Praying Your Neighbors to Christ Evangelism Strategy Soul-Winning Commitment Day

Suggested Date: October 2, 2011 However, you can plan your evangelism emphasis any time of the year. The materials are undated.

How can Soul-Winning Commitment Day help your church? 1.Provide new focus 2.Reach the lost 3.Mobilize your people 4.Grow your church 5.Cause us to live with urgency

This year’s emphasis focuses on prayer evangelism using a new resource: Praying Your Neighbors to Christ Evangelism Strategy There are two options that can be used for your Soul- Winning Commitment Day that are available.

Benefits PYNC is designed to help any size church Equip its members in personal evangelism. Engage its members in the community through prayer evangelism. Discover the needs of neighbors and actively pray for them. Revitalize its congregation and its participation in the Great Commission. Become more relevant in its community. Mobilize its members to intentionally share the gospel. Celebrate the great things God is doing in their midst.

Resources Include Leader & Participant’s Guide Sermon ideas on prayer and evangelism by key pastors Poster Sunday School/small group lessons Prayer evangelism training Personal evangelism training Skit Orders of worship ideas Planning calendar Commitment Cards/Heart Commitment Card And other ideas/materials All are available at

Option 1 Review Option 1Planning Guide Whether you are doing your Soul-Winning Commitment Day on October 2nd or another day, this booklet gives you everything you need to plan your Praying Your Neighbors to Christ emphasis. You do not have to use all of the materials recommended in the guide. Only use the ones you feel will best meet your church's needs and your expectations. Option 1

Purpose Praying Your Neighbors to Christ is an eight-week evangelistic outreach that will assist a local church in the development of a strategy to saturate its community with prayer, connect with neighbors, and share Christ. The timeline is only a suggestion and can be shortened or adjusted to fit your particular schedule or need. There are two options that can be used in this year’s resource. Option 1 is a more detailed version and Option 2 is a more simple approach. You can use one or both. Option 1

Simple Overview of Option 1 If you are planning your Soul-Winning Commitment Day on October 2nd: The church will plan a special event/activity for late October/November. It could be a simple block party, a special sermon series, Halloween alternative, concert, and so on. During the month of September, the pastor is encouraged to preach motivational sermons on prayer and evangelism. Sunday School/small group lessons should be taught and are provided. The church will enlist and train participants to be Intercessors in August/September. Intercessors will be encouraged to select five neighbors (or others) for whom they will begin to pray. Intercessors can be entire families or individuals. Option 1

Role of Intercessors Each Intercessor will be given a Prayer Guide. They will contact five neighbors/others and share their church’s strong commitment to praying for the community. They should explain to each neighbor that their pastor is leading a neighborhood prayer emphasis and has asked church members to begin praying for the needs of their neighbors/others. They will share that each prayer request will be kept in strictest of confidence. Option 1

They will write down their neighbor’s requests in their Praying Your Neighbors to Christ Participant’s Prayer Guide. They will tell the neighbors/others that each day at a certain time they will be praying for their needs and would like to contact them regularly for updates, more requests, and how God has answered their prayers. They will ask when would be the best time and the best way to contact them for updates. It may be a visit, phone call, or . After each contact, the Intercessors will fill out or update the information they have received in the prayer guide. Option 1

Praying Your Neighbors to Christ Planning Calendar (This is only a suggestion and can be changed according to your needs.) Week 1 Soul-Winning Commitment Launch Day (October 2 nd ) Commission Intercessors. Intercessors begin contacting/praying for their neighbors. Week 2-Week 4 Encouraging s/contacts to families by Intercessors. Motivational messages on prayer and evangelism by pastor. Promote PYNC event or celebration to church family. Enlist testimonies from Intercessors to share in worship service. Intercessors may also invite them to their home for an informal dinner, coffee, or some other simple activity or event. Option 1

Week 6 Intercessors will confirm with their neighbors their attendance at the PYNC celebration. They will continue to contact and pray for their neighbors. Week 5 As relationships are created, the Intercessors will invite the neighbors to a PYNC event. This may be a simple block party, a special sermon series, Halloween alternative, concert, and so on. Intercessors will have been trained in personal evangelism and will be sensitive to opportunities to share Christ. Option 1

Week 7 PYNC activity/event. Share Christ during the celebration/event with the neighbors. Register all guests for further contact. Week 8 Continue praying, witnessing, and following up. Option 1

Option 2 Review Option 2 Planning Guide Option 2 is a more simple but an effective Soul- Winning Commitment Day emphasis. It involves: Planning and promoting a simple event for October or November (this could be a Halloween alternative, wild-game dinner, special sermon series, etc.) Planning a special Launch Sunday for October 2nd rd. All the resources necessary are on such as Order of Worship suggestions, skit, sermon ideas, poster, etc.

During the month of September (If you are having your Soul-Winning Commitment Day on October 2 nd ) Plan and conduct an evangelism training class such as the One-Hour Witnessing Workshop. Pastor preaches four sermons on prayer and evangelism.(ideas are on Sunday School/small group leaders teaching four lessons on prayer provided in the materials. Option 2

On Soul-Winning Commitment Day On Soul-Winning Commitment Day, each member can be give a Prayer Card (available through the NAMB store) or HEART Prayer Commitment Card (PDF included on thebigday.org) and will be encouraged to select three neighbors (or others) for whom they will begin to pray. Pastor preaches a strong sermon on evangelism to motivate and encourage believers to reach their community for Christ. The pastor leads in a time of prayer and gives an opportunity for members to fill out the Prayer Card or HEART Commitment Card with the names of those for whom they will pray. A HEART Prayer Guide is provided in the resources that can be used. Option 2

Before the event/activity you have planned: Believers will pray for and look for opportunities to build relationships with those on their prayer cards. They may invite those on their cards to a coffee, dinner at their home, lunch, etc. They will invite those on the cards to the special event/activity that has been planned. They will continue to look for opportunities to share Christ. Option 2

After the event/activity you have planned: Believers will continue to pray for and look for opportunities to build relationships. All decisions will be followed-up upon. Every effort will be made to incorporate and assimilate new believers and prospects into the life of the church. Excellent follow-up processes, resources and ideas are in the additional resource section of Option 2

Soul-Winning Commitment Day All resources at: For more resources go to: