Evangelism Coach

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Tim Schraeder writes “June 22 was a sad day at Park Community Church, we lost a dearly beloved friend … our weekly program.”  (Thanks to Church Marketing Sucks writing Death to the Church Bulletin)

Chris Forbes writes: Diary of an Expensive Church Planting Marketing Outreach Flop.  He writes:

Areas to think about when Planning a Marketing Campaign

Audience: When you buy media you are not buying media per se, you are buying eyes and ears of particular people. Audience comes first in media. When you have done your homework, you know who your audience is and you find the media channels that reach them best. When you don’t have a particular audience in mind, media sales people have a way of convincing you their media is the best way to reach people. Know the people you want to reach!

Use of Media: Think about media as the tools you use to travel to the audience you want to reach. It’s like traveling in a train. Say you wanted to get to New York City by train. You can’t get on just any train to get to New York. Imagine someone saying after failing to get to New York by train, “I tried train travel, but trains can’t get you to New York. The Devil wants to keep me outta NYC!” The fact is trains can get you to New York, if you take the right trains. You have to take a train that is going to New York. In the same way, you need the right media “vehicle” to get to your audience.

Mark Buchanan wrote “Wreck the Roof,” a reflection off of Mark 2 when the religious folk were upset that the friends made a whole in the roof to lower the paralytic.

Roof-tile Syndrome is when we are so caught up in the preaching of Jesus, we turn our backs to the needs of those still outside the building. We become barriers and not gateways. It’s when we care more about keeping things intact than about restoring lives that are shattered. It’s when we’re more upset when stuff gets broken than excited when the broken are mended. It’s when church gets reduced to the preaching of Jesus so that we fail to notice that we’re seeing very little of the forgiveness and healing of Jesus. It is when we are so fearful about upsetting the religious folk (or homeowners) in our midst that we stop taking risks to get people to Jesus.

It’s when my program, my office, my title, my privilege, my influence, my comfort takes precedence over others’ needs.

It’s when the church exists for itself; to hell with the rest of you.

George Bullard asks: When is a Congregation Finished With Transformation?

Actually the answer is never. Congregations must be continually transforming to be in full, active response to the pull of God in the direction of their full kingdom potential.

A better question is, when is a congregation successfully transforming? To that question there are several great answers.

In the course of my consulting and speaking at evangelism training workshops, I’ve encountered many churches that have very active outreach and community service programs:

• After school tutoring
• Shut in or Prisoner Visitation
• Habitat for Humanity work projects
• Medical outreaches for the community
• Participating in Crop Walks for Hunger Relief
• Food pantries, clinics, shelters for the homeless

These are just examples, and I am sure you can add hundreds more from your local community.

The questions I ask and we kick around in friendly discussion:

• Is that outreach?
• Is that evangelism?
• Is that home missions?
• Is that simply good deeds?
• Is that missional outreach?
• Is that marketing in disguise?
• Is that a demonstration of God’s love?

A cup of cold water

What is clear is that we have blurred the line between evangelism and outreach.  Discussions I’ve had bounce all over the map.

In some corners of the church, this is evangelism because it demonstrates the gospel.  No explanation needed.

Other corners argue this not evangelism because the gospel is not verbally shared.  It’s simply social action.

Depends on how you define your terms.

Acts of Christian service and charity, social outreach to your community are good and noble efforts.  Many are propelled theologically by the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), giving a cup of cold water to the least of these.

Yet what is it that separates your Christian service from that of the local Rotary club? 

What makes your acts of compassion different from my atheist friend who does community service through the Peace Corps?

How does the recipient know the difference? 

How do the recipients of your outreach interpret or give meaning to your outreach?

Meaning is not always clear

My friends in Panama tell me this story. 

Panama Olympian Irving Saladino won the first ever gold medal for this country during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing. 

The last medal won was 60 years ago and it was bronze.  Irving Saladino won the gold in the Long Jump competition.

During his jumps, nationally televised in Panama around 6.30 am,  the nation was at a virtual standstill.  People were watching it in groups at friend’s houses.  Taxi drivers had pulled over to side of the road to listen to the radio.  Everyone it seemed, went to work late.

On his two or three jumps, he wore one red shoe and one blue shoe, reflecting the national team colors.  However, on his next to last jump, he changed his shoes to a gold color.

The commentators and “man on the street” interviews all got excited:

• “He’s going for the gold”
• “He’s put on his lucky shoes”
• “He’s telling us this will be the gold medal jump.”  

They were applying meaning to the color change of shoes.

That jump turned out to be the gold medal winning jump.

The country erupted in celebration.  Facebook photos from my friends show lots of celebrations, cheering, and national happiness.  People on the street celebrated by blowing their car horns in celebration.  Crowds formed spontaneously on the street.  National productivity of the workforce shut down for the day as Panama won its first ever gold medal.

The meaning of the shoes? 

When asked by a reporter about what he was trying to communicate with his shoes, Saladino mentioned

that the laces in his red and blue pair got tangled up and he didn’t have the time to fix it. 

He put on his gold colored backup shoes so he wouldn’t be disqualified for being late to the starting line.

Very different meaning than what the nation watching on live television thought.

People gave it meaning based on their hopes, dreams, and worldview. 

Meaning is given if not provided

Bring that back to your church’s outreach. 

What might your recipients think about your outreach?

How can they tell that it is a “Cup of Cold Water given in My Name?”

In a post Wrestling with the Definition of Evangelism I mention:

Just this week, the dental assistant told me that it feels good to help people. 

I asked her “Why?”  No immediate answer, but enough to have her reflect. 

She’s unchurched. She didn’t know why people had black spots on their heads last Wednesday [for Ash Wednesday].

She could serve the poor, work for the Peace Corp, or any of the national volunteer mobilization organizations.  She simply feels good.  that altruistic motive propels many people.

But to the recipient, what separates her good service from that of the church?  How does the recipient know it is “In My Name?”

In my experience, meaning is naturally given if not supplied by the giver. 

Outreach in partnership with Evangelism

John Stott asks the question in Christian Mission in the Modern World.

Is social action (thanks to Timmy Brister for summary)

• A Means to evangelism
• A Manifestation of evangelism
• A Partner of Evangelism

Mark Dever has an interesting piece in Christianity Today, also points out what  “What Evangelism Isn’t.”  (adapted from his book The Gospel and Personal Evangelism).  Evangelism is not social action or public involvement (”They commend the gospel, but they share it with no one.”)

In What is Evangelism? – Part 3, which focuses on the “sharing” part of our Evangelism Definition, I mention:

During a health outreach our church did for its neighborhood, one unchurched person commented, “I don’t like to listen to sermons, today I saw one.”

Our service to the community was interpreted as we wanted – a tangible demonstration of the love of Christ that we have for our neighborhood.

It’s a witness to the world thru actions.

Yet that interpretation came about because we gathered all the volunteers at the beginning and I explained to them why we as a church are doing this outreach.

We are serving because God first loved us and we want to demonstrate that to the community.

Good works demonstrate our faith. 

Yet without any overt or clear explanation that our actions are propelled by God’s grace, what makes our good deed any different than what the local Lions club does or what good corporate citizens provide through their charitable foundations?

It’s not an either/or proposition for me.  Both social action and explanation via words are necessary forms of sharing. 

Deeds are love demonstrated, but a further explanation of the gospel is necessary to give meaning to our actions.  Otherwise, our actions are ripe for misinterpretation.

Practically what does this mean?

Many churches are actively engaged in good works in their community. 

Yet can their members explain their personal faith along the way?

Can churches train their members to grow comfortable talking about their faith with the people they are serving?

What if, as part of the planning for outreach events, the church provided a training opportunity about talking about your faith?

What if, as part of praying for the outreaches, the church also prayed that conversations about Jesus would happen?

What if, as part of serving the community, the people were able to provide meaning of their service by talking about their personal relationship with Christ?

These questions are on my mind as I prepare for the upcoming Transformation Pastor’s Conference. 

I will be presenting on what does Evangelism look like in a church that is undergoing revitalization or redevelopment.  One of my co presenters will be speaking of the missional direction of the church and the need for evangelism.

Let me ask you this?

Think about your church’s outreach.

In what ways can your church provide meaning to the recipients through the verbal sharing of your faith?

I invite your comments and reflections below.

Are you looking for ideas of what to put in a welcome folder for church visitors?  (Also see: 10 Church Visitor Gift Ideas)

Choose the Church Visitor Folder

The easiest form is to use a pocket folder such as the one pictured. 

Many churches will choose to have them professionally printed with the church logo and contact information on it.

Pick a color that goes well with your marketing design.

The pockets makes it easy to put your contents in it.  Assembly is easy. 

Personally, I like the ones with the business card cut out. 

Instead of the pastor’s business card (which can be in a folder or attached to the visitor letter), stick in Business Cards that Church members can give away.  You could also put a regfrigerator magnet with the church’s contact information on it, or maybe a phone number hot-line for prayer.

Prepare the Church Visitor Packet

Here are a few ideas of what to put in the welcome packet for visitors.  These are things that I have seen and appreciated. 

You know your local ministry context so use what is appropriate.  All of these may not be useful.

1. Letter of Greeting from the Pastor with an invitation to return the following week.
2. A summary of the church’s vision and dream.
3. Audio recording from the Pastor — a popular sermon, or a more in depth greeting.
4. General information brochure on the church’s ministries. 
5. A brief history of the church, or the denomination if that is deemed important.
6. Announcement flyers of public events such as fall festivals, Christmas Programming.  Not notes from your Evangelism Committee meetings.
7. Information on the membership process of your church.
8. A coupon to turn in at the welcome center on next visit for a free token of appreciation like a book or mug or gas card.
9. Marketing piece for current sermon series.
10. Information on how to get sermon series via podcast or website.
11. Invitation to an on-line follow up Survey for First Time Visitors about their experience of your church’s hospitality.
12. A brochure that explains the gospel simply and clearly and points visitors to a page on your website that shares more information.
13. For more ideas see: 10 Church Visitor Gift Ideas

The quality of whatever goes in this packet is part of the first impressions that you will make on a church visitor.  Make sure your photocopies are clean, crisp, on decent weight paper (such as 24lb).  A fourth generation photocopy of a dot matrix letter in courier font is just not acceptable. 

A word about audio recordings in Visitor Packets

We recently received a cassette tape copy of the sermon preached that day.  We then discovered that we don’t have a cassette player any more.

Not in the car.

Not in our house.  

We haven’t used a cassette is several years and forgot that we didn’t own a player.  All our stereo systems have gone to CD or MP3.  

Consider a offering a choice: cassette, CD, DVD, or a link to a free MP3 download on the church’s website.

Distribute the Welcome Folders to Visitors

During our visits in different churches, these visitor packets have come to us in a variety of ways:

• We have found them ourselves.
• The members that have invited us will bring us one.
• Greeters that recognize us as visitors give them to us.
• Told to get one from the Welcome Center on the way out.
• When prompted, we raised our hands and ushers gave one to us.

Let me ask you this?

If you use visitor packets, would you share with us in the comments put in your welcome folder?  How do you distribute the church welcome packet?

More Info:

Want more information to welcome church visitors?  See our 2nd church hopitality series: Welcome Church Visitors.  See also 10 Church Visitor Gift Ideas

Update:  This post has gotten a lot of attention thanks to people posting it to

• Their Facebook profile,
• bookmarking it in Delicious,
• and using the tell a friend button,
• And linking to this from their own blog

to cast this out to a lot of their social networks.  I want to say thank you for doing this. 

For those of you coming here for the first time, thank you.  

Free Download

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What is the key, the Holy Grail, in transforming a church? 

Is there one? 

In the work of evangelism training, I’ve been asked on many occasions about the role of evangelism in helping a church get out of the rut, get unstuck, or get excited about inviting others to following Jesus. 

Note: I’ll be in Tampa at the end of September for the Presbyterian Church USA’s  Transformational Pastor’s Conference where we will be discussing this Evangelism in Transformational Churches.  That event is open to the public and registration can be found at the link: Transformational Pastor’s Conference.

From pastors, this question is likely to be worded as:

How do you lead a church from

• being apathetic to excited
• being concerned about survival to concerned about souls
• being inward focused to outward focused?

Today we have a guest article by George Bullard of The Columbia Partnership that ponders this question.  

He and I spoke last week about the Spiritual Strategic Journey and the 100 days of discernment portion that can help congregations transform. 

See Dr. Bullard’s bio at the end of this article for contact information.   It is reprinted here with his gracious permission.

The part that speaks to me the most is this line:

It is difficult to underestimate the value of evangelism actions that exhort preChristians to consider a life-changing spiritual encounter with the Triune God. A theology of evangelism, acceptable methods of evangelism, and the ability to execute actions of evangelism divide congregations who transform from those who do not.

Enjoy this article.  It has made me think a lot over the last few days.

Chris.

_______________________________________

Searching for the Holy Grail of Church Transformation
Dr. George Bullard
The Columbia Partnership

Since the mid-1950s, when demographic shifts in North America caused by the population boom that followed World War II began to wane or change direction, congregations and denominations have been looking for the Holy Grail of congregational transformation.

What is the key to congregational transformation? What empowers some congregations to transform in the midst transitions and changes, and others to age and perhaps die? Should there not be one right answer? Should we not have found the best answer during the past 50 years?

Perhaps we have and have not recognized it.

In any case, the search for the best solution to the challenge of congregational transformation is an illusive search similar to the search for the Holy Grail—the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. There is mythology even about the search; much less never-ending debate over whether or not the solution has been found.

A List of Approaches Attempted

As I began to think about the various approaches attempted over the past six decades, I began to make a list. At first I tried to list them by the decade of their apparent greatest popularity. That did not work. Then I tried to list them by the type of approach or intervention they represented. The categories were way too blurry and open to much interpretation.

Finally I just decided to list them as they came to me, and then to pick out the ones I find most promising. Are you ready? Here is the list.

1. Standards of achievement organized around the various program emphases of congregations.
2. Rallying the congregation by raising money and constructing a new building.
3. Developing a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and/or multi-cultural ministry.
4. Adopting an assertive church growth strategy.
5. Engaging in church growth or strategic planning consultation processes.
6. Changing pastors to get the right pastor who brings visionary leadership to the congregation.
7. Engaging in social action and economic development that results in community transformation that leads to new openings for congregational transformation.
8. Focusing on church health, fueled by the use of a church health survey or diagnostic.
9. Escape the current context by relocating, merging with another congregation, or ignoring the context by primarily reaching people who live somewhere else.
10. Or, more deeply invest in ministry with families/households in your current transitional setting.
11. Use of process of spiritual discernment to determine God’s leading for the transformation of your congregation.
12. Address conflict issues through mediation or management to free the congregation to move forward after dealing with the bad parts or people from the congregation.
13. Address the family emotional systems in the congregation to develop non-anxious people in a healthy congregational system.
14. Vision casting processes that involve the pastor, staff, and people of passion and position in the congregation forming an enduring visionary leadership community.
15. For the congregation to engage in a process that modifies their behaviors through making them accountable to an outside third-party.
16. To engage continually in evangelism activities intended to draw preChristians into the congregation.
17. Intentionally move from a traditional mindset, methods, and manner of governance to one of innovation.
18. Making the move from traditional worship to innovative or contemporary worship.
19. Involvement of senior pastor, and perhaps other staff and key lay leaders, in peer learning communities that search and share for solutions to congregational transformation challenges.
20. Use of personal ministry coaches for the senior pastor, staff, and key lay leadership teams with the congregation focusing on the strategic framework of moving the congregation forward.
21. Planting one or more new congregations of a different people group, and perhaps nesting them in the church facilities. Ultimately these new congregations could own the facilities.
22. Planting new congregations within the context of the church community, or in other locations or among different people groups so that the congregation lives through other congregations.
23. Engage in church and/or lay renewal processes.
24. Utilize small groups as a means to revitalize the programs, ministries, and activities of the congregation.
25. To use action/reflection among congregational participants following engaging them in missions trips to a radically different culture somewhere in the world. Such action/reflection could long-term result in a whole new mobilization and motivation for mission within the congregation.

Where is the Holy Grail?

Twenty-five approaches are probably enough to list. It is certainly not all that have been attempted in the past six decades.

Which one is the Holy Grail of congregational transformation? Are any of them the Holy Grail? Is there actually a Holy Grail of congregational transformation?

Which of these approaches has your congregation attempted? Which of these approaches have you attempted during your ministry? Have any of them worked? If it worked in one place, would it work in another? Or, are congregational transformation solutions congregationally specific? What works in one place and time may not necessarily work in another.

Which Approaches are Most Promising?

From my perspective the most promising are the cluster of seven approaches represented by ideas 14-20 on this list.

Review these for a minute.

Here are some of my understandings of these principles.

Vision is the fuel that drives the transformation of a congregation. Such vision must be owned by at least 20 percent of active participants in a congregation. This ad hoc group of people is known as the Enduring Visionary Leadership Community. The initiating leader and key voice of vision is the senior pastor.

For a congregation to remain focused on the necessary transitions and changes, they must voluntarily make themselves accountable to an outside authority knowledgeable about their opportunities and challenges. Few congregations will continue to make less than the most popular choices and actions without a third-party holding them accountable.

It is difficult to underestimate the value of evangelism actions that exhort preChristians to consider a life-changing spiritual encounter with the Triune God. A theology of evangelism, acceptable methods of evangelism, and the ability to execute actions of evangelism divide congregations who transform from those who do not.

Congregations who transform are able to innovate on their historically traditional mindset, methods, and their manner of governance without losing their core values as a congregation. They never allow their long-term traditions to keep them from doing new things that both honor their base and empower their future.

Further, they are willing and able to move from their longstanding traditional worship in the direction of innovative or contemporary worship. Often they stop at blended or convergent worship, and that typically is enough.

The pastors, staff members, and key lay leaders of these congregations are continual learners. They gladly participate in peer learning communities that are discovering and implementing various strategies and tactics of congregational transformation. Further, they use personal ministry coaches to help them individually stay focused on effective actions.

So, are these seven the Holy Grail? I would not lay claim to such. Based on thirty years of working in the area of congregational transformation, they are the ones the make the most sense to me at the current time.

What works best for you?

Copyright 2007, Rev. George Bullard, D. Min.  Reprinted with author’s Permission.

George Bullard is a Ministry Partner with The Columbia Partnership

George’s vision is to use his spiritual and strategic giftedness to empower congregations and congregational champions to fulfill their vision for Kingdom growth.

George is Senior Editor for The Columbia Partnership Leadership Series, a book series with Chalice Press. [George’s first book in this imprint is Pursuing the Full Kingdom Potential of Your Congregation]

George is widely recognized as an advisor to denominational leaders, a futurist, a strategic planning expert, a group process facilitator, a church growth strategist, an authority in conflict management, and a writer. He has extensively developed a life cycle model for congregations, which helps congregational leaders know what types of assistance they may need to best facilitate growth.

Visit www.bullardjournal.org or www.thecolumbiapartnership.org

_______________________________________

A divine appointment is recognizing God’s prompting a moment that will impact someone’s life in their jourey to faith.  These are kairos moments.

I want to give you examples of how this can play out in real life.

• God’s presence is with us. – My tutor hears the gospel
• Seminar Testimony - a wrong phone number
• Is he a PC USA Pastor? – Divine moment in Cracker Barrell
• What is an Evangelist? – Student wants a definition
• Reflections from Enfield CT - Walmart Stories
• Evangelism Motives: Why bother? – taxi driver shares Jesus

The point is to have developed an intimate relationship with the Lord so that you can be in the right place at the right time.  Listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and see what happens.

Recently, in late July, I was in Volcán Panama, teaching evangelism training workshops at the mission base of Operation Mobilization Panama.  Missionaries from 6 different countries had come to Volcán Panama for two months of working with the local church.

To double up the use of the time, I also had the opportunity to do personal evangelism training at an international bi-lingual new church development called Iglesia Casa De Luz (Lighthouse Church).

The OM Panama Base in Volcán

The OM Panama base is located at the end of a road in a residential neighborhood at the foot of a dormant volcano, Baru (pictured below, center rear).   I am told that from the peak of Baru, one can see both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

The town of Volcán is about 1500 meters in elevation (about 4900 feet).  The weather was a combination of clouds (we were in them some times), rain, and strong winds.  

At times the wind was biting cold.  Perhaps one doesn’t think of coats, hats, and sweaters for life in the tropics, but that is often a necessity here because of the wind.  It often blows with such strength that tree saplings are bent over and grow at an angle.  I saw several trees that had a graceful curve to them.  The air is pretty cool year round that most houses don’t have either a heating or air conditioning system installed.

The terrain was mostly rocky, with giant boulders that had been left from lava flows eons ago.  Roads were sometimes paved, sometimes littered with potholes, and sometimes not paved at all.  A 4×4 would be a good car to have in Volcán.

Casa de Luz — 3 keys for Explosive Church Growth

See a photo album at our Facebook Fan Page.

The church has experienced an explosion of adult conversion growth in recent months.  I met many people who had become a Christian within the last 6 months.  Some as recent as two weeks prior to these workshops.

I want to share 3 vital keys I observed in their growth.

Key #1: A passionate love for Jesus

It was clear to me when I met with this church that they have a vibrant relationship with Christ.  This is expressed in so many ways — in worship, in prayer, in giving, and in community involvement. 

The positive buzz about this church in the community is attracting those seeking all that Christ has to offer.  Word about this church’s love of the Lord and for its neighbor travels the social vines pretty quickly.

Key #2: A praying leadership

I attribute this growth to the dedicated prayer of the leaders.  Four mornings a week, the leadership team meets for prayer at 4.30am to pray for the church.  They meet in various houses and the host provides a little snack / coffee.

Those who make that prayer time reported to me what a blessing it was to be awake at that hour doing the work of the church and seeing its fruit.  Seeing the fruit of new believers in their midst reinforces their desire to make the sacrifice of prayer.

This is in contrast to other 12 churches in the town that are not experiencing such growth.

It’s not the intensity of the prayer, or the hour of their prayer.  This is an hour that works for them.

Rather, it is the discipline and commitment to prayer that has fueled the growth of this church.

Key #3:  A confidence in the Holy Spirit’s work

Conversion growth is a supernatural event. 

The Holy Spirit uses the church (and it’s people) to proclaim the gospel, and the Holy Spirit creates spiritual thirst or longing in the person seeking faith. 

Evangelism in this church is not a high pressure “we can’t go home until someone raises a hand” altar call.  Rather, people invite others to start following Jesus, trusting the Holy Spirit has set up the moment like Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.  Invitations are given not only on Sunday, but throughout the week in small groups or in personal conversations.

This church simply trusts God’s working through the Holy Spirit and as such is finding the “low hanging fruit” that is ripe for harvest.

First Evening: Small Group in David.

David is a major town about 45 minutes away (down the mountain) from the church.  The church has small groups in that area because of the distance that hinders regular large group meetings.  Pastor drives out to meet with them on a regular basis.

We met with some of the small group on the back patio of a house.  Most of those pictured to the right are new believers in the Lord who have come to faith in recent months.  Many had little to no bible knowledge when they came to faith, and are at the stage of faith where they are drinking in all they can get of the teachings about Jesus.

They have a passion for sharing their faith because of the tremendous impact that the Grace of God has had upon their life.  The particular training this evening was on the role of the Holy Spirit in evangelism.

After about 90 minutes of teaching time, we moved into a time of prayer ministry. 

We felt that God was leading us to pray for those who do not know Him, and to rejoice in the fact that God has saved us.

A surprise

I was surprised once again by the fact that a pre-Christian would come to a workshop on Evangelism.

However, here again, one lady came to the workshop on the invitation of a friend.  During the workshop, I had explained the gospel message, had explained how the Holy Spirit prepares our heart.

During the ministry time, she came forward on her own wanting to start following Jesus to come into her life. 

God had been already working in her heart, creating a spiritual thirst for Him, to bring her to a place where she knew her need and only Jesus could satisfy it.

We continued to minister in prayer to people for various prayer needs, such as a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, a passion for those who don’t yet know Christ, and some for physical healing.

2nd evening: Small group in Volcán

The second night, we repeated the same workshop on the Role of the Holy Spirit in Evangelism.  This time, was for the small group in Volcán.  A different set of people came from the local area, including an American lady who had retired and moved to Panama from the US with her husband only 4 months ago.

Again, after about 90 minutes of teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit in Evangelism, we moved into another powerful ministry time.  I was sick and fighting a cold, so the pastor lead the ministry time. 

We were led to pray for those who do not yet know Christ, for infilling of the Spirit again to be his witnesses, and particularly felt that God was giving prayer burdens for specific people groups.

3rd evening: Whole group in Volcán

The third evening, both groups from the first and second night gathered in Volcán for part two of the workshop series.  I had recovered from being ill the day before and was much more sensitive to God’s working.

This evening, the teaching focused on paying attention to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to guide you in your evangelism efforts.  It is a variation on the “Fear Free Evangelism” workshop that I offer to churches in the United States. 

It uses Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch as a model of listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to position yourself in the right place at the right time.

Afterwards we moved into another moving and important time of prayer ministry. 

Four or five more people came forward to ask Christ into their life, including the two children of the woman who invited Christ into her life in David, two nights before.  We felt led again to be praying for all sorts of things under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

One lady, who had only been a Christian for two weeks, came forward for prayer.

I felt led to pray for physical healing, and physically felt God was working.  I’ve have learned to recognize when God is using me to do a healing work and those signs were present.  I initially was praying for healing, not knowing what for.  After a while, I asked her specifically what for and she reported having some tumors.  As I continued to pray, she reported the physical sensation of her tumors being pulverized, and felt God’s healing upon her.  Of course, we’ll wait for medical verification, but we are confident in God’s healing work.

Saturday: Youth Group meeting

Saturday night, we participated in a Youth Group meeting, together with OM Mission Extreme Team that I had been training during these days.

We had a program that focused on a call to missions, to get beyond the mediocrity of casual Christianity and into giving yourself fully to God’s service no matter where that may take you. 

For some, it involves a short term trip in a foreign country.  For others, like us, perhaps moving to a foreign country.  For still others, it might be in your local neighborhood.   If you have a passion to reach the world that is not geared towards one specific people group, then perhaps you are called to be a missions mobilizer — helping others reach their dream of reaching the nations for Christ.

Sunday morning: Worship service

The final day of ministry wrapped up with preaching at Casa de Luz, using a message on Psalm 51. 

It’s a bi-lingual church so much of the service is translated.  It meets on a covered carport because it doesn’t have a building to meet in.

Many of these people are new believers in Christ and God is doing a wonderful work there.

It was a beautiful morning.  The punishing breezes of Volcan had calmed and the clouds had lifted so that we were warmed in the bright sunlight of that morning.

The message focused on the punishing burden of sin, and the freedom that is found in Christ’s forgiveness.

It is a message that naturally led into a time of repentance and rededication.  The time of prayer ministry after the preaching lasted about 30 minutes and had several highlights.

People came forward for prayer about personal repentance, to give or rededicate their life to the Lord.

Others came forward for prayer as well, and several families spent time seeking forgiveness from each other for the broken ways they had been behaving.

A son sought forgiveness from his father and mom, praying for them as well.

A mom sought forgiveness from her daughter for how she had been behaving.

Brothers and sisters asked to be reconciled to each other.

One family, after being away from the Lord for two years, visited church for the first time and rededicated their life to the Lord.

Others, including one lady from the local indigenous tribe, came forward to give her life to the Lord.  She also sought prayer for her sick child.

Final Reflections

God is doing amazing work with this church.  I am humbled to have been a part of it.  I don’t claim any special power, but am simply a vessel in God’s purposes.  I may have the gift of evangelism, but am humbled every time God chooses to use me in leading someone to faith in Christ.

I don’t claim to have any special ability.  But rather I’m an available tool that God has chosen to use, and one that has been positioned at the right place at the right time.

I wasn’t in Volcán on my own doing, but in the sovereignty of God, the door opened and I was there to participate in a work that God was already doing.

What a privilege to see more souls come into the kingdom, to see people experience the power of God, and to ignite the church in the power of the Holy Spirit for missions.

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I remember a model of evangelism that felt like a sales pitch.

I would attend a seminar and learn the newest script for evangelism.  The idea is that I would learn a series of conversational steps that would help people

• See their need for Jesus
• Make a decision to follow Christ
• Repeat a prayer after me.
• Sign here for follow up.
• All in less than 30 minutes.

The script was “the powerful new tool,” and it was meant to help you “share your faith” and confidently prepare you to “lead people to Christ.”

If we were truly honest with ourselves, in the practice of your life did it ever work?

Not in my life.

I never really latched onto that sales pitch.  Most of the readers of this blog never latched on to that model as it felt forced, maybe dishonest and turned Jesus in a product marketing.

Life doesn’t fit the script.

In the last few days I’ve had to deal with customer service people in various businesses. 

In each case, my need was not “in their script.” 

• Company A sent me to at least 4 departments today on the telephone, because no one could answer my question.  That was after going to 3 different departments yesterday.  I wasn’t permitted to speak to a supervisor because they didn’t have the  power to get out of their script.
• Company B simply said “I don’t cover that situation — you can’t be our customer anymore.”  I’ve been their customer for 11 years and now they don’t want me anymore.

I did not fit their script.  They didn’t have an answer for my questions.  They didn’t have a solution for my need.  Their scripts didn’t have a place for me.

This is the problem with scripts when they are positioned as the “one true way” of doing evangelism. 

Human beings and life conversations can’t all fit into a one size fits all  scripted evangelism presentation.  Humans have so many different needs, so many different starting points, so many different questions.

I don’t teach complicated scripts in any of my evangelism seminars. 

Rather, I help people learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit for the right place, right time, right words.   I don’t have a script I follow because each person and each conversation is unique.

What then are the role of Gospel Scripts?

I’ve written on gospel scripts before and will do so in the future (grab my feed to get these future posts).   They are handy little tools and I’m not throwing them out.

The gospel scripts that I like are all simple presentations of the gospel that are useful at an appropriate point in a relationship.  They address different needs but ultimately get at the Need to Follow Jesus.

In my life, I haven’t found that any of my conversation partners are at the same starting point the gospel script is at. 

The scripts assume

• that a person recognizes the consequences of sin. 
• that the person is ready to deal with a spiritual need. 
• that a person is seeking for a relationship with God.

Phillip and the Eunuch

Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch had a ‘chance’ conversational encounter.  Yet in that encounter, the text says that

“Beginning from that point [where the Eunuch was reading], Phillip went on to explain the good news about Jesus.”

Notice that Phillip began where the eunuch was. 

The eunuch was dealing with grammar issues with pronouns, frustrations with reading a foreign language, and perhaps his own disappointment in not finding what he was searching for in Jerusalem.

Phillip spent time talking with the eunuch at that point.  A point unique to the eunuch’s spiritual journey.

So many scripts want to “begin from their own point.” 

Yet not every conversation is at that starting point.

• It often takes a series of conversations to get there.
• It takes listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit
• It takes good questions that open new conversational lines.
• It takes some skill in noticing life themes and linking them to spiritual needs. 

Evangelism Scripts such as the Four Spiritual Laws, Bridge, or others are handy once a person has gotten to the starting point of the scripts. 

Being familiar with an evangelism script can help you comfortably explain the gospel when the moment presents itself in a natural manner.

Getting to that point?  There is no script for that.

From Golf to God

This week, I was listening to Michael Spencer’s Coffee Cup Apologetics at Podcast 46.  In these 15 minutes (listen on line at Podcast 46) Spencer discusses issues with scripted evangelism.

He refers to a great article called Gospel Connections in Suburbia. 

It deals with how to bridge a conversation from the subject at hand to the subject of the gospel. 

Can  you go from golf to God? 

There is a list of 8 topics that are great conversational topics and an example of a conversational bridge is given for each (I encourage you to read the whole entry).

1. Corruption, evil and sin.
2. Community.
3. Politics.
4. Environment.
5. War.
6. Family.
7. Church.
8. Art/pop-culture

Spencer’s podcast picks this up and points out that to make such transitions, one requires three skills

1. Relational Conversations — Casual life conversations with friends
2. Ability to see connections between the mundane and the spiritual
3. Make the transition from the mundane to spiritual in a natural way.

Part of doing this is developing the skills of

1. Making use of good questions
2. Making use of good observations.

Start to Notice

In your own conversations, start to ponder how the mundane can be bridged towards the spiritual.  I’m not talking about ketchup on fries representing the blood of Jesus.  Rather, listen to the heart cry in the culture.

• What is being looked for? 
• Why are people passionate about politics and what does that say about order in the world? 
• Why are people willing to sacrifice their marriage for a moment of personal pleasure? 
• Can you hear the spiritual need behind the conversation?
• What is the question behind the question?

Let me ask you this?

Taking a cue from the original blog post: Do you have some useful conversational bridges?  I invite you to elaborate in the comments.