We keep track of all the visitors that attend New Hope each week. We consider a “visiting family group” to be from 1 individual to a family of five. In the 2009 year we had a total of 281 visiting family groups come through our doors. Obviously, some were visiting family from out of town because of a holiday, baby dedication, or special event, but the majority are within driving distance and are potential converts and new church members.
There were 86 visiting family groups in the Saturday night services, 60 visiting family groups in the Sunday 9AM service, and a whopping 135 visiting family groups in the Sunday 10:30AM service. In a day when nothing is traditional any more, seekers still choose to attend that 10:30 AM service over the other alternatives.
The 10:30 service is a mission field! On an average Sunday there will be two visiting family groups attend that service (last Sunday there were 7). These are people who have expressed an interest in our church, have never been here before, and are prime targets for what we say our mission is: To make disciples who make disciples. It also contains those who come back a second, third, and fourth time: great potential.
If anyone really wanted to make a difference in the Kingdom of God, that’s the service to attend and become involved in. That’s the service where needs are the greatest. That’s the service to be praying for.
Tags: church, evangelism
“On the eleventh day of Christ my True Love sent to me: Eleven Pipers Piping“.
The eleven Pipers represent the eleven faithful apostles. Jesus had hand-chosen them, including the one unfaithful apostle. Each of these apostles was given the intense training of Jesus Christ Himself. They walked through crises with Jesus, heard His messages repeatedly, saw signs and wonders, and experienced bitter persecution.
They each received a calling (the word ‘Apostle’ means ’sent one’). Some, like James, lived a short ministry, while others, like John, lived a long ministry. Each, with the exception of John, died a violent death at the hands of their persecutors. And each leaves a legacy of church plants and hundreds of converts to Christianity. They each received a message and took it to the far corners of their world. They were the eleven Pipers Pipers the good news of Jesus Christ.
Tags: apostles, evangelism
Elmer Towns promoted an idea that many churches have built upon: Friendship Evangelism. He taught that before you had the right to talk to someone about their faith, you had to develop a friendship relationship with them. You do that by hanging out with them, playing with them, asking them questions about themselves that shows you care.
Our culture has made some negative turns in this area. The invention of the garage door opener has made it possible to drive out of your garage in the morning and drive into your garage in the evening, and never have to even see your neighbors. Some people moved into a new housing addition near my house named ‘Country Village’, and immediately put up a privacy fence to keep the country out.
Every house used to have a big front porch with a swing, now we build a back deck so we don’t have to meet people. Friendship is a dying art. You can’t go up to a stranger cold turkey and ask if they know Jesus. You must build a trust relationship with them. Once they believe you care about them, then they’ll let you into their real lives.
Tags: Caring, evangelism, friendship
In his book The No-Guilt Guide to Witnessing, George Sweeting tells that during a serious shortage of currency in Great Britain, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) selected a group of men to search for silver to meet the need.
Several months later they filed this report: “We have searched the empire in vain to find silver. To our dismay, we found none except in the great cathedrals, where the saints are constructed of choice silver.”
When he heard that discouraging report, Cromwell issued this order: “Let’s melt down the saints and put them into circulation.”
As we conclude this series on Evangelism, I suggest we follow Cromwell’s advice today. Let’s put ourselves into circulation in the world around us and see what God might do through us.
Tags: evangelism, saints, silver
Whenever the young men whom John Wesley sent out to preach returned, he would ask two questions: “Was anyone converted?” and “Did anyone get angry?” If the answer was no to both questions, he cautioned them about entering the ministry. He explained that when God’s Word is faithfully presented, people either believe or they become antagonistic.
I’ve noticed that in our church. People either feel that this is “home”, and can’t wait to come back again, or they come up with some gripe about the church and why it isn’t a “good” church. The gospel either opens hearts or it causes people to harden their hearts. We’re not responsible for how others respond to the gospel; we are, however, responsible for making sure they hear the clear gospel presentation.
What was your reaction when you first heard the gospel clearly presented?
Tags: evangelism, ministry, preaching, Wesley
Pastor John A. Huffman, Jr. understands evangelism well. He once told his congregation, “This sanctuary can be a salt-shaker. You can come in here once a week, have a lot of fellowship with all the other salt and think your job is accomplished. Instead, God wants to pick up this sanctuary and shake you out all over this city. He has brought you together as His salt only to scatter you. He wants you to be an influence for Jesus.”
Well said. Where is the salt needed? Whose life is messed up and needs a little of the salt God has developed within you? Keeping salt in the shaker isn’t what it was intended for. This is what you were created for, church. There should be a whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on.
Tags: evangelism, salt, sanctuary
A Sunday school teacher named Edward Kimball wasn’t always sure his life had much consequence. In 1858, he at least was able to lead a shoe clerk to Christ. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist, and in 1879 Moody awakened an evangelistic zeal in the heart of F. B. Meyer, the pastor of a small church in New England. Meyer, preaching on a college campus, won a student named J. Wilbur Chapman to Christ.
While Chapman was engaged in YMCA work, he employed a former baseball player named Billy Sunday to help with evangelistic meetings. Sunday held a series of services in the Charlotte, N. C. area, and a group of local men were so enthused by the meetings that they planned another campaign. This time they brought preacher Mordecai F. Ham to town.
During one of his meetings, a young man named Billy Graham yielded his life to Christ. Since then, millions have heard the gospel through Graham’s ministry. Kimball had started quite a ripple effect!
Go ahead, start a ripple effect of your own.
Tags: evangelism, influence, ripple