Every now and then I put up a set of links from stuff I’ve been reading that I have found interesting and noteworthy. There are often no themes, which reflects the randomness of my reading:
Prone to Wander Lord I feel it
Blogger Timmy Brister shares a little story behind the hymn: Come thou fount of every blessing. As I read it, I found myself singing it’s tune, as well as being reminded of God’s sovereignty in Evangelism. The writer was saved 3 years after hearing the gospel in a George Whitfield meeting.
Can you Follow-up on Visitors too fast?
My friend Josh Hunt, shared a post from Searcy, author of Fusion. How soon is too soon to re-contact a church visitor after their first time visit? Here is what Searcy discovered.
Bait and Switch Surveys
A youth pastor reflects evangelism in Acts, and on some past evangelism training where he learned to use surveys. The survey’s felt like bait/switch, and didn’t seem to spark much genuine conversation. Read: Evangelism Surveys didn’t help me.
Do people want to go to heaven?
Some of the evangelism training scripts start with heaven, that eternal place where we can experience eternal life with God. Evangelism Explosion, for example, assumes that people want to get in.
For decades, the phrase, “If you were to die today, do you know for sure you would go to heaven?” was associated with evangelical attempts at sharing their faith.
But Lifeway research wondered if people are actually asking that question. Nearly 40% of their respondents don’t even wonder about heaven. Read the full stats here.
Does assuming people want to go to heaven make for a good starting point in a cold conversation? The statistics suggest not really? Lifeway’s research suggests:
It appears that more people are thinking about meaning and purpose than life after death. (And it is important to note that the Bible provides the answers to all these questions.)
Do you have greeters like this?
A pastor gets a Sunday off to visit another church and he writes about his experience.
What captured me was the same that captured him — an informal greeter.
The best part of Watermark, however, was the guy sitting to my right.
He came in, with his Full-Throttle caffeinated beverage – and in the meet and greet time asked if we were new.
Later, after the service, he asked us how we liked it and then he said this; “I have been coming for a year and a half and Jesus has changed my life through this place.”
He had a little of the ‘other side of the tracks’ look to him – and he then proceeded to offer me his mini-testimony and God showed up. This guy was real, and through Christ, changed. Like his church he was simple, transparent, and as a redeemed sinner more Biblical perhaps than he knew.
This wasn’t the polished and trained greeter, but rather someone who took the initiative to say hello and give a small story. Do you have greeters like this?
Church Business or Contact Cards
Digital Evangelism issues writes up a fresh article on church contact cards for members to give away.
I write about a similar idea with some suggestions as to what to put on it at Church Business Cards that members can give away.
It’s a good marketing giveaway that people can use as it features the church, not just a pastor or other staff.
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