AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Acts 1:8 “You shall be my witnesses…in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.”

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK I Timothy 2: 3-4 “ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK This presentation is not intended to be a step by step “how to” instruction on how to conduct evangelism in your church. The purpose of this presentation is give your committee some ideas on how to start and sustain an active Evangelism Committee in your congregation. No one has all the answers, however we pray that this presentation might be used by the Holy Spirit to encourage the pastor and laypeople to be active in the area of evangelism.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK CONTENTS Purpose of a Committee Level One Evangelism Level Two Evangelism Level Three Evangelism Ideas from the Field

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK PURPOSE OF AN EVANGELISM COMMITTEE   The committee or board bearing the name, “Evangelism,” has the task of keeping the leadership and members of the congregation outreach minded. This group does not have the sole duty for “doing” the entire evangelistic work of the congregation.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK The word most commonly associated with this activity is, “Evangelism.” Evangelism means “to tell the Good News of God’s love for all people through the person and work of Jesus.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK A Simple Motivation The Great Commission, Matthew 28:16-20 “Make disciples of all nations” by “going, baptizing and teaching.”   Acts 1:7-8 Jesus simply states, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the to the ends of the earth.”

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Some NUTS & BOLTS

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK THREE SUGGESTED LEVELS FOR AN EVANGELISM COMMITTEE PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS LIFESTYLE/FRIENDSHIP WITNESSING EVANGELISM TRAINING

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK LEVEL ONE: PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS   This level includes anything and everything that holds the name, purpose and activities of your church before the community. This level is unthreatening to most people and therefore allows you to involve many people who might otherwise shy away from anything bearing the name, “Evangelism.”

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Word of Mouth Always the best form of publicity Intentionally done by frequently reminding members to tell friends, relatives, co-workers and acquaintances about your church and things that are happening there, especially regarding upcoming events (VBS, Friendship Sunday, Mission Festival, Sunday school, Adult Education opportunities, etc.)

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Word of Mouth Stress the importance of a positive attitude among the membership toward the church worship, pastor, educational programs, fellowship, etc. Your ideas…

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Using Weekly Bulletin Announcements It’s a great idea to have outreach reminders and tips printed weekly in the church bulletin.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK On Site Advertising Special signs for events Church sign Appearance of property

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK On Site Appearance First impressions of the interior of the church when entering are very important Greeters and general reception by members are a plus Your ideas…

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Media Advertising Web based pages (homepage, Facebook, etc…) These days, the internet has become the dominant means for locating services of any kind. It is highly advisable to have at least a simple home page for your church. This will allow people to easily locate and contact the church.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Media Advertising Radio TV ads Weekly newspaper announcement Special event ads News release Yellow pages Your ideas…

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Other advertising Direct mail programs Service activities Your ideas…

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Level One Goal Setting… Sample Level One Goal: Activities of the congregation will be regularly publicized to the church and community. Your Ideas…

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Achievable Objectives… Sample Level One Objective: By Wednesday of each week the publicity committee will update the web page with the time of services, theme of the sermon and any upcoming special activities. Your Ideas…

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK LEVEL TWO: LIFESTYLE/FRIENDSHIP OUTREACH

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK 75-90 percent of people trace their connection to a particular congregation through a friend, relative, neighbor, co-worker, etc.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK The leadership and congregational members: Need to be aware of how many in their community are un-churched. Need to be taught the different ways they can be involved in spreading the Good News. Need to be reminded regularly of God’s great love in sending His only Son so that all may spend eternity with Him.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Level Two Goal: Members will gain skills and be motivated to share their faith in Christ

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Level Two Objective: (Sample) By _(date)__ the Evangelism Committee will request that the Central Illinois District present a witness workshop at our church.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK LEVEL 3 EVANGELISM TRAINING This level will involve fewer people as the Christian is prepared to sit down and discuss another person’s life situation in light of the Gospel.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Needed at this level are people who… are strong in their faith and regular in Bible study enjoy talking to people are good listeners are patient, allowing the Holy Spirit to work are willing to receive specific training in making a presentation of the Christian faith will be specifically recruited for the task

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK The Utilization of the Evangelism Committee When calling on newcomers to the community or acting on referrals from other sources Follow-up (phone) call on visitors to worship or other church activity, Sunday school, VBS or Christian Day School Contact the un-churched spouse of a member of the congregation

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Recruiting Committee Members Prepare a “job description” before recruiting a committee so they know clearly what is being asked of them.   Look for people talented in each of the three levels of evangelism. For example, someone with writing talents or advertising experience could be responsible for the first level.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Job Description could include: a statement of the main purpose of the committee a description of the three levels of evangelism a statement of qualification for the position a listing of tasks and duties

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS: make sharing the Good News of Jesus your top priority make Bible study and prayer a regular part of the committee meeting recruit committee members who have a heart for the lost know the community in which you live and the needs of the people who reside there provide opportunity for committee members to grow in their knowledge of evangelism encourage others in the congregation to become involved

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Level Three Goal: (Sample) Visitors will be contacted within 48 hours of attendance at our church

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK Level Three Objective: (Sample) By __(Date)__ four people will be identified and trained to make calls on visitors.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK RECAP Consider working in all three levels of the evangelism task: Level One; publicity and Public Relations Level Two: Lifestyle/Friendship Witnessing Level Three: Evangelism Calling

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK IDEAS FROM THE FIELD… Now it’s time for you to talk about your ideas for your congregation.

AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK This Power Point presentation has been left open for congregations of the Central Illinois District of the LC-MS to change or edit for local use at their discretion. If you would like to add to or make suggestions for the improvement of this presentation, please contact the CID District Office in Springfield, IL. May God bless your congregation as you seek to serve Him.