Cultivating a Culture of Evangelism - Part 5

1. Knock on Doors - The response to the gospel was tremendous when Peter preached Jesus at Pentecost.  “About three thousand souls were added” which was certainly a miracle of the most spectacular kind.  We should also note what the believers were doing in these evangelistic efforts as they were “breaking bread from house to house.” (Acts 2:46)  Paul mentions that his ministry involved “teaching publicly and house to house.” (Acts 20:20)  The ministry of Jesus involved proclamation to the multitudes but He also went personally from house to house visiting with people.  Some may think that this idea is outdated or only limited to cultures which “still” accept the practice and we must admit there are challenges to this method in our day of gated communities and neighbors who don’t even know one another much less a stranger knocking on their door.  However it strikes me that even the entrepreneurial experts on the show “Shark Tank” highly respect a start-up entrepreneur who is willing to go door to door with their product.  I would suggest infiltrating gated communities and apartment complexes from the inside by establishing a Bible study/cookout in the home of one of the members of that community and invite their neighbors.  I know, I know, you may not have the people whose doors you knocked show up at a worship service but here is one thing I have certainly learned:  God blesses the going.  You may not have many, or even any, of the people whose doors you knocked show up but people will come and God will send them because you have been faithful to go and try.
2. Use Service Projects - One simple way to effectively visit people by knocking on doors is to offer to serve them in some way.  Introduce yourself as being from your church and let the person know you are wanting to be a blessing to the community.  Ask them if there is anything that they may need done around the house or in their yard.  You may change light bulbs, mow yards, clean up brush and trash, or wash windows.  Anything to help build relationships and show Christian kindness to those in our communities.  In every church there are some people who want to help do ministry but are more introverted and find it difficult to talk to others comfortably.  This can be a good way to help them engage in ministry by doing service projects and then that provides the more outgoing people a bridge to be able to share the gospel with those served.  I would advise against getting so caught up in doing good deeds that you fail to share the gospel.  Rather use this as an opportunity to share Jesus with the people you are helping and it will be a blessing to everyone involved.  

Praying for Kenya

Dear East Africa Partners, 
Our hearts are very heavy today with grief regarding the many faithful followers of Christ who have been murdered by the al-shabaab terrorists in Garissa, Kenya. It is a tragedy beyond measure and our prayers are fervently being offered on behalf of the victims and their families. We honor those who follow Jesus no matter the cost and we seek to follow Him in the same manner. Especially during this Resurrection season we rejoice with our dear brothers and sisters in Christ who have overcome "by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death". (Rev. 12:11) Jesus is alive and so are all those who walk with Him. We will continue to be committed to the gospel work in Kenya as long as God allows and appreciate your prayers for our upcoming trips and the national leaders with whom we work. Garissa is about 250 miles away from Nairobi, 500 miles from Busia, and 350 miles from Taveta. There have been several terrorists attacks in Garissa area over the past few years and we have not been affected by this at all in our work. God has ordained our days from beginning to end and we fully trust Him with the lives He has entrusted to us for His glory. Please contact me if you have any further questions and please continue praying for those in Kenya who are facing such persecution in these days. 
Onward and Upward,
Richmond

Cultivating a Culture of Evangelism - Part 4

1. Nurture a Prospect List - Lovingly cultivate a list of precious souls that need a personal connection and be intentional about building relationships with them.    This list will come from a variety of sources.  Enlist a coordinator to help with the management of the list but don’t delegate it out to the point that you lose personal and compassionate oversight of the people on the list.  Pray for them regularly.  Possibly the best way to build this list is through “pre-evangelism” ministries such as children’s ministries and benevolence efforts.  Ask the church members for names of people they know who might a appreciate a personal visit.  Provide cards specifically for this purpose for people throughout the church meeting place and regularly remind them of the presence and purpose of such cards.  Develop an email list of people with whom you can communicate the gospel that do not have a church family and without bombarding them continually reach out to them in encouraging ways.  Remember this is not just a list of names on a page but these are precious souls who need Jesus.  Without Him they are hurting and have no hope nor reliable guidance through life.  These are the people for whom we live and breathe.  Let us find them, love them, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them!

1. Provide Evangelistic Resources - One of the biggest hesitations for most of our church members is that they do not feel capably equipped to answer people’s objections.  First, I remind them that they are not commanded to answer all objections but to share the gospel, make disciples, and teach all the things Jesus has taught them.  You are the greatest expert witness in the world regarding what Jesus has taught you!  Moreover, it should be our goal to be the best we can be in all that we do, especially our witnessing!  Provide the resources people need to make them stronger and more confident in their everyday witnessing.  Introductory books on Apologetics like “More Than A Carpenter” by Josh McDowell and “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel and "The Reason for God" by Tim Keller are inexpensively available and can be a great tool to strengthen believers in their outreach efforts.  Good gospel tracts may be hard to find but find some and use them.  Have some business cards made that have the church’s information on one side and a gospel presentation on the other.  P.S. - if you leave them at a restaurant make sure you are nice and leave a good tip!  Nothing is more obnoxious than a hypocrite.  Write some pamphlets that answer some of the main questions you deal with in ministry and make them available for the people.  Place these resources in locations that are always before the people and keep them readily available.  This is just another swing of the plow in cultivating a culture of evangelism.  

Cultivating a Culture of Evangelism - Part 3

1. Prayer - “What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer.”  - E.M. Bounds.  We have novel and creative strategies that have been effective at drawing crowds but souls are won to Christ through prayerful evangelism.  The disciples were in the upper room praying before thousands were saved at Pentecost.  We are to pray for “laborers into the harvest.”  Remember also to pray for the seed as much after it has been sown as you would pray for God to bless the work before you go.  I have personally experienced God's transforming power upon a church through special prayer meetings.  Set aside your Saturday mornings, sacrifice Friday night from 9 PM to 6 AM (yes, all night), say no to yourself by fasting all day Saturday (not necessarily the Saturday after all night prayer) and celebrate the Resurrection corporately with prayerful rejoicing.  Effective evangelism depends upon prayerful saints of God.  You don’t need a program or instructions on how to pray or need the collecting of requests.  It’s simple, just pray.
2. Get Uncomfortable, Go Visiting - Go where the people are.  Get out of the church office and go find people who need Jesus.  Build relationships in the community.  Be intentional about sharing the gospel at the barber shop, fitness center, coffee shop, anywhere.  If you struggle with a plan then try this one:  Go door to door and introduce yourself to your neighbors.  Just say, “My name is _______ and I am part of ______ church.  I just wanted to get out and meet my neighbors and try to be a blessing to my community.  Is there any way that I can pray for you?”  Write down their prayer concern.  Go back to the office and send them a hand-written card letting them know you are praying for them.  Check back with them a week or so later and let them know you are praying and see how they are doing.  You will find most people to be appreciative that you stopped by and few of the other kind.  The people you meet may or may not visit your church but at least you are being faithful to go and you are making a gospel presence in the community.  God will bless your going.  You will have some moments that test your faith.  Just Go!

Cultivating a Culture of Evangelism - Part 2

1. Be A Welcoming Church!  Every church thinks they are a loving church but the truth is that usually means they love people who are just like them and that they already know.  There are some churches that are extremely friendly and welcoming to unfamiliar faces and then there are others.  My family and I have visited many churches and been shocked at how many times we enter the worship service only to have 1 or 2 people say hello.  I am always looking for people to speak to and shake hands with but so many people in churches just look away and avoid personal contact.  Pastor, lead the way in shaking hands and welcoming people before the service.  I think that most people are just in need of some encouragement to realize they need to be more intentional about welcoming visitors.  They enjoy seeing their church family and tend to gravitate first to them at the beginning of the meeting and the welcome time.  It is nice that they love one another but we need to love others also.  It is so wonderful to be in a church that finds new faces first and greets them with a friendly handshake or hug and a genuine interest in who they are (without being nosy) and warmly thank them for their presence.  There is one of our sister churches that is so friendly and loving that visitors are ready to join the church just after experiencing the pre-service greeting and the welcome time!  Jesus was so magnetic and welcoming that people wanted to be around him.  We should be the same way.
2. Conduct Special Evangelistic Events - Have community cookouts at the church facilities and provide a good experience for all ages.  Good food, music, and events for children are a tremendous way to welcome people to get familiar with the work of the church.  The church should be the center of the community and no place else.  A church may also want to have a special banquet or cookout to honor the civil servants in the community and publicly recognize them for their hard work.  Another good way to reach out to neighbors is to have community cookouts at the homes of church members.  Recruit other church members to commit a certain person’s home and go door to door with flyers personally inviting people to attend the event.  Everybody bring a food dish and share the work.  This can be an effective way to reach out in gated communities and apartment complexes.  A word of warning is necessary with these events.  Be purposeful with the gospel.  We are not to be just doing social ministry we are to be preaching the gospel.  At the beginning of each of these events welcome people and give a brief explanation of why you are doing the event.  Maybe something like this:  “The reason we are gathering today is because we are followers of Jesus who have been transformed by the power of His victory over sin.  Jesus died in our place to rescue us from our own sin and promises forgiveness of sin and eternal life for all who turn away from sin and trust Him as their Savior.  Jesus is alive today because God rose Him from the dead three days after His crucifixion.  Today we worship the living Savior and we are so excited about Him that we want to provide this time of blessing in our community.  If you would like to know more about following Jesus there are plenty of people here who can help you and I will always make myself available if you would like to visit.”  Encourage and equip the church members to be ready and intentional during these events without being obnoxious.  Love people and share Jesus with them.  

Cultivating A Culture of Evangelism - Part 1

I’m going to share some ideas from my experience that will hopefully be helpful to some of you regarding the evangelistic efforts in our churches.  I am assuming that we are already convinced of the imperative nature of this subject so here we go.

1. The Pastor as Personal Soul-Winner - we must live, breathe, eat, and sleep the longing for the salvation of souls.  We must be the trailblazers leading the way in evangelistic efforts.  The people in our churches will never go farther than they see the pastor go.  If our churches will be evangelistic then they must see the passion for lost people to be saved consistently lived out in the life of their pastor.  Every pastor needs to have a plan to saturate his community with the gospel.  What’s your plan?  We need not be overly concerned with the numerical count but we must be fully consumed with our faithfulness to go.  Let us live in the fields as laborers in the harvest not tucked away inaccessible to hurting people being destroyed by sin.  People need Jesus and He has sent us.  Let’s go! 
2. The Pastor as Personal Disciple-Maker - The success or failure of a church depends upon discipleship.  Discipleship really is a simple process.  Start with whoever you have and teach them everything Jesus has taught you.  See also Matthew 28:18-20.  Be intentional in every relationship you can make with people.  Take people to lunch and teach them what you know about the Bible.  Meet them for ice cream or coffee.  Just look at the way Jesus invested into His disciples.  He walked with them daily, prayed with them, taught them the Scriptures and used every surrounding and situation as a teaching opportunity.  Many people want large pulpit ministries but the truth is real discipleship involves the simplicity of meeting with one person or a small group and pouring into them.  There is only one superstar in the Kingdom of God and his name is Jesus.  The rest of us are servants.  Always remember these words from Paul to Timothy, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)  This is how a strong church is built.

PULLING THE RIPCORD: 10 Checkpoints in Church Planting PART 2

1. Taking Care of Details - There are several things a new church needs to have in place theologically and legally.  Since what we believe drives what we do it is imperative for the new church to have a concisely articulated doctrinal statement.  This will help to clarify the identity of the church which is so necessary as people make eternally important decisions with their church commitments.  The doctrinal statement of a church should express its core theological commitments in such a way that parameters of membership in that church are defined.  It should not be so wordy that it requires a formal degree in theology to understand but neither should it be minimized to lose substance.  B.H. Carroll once said, “Less creed and more liberty, is a degeneration from the vertebrate to the jellyfish.”  We should be clear and courageous about who we are and what we believe.  As much as anything else the doctrinal expression of a church will determine its future.  A doctrinal statement declares “what we believe” and Church Bylaws express “how we operate”.  Church polity needs to be defined in the life of a church and although the New Testament is filled with directions for how a church is to operate it does not present it in a nice, tight little package.  How will the church be led?  Is it an Elder-led plurality, a Pastor-led autocracy, a Deacon-led deliberation, or a Congregation-led free-for-all?  My recommendation is an Elder-led (not ruled over) body with a Pastor who leads with accountability to the Elders who are all responsible in their communication to the congregation and are served faithfully by Deacons.  The point here is that a church needs thorough bylaws to provide guidance in areas such as church leadership, church membership, practice of church ordinances, and association with other ministries.  There are also legal considerations to be made and details to fulfill.  I am certainly no attorney and a new church will be wise to consult legal counsel and a professional accountant on the issue of incorporation and non-profit status.  Here is what I have experienced.  While it is ideal for a church to operate without debt there are times especially in the life of a new church where borrowing some money might be appropriate.  If this is so then any lending institution will most likely require the church to be incorporated before lending any money.  And although a church is a not-for-profit organization it still needs to receive an “Employed Identification Number” with the Internal Revenue Service and make sure to stay current regarding all of their requirements.  A wise church will establish in its earliest days a team of people who will be accountable for the fiduciary responsibilities and a wise pastor will avoid such demands and temptations.
2. Communicating Identity - the name of a new church will speak identity mainly to those with a church background but in an increasingly non-Christian culture the non-believer does not recognize much identity in the name of a church.  There are certainly many wonderfully creative marketing techniques employed by many churches today and some of that can be helpful even though most of it will lead down the road of depending upon your trendy methodology apart from the Spirit of God.  The truth is that you will most clearly communicate the identity of the church by your interactions in the community.  If the church becomes known for delivering helpful truth and loving people no matter their situation then people will think of the church that way.  Doctrinal matters are critical and a church needs to be clear about “who we are” without deception.  Methodology is part of the message.  The way we do things speaks volumes about the message we speak.  Vance Havner once said, “People too often think that the end justifies the means but they forget that a corrupt means will eventually lead to a corrupt end.”  We should be clear about who we are to people who are making the most essential decisions of eternal impact about their church relationship.  
3. Investing Relationally - The success or failure of a church depends upon discipleship.  Discipleship really is a simple process.  Start with whoever you have and teach them everything Jesus has taught you.  See also Matthew 28:18-20.  Be intentional in every relationship you can make with people.  Take people to lunch and teach them what you know about the Bible.  Meet them for ice cream or coffee.  Real discipleship requires purpose otherwise it just turns into hanging out.  Just look at the way Jesus invested into His disciples.  He walked with them daily, prayed with them, taught them the Scriptures and used every surrounding and situation as a teaching opportunity.  Many people want large pulpit ministries but the truth is real discipleship involves the simplicity of meeting with one person or a small group and pouring into them.  There is only one superstar in the Kingdom of God and his name is Jesus.  The rest of us are servants.  Always remember these words from Paul to Timothy, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)  This is how a strong church is built.
4. Equipping and Going - A wise pastor will not only equip others to do the work of evangelism but he will lead the way in demonstration.  A new church start is a perfect time to begin to build a “Culture of Evangelism” in the life of the church.  “Equipping the saints for the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12) does not mean to sit in the office and ascend to the pulpit to impart your great knowledge upon those who should be out doing the work of ministry.  One of the most effective ways to equip people is to lead by example!  “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5)  Here is a varied list that can help:  Maintain a prospect list by asking others for prospects.  Provide them with cards to gain contact information, build an email list of those with whom you can regularly communicate.  I would not recommend delegating the leadership of evangelism to anyone else.  The pastor needs to lead the people in soul-winning especially in a new church plant.  Provide resources that will help others in their evangelistic efforts.  Make available books on sharing your faith, apologetics, gospel tracts, and pamphlets for everyone that will use them.  Be intentional to prepare the church with evangelism training and vary the times it is available in order to increase accessibility.  Go on an evangelistic short term mission trip ASAP.  Make sure you will be working with good national leaders and doing evangelism with sustainable churches.  There are many cross-cultural church trips today that are not actually mission trips.  However a genuine trip in a part of the world that is especially responsive to the gospel will empower the people with an increased boldness back home.  Extract the opportunities of small group relationships.  Each small group (including Sunday School) should be working the friendships for the sake of evangelism.  Equip the people and go do the work.  No healthy church is built without a lot of hard work but it is the best work on earth.      
5. Establishing Stability - So many churches start with great intentions but the real challenge is finishing well.  While it is certainly possible to over strategize and unintentionally inform God of what we will do, it also should be said that we need to have a plan.  Start with the end in mind.  How will we become established as a church and communicate that stability to the community we are reaching.  Sure flexibility is a must but if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.  In our culture, and most cultures, part of communicating this stability is expressed by the location of meeting.  When Grace Baptist started we met in an old gymnasium for close to 2 years and we persistently planned, prayed, and put back money for a permanent location.  We were all praying and looking and God led us to a 5 acre plot on the edge of town that we purchased for a small fraction of its appraised value today.  We had no idea what that spot would become but it will soon become one of the busiest thoroughfares in the North DFW metroplex!  The high cost of land makes it difficult for new churches to gain this sense of establishment in a community but we must try.  It will be best if a larger denominational body or network of churches would help with the foresight of buying land in future growth areas while it is still affordable but even if they don’t remember that God owns it all!  Many times we have not because we ask not or we ask the wrong person.  Some of the time we just need to be persistent in our asking.  God owns all the resources in the universe and He loves to give to His children.  Keep seeking, keep asking, keep knocking.  He will give in His time and in His way.  In the meantime, get a plan and work toward it always in a spirit of prayer and total dependence upon our sovereign Lord.