How to plan a group evangelistic effort

Below is a lesson I preached on Sunday, May 24, 2009, at the Spring Warrior Church of Christ in Perry, FL. The sermon is entitled, "Campaigning for Evangelism: Thinking Through our Efforts for Numerical Growth."

Spring Warrior recently divided itself into four work groups for the purpose of involving all the members in group evangelistic, benevolent, and correction activities.

As a trial lawyer and sometime political campaign manager, I saw lessons in Christ's "Little Commission" in Matthew 10:5-20 that I believed groups could employ in their own evangelistic planning.

You can view the sermon at Scribd.com, or view the embedded version below:

Work Ideas for churches, groups & individuals

*** This post will be updated as new ideas surface. ***
Please share your ideas and feedback by posting a comment.

In January 2009, Spring Warrior's elders have created four "work groups" for the congregation. Four groups were created because their are three elders and five deacons. Thus, every group has either an elder and a deacon or two deacons.

The idea behind the groups is to motivate the entire membership to participate more in the work of the church in terms of evangelism, edification, benevolence and discipline, and to foster more interaction between the members with the idea of growing stronger relationships.

Each groups meets once a month in the home of one of the group members. The idea being that interacting with one another in each other's homes will help strengthen the relationships between the members.

This post will serve simply as a list, or a catalog, of ideas that the groups can do together.

Evangelism

1. Door-to-Door Campaign
2. Direct Mail (see Handouts and mailings below)
3. Newspaper advertisements for Gospel Meetings
4. Weekly newspaper articles (e.g., Prove All Things, What Would Jesus Do?)
5. Yard Signs advertising church events such as Gospel Meetings
   
6. Gospel meetings
7. Debates
8. Vacation Bible School
9. Radio call-in shows
10. Internet web page, Facebook page (Photo of building, map to location, meeting times, telephone number to preacher and elders, copies of articles published in paper, powerpoint sermons, mp3 sermons, etc.)
    
11. Bible readings similar to, but not exactly like this one in Britain where people took turns reading from the Scriptures from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with reasonable breaks for meals, refreshments.
    
12. Lectures
13. Home studies
    

Benevolence - identify and meet the needs of brethren who are:

1. Needy
2. Unemployed
3. Under-employed
4. Widows
5. Orphans

Edification - Send notes, visit and/or call the following people to encourage them:

1. Sick
2. Hospitalized
3. In Jail
4. Preachers whom the local church supports in other areas
5. Widows, the lonely, and shut-ins
   
6. Orphans
7. Brethren withdrawn from in the past
   

Handouts, Mailings

1. Postcards - Having run political campaigns in the past, I have come to recognize the power of direct mail, particularly postcards. Most direct mail is thrown away immediately, even postcards, but a well-design postcard with good pictures, color contrast, few words can catch the eye and hold the attention better than an envelope, which may never get opened.
   
1. About church
2. About gospel meeting
3. Upcoming sermons
4. Upcoming Bible classes
5. Vacation Bible School
6. Other news and events
2. CDs, DVDs - Although I have listened to audio sermons on CDs for years, I haven't really finished my thoughts on what should be on such a CD or DVD.

Small group Evangelism/Edification ideas:

Gather at a home to:

1. Watch a religious theme movie and discuss its accuracies, inaccuracies and liberties. Open the Bible to assist the discussion.
   
2. Start a book club to discuss books such as, The Five Love Languages, How to Win Friends and Influence People, or something else, but again open the Bible to find parallels and departures from God's truth.
3. Simply spend time with one another sharing meals, playing board games, etc., always include brethren and non-brethren. Try to use these events as a means to let non-brethren get to know you and your brethren away from church so the worship environment is less intimidating, especially for those who haven't been visited a church.
   

Jesus Would Evangelize

Jesus Would Evangelize

by Bill Blue

People oftentimes place importance on a person’s final words. What can lessons can we learn from Jesus’ final instructions to the apostles before He ascended into heaven?

JESUS EXPECTS US TO EVANGELIZE. The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts all record that Jesus’ final instructions to the apostles included the commands to preach the gospel (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:44-52, John 21:15-17; Acts 1:8).

Matthew and Mark quote Jesus as requiring the Gospel to be preached in “all nations” (Matt. 28:20; Luke 24:47), and to “the whole human race” (Mark 16:15 - AMPLIFIED BIBLE).

JESUS EXPECTS US TO PREACH THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM. According to Jesus, baptism is necessary for salvation (Mark 16:16), and to become one of His disciples (Matt. 28:19). Luke records that Jesus commanded, “repentance and remission of sins should be preached” (Luke 24:47). Peter, Luke, and Paul all say that baptism is for the remission or “washing away,” of sins (Acts 2:38. 22:16).

JESUS EXPECTS US TO OBEY HIS COMMANDS AS THEY ARE GIVEN. The apostles and early disciples followed Jesus’ instructions exactly. Luke wrote that Jesus commanded the apostles to remain in Jerusalem after His ascension and wait for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Then, preach the gospel first in Jerusalem, then the rest of Judea, Samaria and finally the rest of the world.

46 “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the
Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the
Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are
endued with power from on high.’” (Luke 24:46-49) “But you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8,
NKJV).

Following this instruction, the apostles returned to Jerusalem (Luke 24:52; Acts 1:12). They were in Jerusalem when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:12–2:4). Immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter preached the first gospel sermon in Jerusalem and 3,000 people were baptized (Acts 2:14, 41). Afterwards, Peter and others continued preaching and working miracles until the doctrine of Christ had “filled Jerusalem” (Acts 5:28).

Later, Philip went to Samaria. Many there “heeded” his teachings, and were baptized through his preaching of Jesus and the kingdom of God (Acts 8:5-6, 8:12-14).

Other Christians, fleeing Jewish persecution, spread the Gospel “as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch” (Acts 11:19-20). Eventually, the apostles and others succeeded in “turn[ing] the world upside down” (Acts 17:6) for the Gospel had not only been successful in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, but also “throughout almost all of Asia” (Acts 19:26).

Thus, as Jesus commanded, the apostles preached the gospel first in Jerusalem and Judea, then Samaria and the rest of the world.

JESUS EXPECTS US TO FOLLOW THE APOSTLES’ EXAMPLES AND TEACHINGS. Jesus instructed the apostles to teach the new disciples they baptized to obey everything He commanded the apostles (Matt. 28:20). Thus, we too, are responsible for “preaching” or “proclaiming” God’s word (2 Tim. 4:2; 1 Pet. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:15).

Jesus Evangelism Preach What Would Jesus Do? WWJD?
Spring Warrior Christian Christianity Church of Christ Church of Christ