In my garage is a set of tools given to me several years ago as a Christmas gift from my wife. The tool kit contains open-end wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, Allen wrenches, and more. The organizers of this tool kit knew that different projects require different tools.
When it comes to building an evangelistic church, more than one tool is needed. Here are five evangelism tools that, when adopted and applied, can help a church reach their community with the good news of Jesus:
- Personal evangelism training: Christians who are taught how to share their faith will witness more than those who are not. Jesus was an advocate for training who taught His disciples to be soul-winners as they followed and learned from Him (Matthew 4:19). Witness training may be as simple as one believer taking another believer with them to do personal evangelism or as involved as a multi-session gathering where believers are taught to share their faith. Whatever the approach, remember believers need both encouragement and instruction to become active witnesses for Christ.
- Evangelistic gospel preaching: As a pastor preaches through a series or a book of the Bible, he will discover evangelistic sermons that demand proclamation. A congregation fed a steady diet of expository preaching that includes soul-winning messages will develop a passion and burden for their lost friends and neighbors. When Christians hear sermons on the conversion of the Philippian jailer, they think of the men they know who are far from God. When we listen to sermons on hell, we may develop a motivating concern for those lost and under condemnation.
- Evangelistic invitations: Invitations offered at the end of a message have fallen on hard times lately. Some pastors, because of concern over manipulation, have abandoned them altogether. However, Jesus extended invitations, and so should we. When a pastor, week after week, invites people to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, it creates an awareness for those in the services that personal conversion is the necessary entry into the Christian life. Whether the invitation is a “come to the front,” “go to the back,” “fill out a card,” “text this number,” or “talk with one of our leaders after the service,” people need to hear the call to repent and believe the gospel.
- Door to door evangelism: Not all people are open to a front porch visit where the gospel is explained and an invitation to receive Jesus is offered, but many are. Having practiced front door evangelism for most of my Christian life, I have experienced more openness than many of us are led to believe exists. Front door evangelism is not the only way to share the gospel in our Kentucky towns, cities, and communities, but it is one way. It is also an excellent way to train a young and growing believer in evangelism.
- Praying for lost people: One of the most straightforward tools we can use in our evangelism strategy is to pray for lost people by name regularly. I received a call from a man I led to the Lord telling me that his son, who we prayed for together for over two years, had recently repented and believed the gospel. Praying for the lost by name is something every believer can do to make an evangelistic difference.
Building an evangelistic church is a big job, and many tools are needed. If you would like to talk with someone about how your church can become more intentionally evangelistic by developing its evangelism strategy, send an email to your Kentucky Baptist Convention’s Evangelism Team at evangelism@kybaptist.org.
Dr. Todd Gray 