1. F. Douglas Powe, Jr. Director Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Offering Christ
F. Douglas Powe, Jr.
Director
Lewis Center for Church Leadership

2. Community
“Evangelism involves not only sharing our faith with others, but welcoming them into a community and enabling them to begin to grow in their faith. Above all, evangelism is about love.” (page 9)

3. Transformation “Wesley sees evangelism as a life-transforming gift …
Salvation is the gift of a new life …
Any evangelism which stops short of proclaiming that our lives are transformed is simply not the good news.”
(page 13)

4. Salvation Salvation is offered to everyone.
“each person … is of infinite worth to God”
(page 14)

5. Salvation Everyone needs salvation.
“we have a problem we cannot fix, a disease we cannot cure … sin is not only what we do, it is a condition: we are sinners. As such, we need not only forgiveness but transformation.”
(page 15)

6. Salvation We can be forgiven.
“God deals with the guilt of sin by offering forgiveness, or justification … We receive this gift through faith alone … As a result, we are reconciled to God.”
(page 16)

7. Salvation We can receive new life.
“God deals with the condition of sin by offering a new life of love, or sanctification … As a result, we grow in the knowledge and love of God.”
(page 16)

8. Salvation We can be truly happy.
“We can have a happiness … peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It comes from being in a relationship with … God [and] … from being increasingly transformed into the persons we were created to be.”
(pages 16 – 17)

9. Wesleyan Evangelism is …
our sharing and inviting others to experience the good news that God loves us and invites us into a transforming relationship through which we are forgiven, receive new life, and are restored to the image of God.
(page 17)

10. A Journey We Begin… Transformation
More than just a decision
God saves, we only share our experience of salvation.
Process of growing and bearing fruit
(pages 20-22)

11. Community
“the role of the Christian community is to help individuals become more Christlike.”
Inviting
Sharing
(page 31)

12. The Means of Grace
An outward communication that conveys prevenient, justifying or sanctifying grace
It is a way of offering Christ that invites and sustains others for the journey

13. The Means of Grace Works of Piety Works of Mercy Prayer Scripture
Communion
Works of Mercy
Taking care of those in need
This work requires our personal touch

14. Community Believers were together (Acts 2:44) Praising God (Acts 2:47)
Breaking of Bread (Acts 2:46)
Distributing to the Needy (Acts 2:45)
Adding to the Number (Acts 2:47)
(pages 32-36)

15. Community
“For believers, community was a place to be held accountable to live out the gospel in deeds and not strictly words.”
(page 40)

16. Community
“One of the challenges today is we live in a society where many people want to stay anonymous … even when it comes to church. Yet, Wesley pushes against this notion … calling us to develop a deeper sense of community than many of us feel comfortable doing.”
(page 42)

17. Renewal
Renewal into the image of God
Love of God
Love of neighbor

18. Enter Enter into a relationship with God and neighbor.
We have to invite others into relationship.
Not coercive

19. Listening
Listen in love.
Not come prepared to talk

20. Acceptance Radical acceptance God accepts us.
Jesus accepts Peter after denials.

21. Testimony
Tell others what God is doing.
We want to share the story.

22. Testimony How can our lives become testimonies?
How do we help people to experience the presence of the Holy when they encounter us?

23. Inviting
We invite others to join the community of faith.
Hospitality

24. Hospitality Is making space for new people to have a voice
Is making space for new ways of encountering God

25. Hospitality

26. Ongoing
It is not a program.
Life-style change

27. New Being Inward and Outward Holiness
An assumption that I want to be changed — to be new

28. Assurance We have assurance when we are children of God.
Know this by our fruit.
H.S. intersects with our story to help us live as children of God.

29. Live-it
We live a transformed life.
Love God, Love Neighbor

30. Questions
Name three ways you can share a message of hope with others outside of your congregation?
Name three ways you can invite others to experience hope?
Name three events you can invite others to experiences that are not worship or Sunday school?