What is your evangelism strategy?

How you would you respond as a pastor, elder or ministry leader if someone asked, “What is your evangelism strategy?” 

Some leaders would have a ready answer, but many would not. Many pastors, elders and ministry leaders are busy with other important matters and have not given time to think through an intentional plan to reach their community with the gospel.  

Many of these same leaders have a preaching plan, a new members class, a budget that prioritizes spending and a mission strategy — but many do not have a plan for evangelism. 

In fact, a 2023 post from SharperIron.org pointed to a recent Church Answers poll that found only 1% of churches have an ongoing evangelism effort.   

Since evangelism is a central part of the Great Commission, the mission of every local church, it makes sense that pastors, elders and ministry leaders would think through their evangelism plan.  

Below are five evangelism strategies from Kentucky Baptist churches that could provide a starting point for any pastor, elder or ministry leader who hopes to lead evangelistically.  

1. “Going Outside the Walls” — One Kentucky Baptist church, led by the vision of its pastor, determined that members would go to all the homes in their community to invite their neighbors to attend church services. The first evening of this new initiative saw 150 church members show up to engage their community. They were armed with church invites cards and instruction for an “E-3” model of engagement involving three people: one stays in the car to pray, a second prays silently at the front door and the third knocks on the door and offers an invitation to church, and possibly a gospel conversation. They are seeing church attendance consistently on the rise and will likely see baptisms to match.  

2. “3 Circles Evangelism Training” — One Kentucky Baptist pastor used “3 Circles” evangelism training, “Turning Everyday Conversations into Gospel Conversations” as the church’s primary personal evangelism training tool. This pastor trained members of the congregations to share the gospel using 3 Circles but also used it as part of the church’s new member class. This practice equipped the church’s newest members to share what God was doing in their lives resulting in an increase in personal evangelism, salvations and baptisms.  

3. “Who’s Your One” — A few years ago the Kentucky Baptist Convention Evangelism Team partnered with Baptist associations and carried out a multi-stop equipping effort using the “Who’s Your One” evangelism prayer strategy. It’s designed to help churches lead their members to be intentionally evangelistic with people who were close to them but far from God. We heard stories from all over the state of people who prayed for their “one,” invited them to church or shared the gospel and celebrated as their “one” crossed over from spiritual death into new life in Christ. An entire evangelism strategy can be built around this excellent resource.  

4. Community Service — If you want to make a difference in your community, then find ways to bless your community. One KBC church has done that by going to its local school and offering to help. That conversation has opened numerous doors, brought new people into their church, resulting in baptisms and new disciples of Jesus. Another pastor has found an open door by serving first responders in his county. That outreach has resulted in seeing new families sitting in the pews on Sunday mornings.  

5. Baptism Goal — One KBC pastor has led his church to set annual baptism goals, serving to remind the congregation to focus on the Great Commission and to look to the One who is seeking and saving the lost. God has used this church to impact lostness in its community over the past few years, and it has experienced significant conversion growth. Setting a baptism goal is a matter of prayerfully considering how many people the church could reach in a year’s time and then praying to God consistently to win lost people to faith in Christ.  

Could God use these examples to help jump start your evangelism strategy?  

If you need help developing an evangelism strategy then consider talking to other pastors in your area, your associational missions strategist, or contact KBC’s Michael Cabell and Jason Hay to help you think through your plan for impacting your community with the gospel.  

Imagine what could happen if 2,300 KBC churches had an intentional plan to evangelize their communities and then, by the grace of God, executed that plan.