the gospel message in clear, unpretentious language, and make sure members of the congregation also know how to proclaim the gospel in a minute or two in their own words.
I have observed something over the years in my attempts to share my faith: if you do not think regularly about the gospel, pray for it, apply it, and speak it, then the gospel will become uncertain and distant. I think this is the spiritual lesson that what you have will be taken from you?or, to use a snapshot: use or lose it.
Help the congregation know how to apply the gospel to their lives in the areas of sin and repentance, forgiveness, and holiness. Help them see how the gospel is not only what saved us, but a source at the center of life that we should use daily. .
As welcome gifts and gifts for visitors, choose short, easy-to-understand books instead of brochures. Many people I met have come to faith through The Cross-Centered Life of C. J. Mhaney, or Greg Gilbert (What is the Gospel?).
Don’t be economical. Give books that explain the gospel and empower your members to be willing to examine the books with those who receive them.
By: J. Mack Stiles. © 9Marks. Website: 9marks. org. Translated with permission. Source: Personal evangelization for church implanters and church planting.
Original: personal evangelization and establishment of churches. © Faithful Ministry. Website: MinisterioFiel. com. br. All rights reserved. Translation: Camila Rebeca Teixeira. Review: André Alosio Oliveira da Silva.