Successful Evangelism – What Efforts to Take

Time to minister the gospel to a lost world. Time to not only speak out for change in our nation but to
bring change through the greatest transforming power of all time. It’s time to step up our game in the
area of evangelism. The Church is being called to rise up and be the Church in the world. That involves many different things, but bringing people to Jesus and teaching them about their identity in Christ is always at the heart.

We, the Body of Christ, make up the local church. It is our job to be the change—not our pastors, ministers or elders. Some people say, “I don’t have the gift of evangelism.” But there is no such gift recorded in the Bible. Therefore, it’s not your pastor’s job to fill the empty seats in your church. It’s not your pastor’s job to reach your city. It’s yours.” Most people want to bring people to the Lord, but fear and intimidation keep them from knowing where to even start. So, if you want to evangelize but you’re not sure how or where to begin, we’ve got 10 practical tips for you.

Pray and fast

Does your own heart burn for the people at the market place who will spend eternity separated from God? If you do, then pray for them until you find yourself weeping for the lost people around you. There are many evangelism-oriented things to pray over.
If you believe Jesus, prayer is the first and most important piece in your evangelism
system, because it is the Lord who calls people to himself.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him…”
(John 6:44).

Teach the church to be light and salt in your community.

Light and salt can take the form of random acts of kindness, next door events, and partnering with local agencies. Equipping involves teaching your people to speak the name of Jesus and show his mercy in your city.

Invite your community to church.

You may think that your community could show up at your church any weekend, but that’s
the problem. Any weekend translates into “someday” which, unfortunately, never comes,
unless you do something about it. People need a reason to visit your church. Here are the three reasons that I think work best:

•    Special Weekends – you have a special guest who is such a big deal that the people in your city say, “Wow.”
•    Church Campaigns – you spend four to six weeks on a topic that addresses a big felt need of people outside church, like family, money, or meaning in life.
•    Comeback Events – you draw back people who came at one time, but have dropped out for one reason or another.

Make your church a place that people want to come back to.

It’s hard to get newcomers to stick around long enough to investigate Christianity if you
don’t make them feel comfortable. How’s your follow-up with newcomers? How do you help them get connected and integrated? Is your building in the best shape it can be? Does it smell clean? Can they find friends at your church? The answers to these questions are your Assimilation System.
Yes, I know, you could do wonders if you had more money, but elbow grease, good taste,
and friendly social skills cost zero dollars. Use what God has put in your congregation to
make your church an attractive place to be.

Follow-up with new believers.

Do you have someone who meets with a new believer at the end of the service to clarify
their commitment to Christ? Do you set up a follow-up time to meet with them to help them
take their first steps in their new relationship with Jesus?
You should personalize with the new believer by welcoming him\her to the church team members and to let each member meet personally with each new believer at the time and place most convenient to them.

Have a plan for helping new believers grow up spiritually.

No doubt you already have a system for discipleship in your church. It includes your
weekend services, small groups or Sunday School classes, ministry roles, stewardship, and
a smorgasbord of church events.
I hear pastors complain that the people in their church don’t ever really grow up in Christ.
You know them… stuck somewhere in spiritual adolescence… sometimes acting like an
adolescent.
What if they just need to know what maturity looks like and to be challenged to get there.
Rick Warren’s Base Path is discipleship genius. He makes it easy for people in his church
to see that there’s a goal, and how to get there. You can shape your discipleship offerings into a system and strategy with a little thought and prayer, a couple of meetings, and some graphic design and communication.

Preach every weekend knowing that there are people in the audience
who don’t know Jesus yet.

There are different people in the audience:
-Mature Christians who want to be challenged and learn something new about
the Bible.
-New Christians who need to see what it means to live for Jesus.
-Pre-Christians who should see that there just might be something for them in
this Jesus thing.
Insider language, assuming everyone is already saved, and polarizing politics will shoo
people who don’t know Jesus right out of your church. It’s hard to lead people to Jesus if
you scare them off before you ever get to the gospel.
Plus it’s harder to get your church members to invite their unchurched friends if you make
it awkward.

Present the gospel regularly in your children’s and youth ministries
and teach the kids how to share their faith.

Do your next generation ministries present the gospel on a regular basis and give the
children and teens an opportunity to live for Jesus? I hope so!
You’ll see fruit and growth in those departments if you make it about a real, life-changing
relationship with Jesus. It has to be fun and relational, of course, but Next Gen ministry is too critical for fun and size to be your primary priorities.
Be intentional about leading the next generation to Jesus, and to maturity in their faith, and
you will have a strong evangelistic outlook in your church.

Have a ministry in your church that teaches people how to share the
gospel.

I have learned over the years that pastors leading people to Christ from the platform does
not make an outwardly-focused church. An essential part of an evangelism system is a class that equips your church members to share their faith.

Provide missions trips or local outreaches where your people
personally share the Gospel with others.

Mission’s trips in evangelistically effective churches do more than build a house. The people on the trip go out to lead people to Jesus. Most people aren’t naturally evangelists, so a mission’s trip is an intensive opportunity for them to practice sharing their faith. Once they experience it on a trip, they will be more comfortable sharing Christ in their everyday lives. When you equip people to share their faith, and let them practice, and make it normal, you release a cadre of evangelists in your church and city.