OUTREACH EVERYONE OUTREACH is for EVERYONE General Conference EVANGELISM MANUAL Women’s Ministries EVANGELISM MANUAL Training Program

OUTREACH IS FOR EVERYONE Chapter 2. Chapter 2. Preparing The Church General Conference Women’s Ministries Department

“Personal effort for others should be preceded by much secret prayer; for it requires great wisdom to understand the science of saving souls. Before communicating with [others], commune with Christ. At the throne of heavenly grace obtain a preparation for ministering to the people.” Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 149

Personal Preparation need to be prepared personally. Both the church and the individuals leading an evangelistic series need to be prepared personally.

How does one prepare? Make sure that you have a strong relationship with Christ. Make sure that you have a strong relationship with Christ. Spend quality time with Him each day and especially on Sabbath. This includes time in prayer and Bible study. It is essential that you make a radical commitment It is essential that you make a radical commitment to Christ in order to reach the world for Him.

We will never be successful in soul winning without the guidance and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Our greatest need is for the Spirit. He is the one who will fit us for this great work We will never be successful in soul winning without the guidance and infilling of the Holy Spirit. Our greatest need is for the Spirit. He is the one who will fit us for this great work

“The Holy Spirit is given to bring to our remembrance the words and works of Christ, spoken for the salvation of the soul; and if this Spirit were recognized and appreciated, spiritual life would increase one hundred-fold.” (Ellen G. White, “The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” Signs of the Times, No. 3, January 20, 1898.)

Preparatory Retreats and Prayer Groups A variety of programs is available to help the church prepare for evangelistic meetings A variety of programs is available to help the church prepare for evangelistic meetings—to prepare spiritually, prepare to witness, and prepare to become involved.

RETREATS One wonderful source of revival is a spiritual retreat—a time when the church can gather to pray and fellowship together at a relaxing, lovely place where they can be together with God.

it would be wonderful to have a women’s retreat to prepare for revival among the women. If the planned evangelistic event is to be held by women for women in the community, it would be wonderful to have a women’s retreat to prepare for revival among the women. If the retreat is conducted in the right spirit and the women are encouraged to seek for a revival, great good can be accomplished.

GUIDELINES Excellent guidelines for organizing a retreat are available at and from your Women’s Ministries Department, or the General Conference Women’s Ministries Department,

Elements of a Good Retreat Have a good speaker, a spirit-filled person who can inspire and lead in revival. Allow Bible study time, relational or inductive Bible study. Include inspirational group singing.

Schedule time for prayer. Encourage conversational prayer. People can pray short, earnest, one-sentence prayers. Even songs can be prayers. Be sure the group is close enough together to hear each prayer. Do not pack the schedule so there is no time for private prayer and reflection, and for the Holy Spirit to work.

Prayer Conference/Retreat An excellent alternative to a retreat is a prayer conference. Resources are available in most divisions. Contact your Women’s Ministries leaders for information.

Prayer and Fasting People can gather to pray rather than eating a heavy meal together. If they do eat, keep it light so the brain will not be dulled by overeating

You may wish to suggest the following as subjects for prayer.

Encourage the people to pray for themselves and their own spiritual lives. Invite them to pray for their family, church members, friends and neighbors. Most important, encourage them to pray for the unchurched whom they know, ones who have left God and need to return.

Prayer Chain. This is a good way to bring prayer needs before church members. One person calls one or more persons with a prayer need and then asks them to call others until all church members are praying for that need.

Prayer Walks. Prayer walking is an excellent way for members not only to pray for the community, but to meet people in their homes in a non- threatening way. To make the program successful:

Encourage all who have committed to pray to meet with the leader for ten minutes each week after the church service. Have conversational, short prayers directed toward the winning of souls through the evangelistic meeting. This same group can meet once a month for one hour of conversational prayer.

In preparation for the meetings, each member of this group will be encouraged to select a block of the city, and then silently (or praying aloud in groups of two) walk up and down the block praying for each home. After prayer walking for at least a month, the walkers may hang prayer request cards on the doorknobs of their block. They then return to pick them up and pray specifically for the requests listed.

If they feel comfortable, they might knock on the door rather than leaving the card and simply explain they are from the Adventist Church, praying for people in their community and wonder if they have any requests. After praying for these requests for two weeks, they should knock on the doors of those homes to let people know they have been praying for them. They may want to check back at least once a month to let people know they are still being prayed for.

Those who are interested in prayer could be invited to join a community prayer group. The week before the meetings begin, the members who have been praying should knock on the doors of the people they have been praying for and visiting each month and give them a flyer (or perhaps a video if available) inviting them to the meetings.

Prayer Group. Organizing people to pray in groups for others can make a difference in their lives and the lives of the people they are praying for.

Here are some ideas for a prayer group

Have a short preparatory Bible study Have a short preparatory Bible study on prayer. Together, read short passages Together, read short passages from books on prayer. Make lists Make lists of things to pray for.

Have prayer partners. Call daily or weekly to pray for each other and for those in the community Remember to pray for others in the community

Avoiding Burnout, it is important to keep balance in your life. As you work under the pressure of an evangelistic program and its deadlines, it is important to keep balance in your life. Make sure that you have time for proper diet, exercise and time with your family.