5. Lead in evangelism.
I suppose this is obvious, but you need to lead in evangelism. It’s not enough just to preach the gospel, though that’s of first priority. The congregation will know if you’re sharing your faith personally. Of course you’re so busy with Christians that it makes your job more difficult. Yes, you have a hard job. But tell your congregation of your desire to share your faith, get them to pray, and tell them of your successes and failures.
6. Make sure that everyone is on game.
You want the whole church to speak of Jesus—not just the pastor. This is why the church should regularly be asked about their evangelistic opportunities. And don’t forget: they can help you. Tell your members that, if it would help them, you’d love to talk with their non-Christian friends.
Perhaps you’d find it useful to get my book Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus on why a heathy church is the most important means of evangelism.
Champion evangelists in the congregation. Pray for them corporately, and ask them how it’s going. If the congregation knows this a priority to the leadership of the church, then they’re more likely to practice it as a priority in their lives.
Of course, you want to talk your people to talk about successful evangelistic opportunities, but don’t forget to share stories of failure. Ninety-nine percent of my evangelistic efforts don’t go anywhere, but when that happens it’s helpful just to know that we’re in the battle.
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7. Be practical, but not pragmatic or programmatic.
Just like you, your congregation needs help to share their faith. But don’t set up a bunch of evangelistic programs. I often say that programs are to evangelism what sugar is to nutrition. Programs may make you feel like you’ve done evangelism when you haven’t, just as eating sugar may make you feel like you’ve eaten when you haven’t.
Having said that, do help your congregation get in the game with some practical helps. Here’s an example: Covenant Hope Church in Dubai had everyone write out five non-Christian friends on a card and had people pray about sharing with the folks on that list. How simple and practical. They had them put it in their purse or wallet and they refer to it regularly. Have them think through the plan: an invitation for coffee, an email with an invite to church, etc. Help your congregation understand that if everyone is sharing their faith it will be much more effective than any church-wide evangelistic program, no matter how large that might be.
8. Be bold and clear when you share your faith.
I don’t mean be offensive and abrasive when you share your faith. I just mean take more risks in evangelism. Be honest; let people know where you’re coming from. This may sound a bit strange, but one of the great things about being up front about your desire to talk to people about the gospel is that if you’re rebuffed, you’ve saved a lot of time for them and you.
9. Know the gospel, speak the gospel and live the gospel.
Know how to say the message of the gospel in clear and unassuming language, and make sure members of the congregation know how to say the gospel in a minute or two in their own words, too.
I’ve noticed something over the years in my attempts to share my faith: If you don’t regularly ponder on, pray about, apply and speak the gospel, then it will become fuzzy and distant. I think it’s the spiritual maxim that what you have will be taken away from you—or, to employ a cliché: Use it or lose it.
Help the congregation know how to apply the gospel to their lives in areas of sin and repentance, forgiveness and holiness. Help them see how the gospel is not just what gets us saved, but a well in the center of life that we should draw from daily.
10. Use books not tracts.
For giveaways and welcome gifts for visitors, prioritize brief and readable books rather than tracts. So many people I’ve known have come to faith though The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney, or What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert.
Don’t be chintzy. Give out books that explain the gospel, and train your members to be willing to go over the books with the seekers who get them.
This article on evangelism originally appeared here.
