Evangelism Coach

Gary Rohyrmayer writes in Developing a Sowing Mentality-Part 2:

4. Those with a “sowing mentality” are not particular about methods, “…whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well…”

In my experience too many church leaders get stuck or inebriated with a particular style of evangelism. Yet leaders with a sowing mentality understand it is never an “either/or” proposition but more of a “both/and” conviction. Equipping your people through a highly relational and incarnational style of evangelism is the first place to start but it does not rule out doing a systematic visitation or follow up process that is built on the connections with your public worship service. Equipping your people to be includers and inviters does not nullify the use of social networking, various types of marketing and branding your vision and image throughout your city. The old revivalist Leonard Ravenhill said, “Any method of evangelism will work if God is in it.”

Are you stuck with one form of evangelism?  Can you use the many different forms that are available?

What’s in a sign’s name?

A few days ago, the Washington Post published a report about churches renaming themselves in order to avoid a perceived stigma that the name “Baptist” carries in the mind of some people. 

Claude Mariottini speaks about the article but moves into four reasons why churches are unable to bring people into membership.

1. Lack of Spiritual Power
2. Lost Missionary Fervor
3. Lack of costly discipleship
4. Universalism.

Along the same theme of a church’s name, Chris Forbes of Ministry Marketing Coach asks “Does the Name of Your Church Really Matter to Unchurched People? No!“.  He sites survey information that goes against what has become conventional wisdom about denominational brands in church  names.

Rapture site

I can’t tell if this article is serious or not.  Website let Christians email their friends after Rapture. 

YouveBeenLeftBehind.com lets subscribers send an e-mail message to up to 62 people exactly six days after they’ve disappeared from the face of the Earth, Wired Magazine’s Threat Level reports.

The website, run by Mark Heard along with four other Christians, dispatches the e-mails when at least three staff members fail to log in for six consecutive days. Its main purpose is to give Christians one final shot at evangelism.

In addition to the e-mail function, users of YouveBeenLeftBehind.com can also store personal and financial documents on the site. Up to 150 megabytes of information would be sent to up to 12 people after the presumed rapture.

“In the encrypted portion of your account you can give them access to your banking, brokerage, hidden valuables, and powers of attorneys,” explains the site.

“There won’t be any bodies, so probate court will take seven years to clear your assets to your next of kin. Seven years, of course, is all the time that will be left. So, basically the Government of the Antichrist gets your stuff, unless you make it available in another way.”

For a monthly subscription fee, you to can pay to have your witnessing automated after the rapture via auto responder.  Wow,  I don’t know if I’m to laugh or be embarrassed.

You’ve got to see this collect.  Fellow Blogger Tony Sisk seems to find some good ones.  I thought the ones I found were just about as awful as can be, but this one takes the cake (the one in the image about 1/2 down): The Rambling Prophet: Lousy Church Signs!!!.  Don’t let it mess up your Sunday.

Here are a few typos:

	No, not my entirety.
	Bible Stud anyone?
	I’ve never received Th Ho.Y Chost

Images found in the Flickr Group for Church signs.

Uhh… Should we be doing that in church?

Originally uploaded by Diamondduste

One should always proof read their church signs. This was an awful choice of words.

I’ve been doing some writing and thinking about helping the church become visitor friendly. A list of related articles is below.

Hospitality is only a part of church based evangelism.

I just read a timely article about this in Net Results Magazine’s September/October 2007 Issue. Bill Easum writes “Back to Basics,” calling on church leaders to get back to the great commission and the great commandment.

In returning to the Great Commandment, he exhorts congregations about the need to return to the basic ministry of loving one another, to become an “incubator of faith where non Christians and new Christians experience a warm, loving, and accepting group of people.”

• Is your church friendly toward the visitor?
• Is your church friendly towards the pastor?
• Or is your church full of strife, division, and run by a control freak?

If your church is not an incubator of faith, perhaps its time to show the controllers and bullies to the door, says Easum.

In returning to the Great Commission, Easum reminds the church to return to the basic ministry of reaching out to the stranger. He offers practical steps for pastors to help keep this in front of the congregation.

His steps:
1. Read the series “My First Six Months as a Pastor”

1. Part one.
2. Part two.
3. Part three.
4. Part four.
5. Part five.
6. Part six.
7. Part seven.

2. Read “Why People Don’t Invite People to Church.” [A recent EvangelismCoach.org post on this is here].
3. Host some “Taste and See Events”
4. Figure out how to spend at least 10% of annual income on ministries focused on unchurched people. Here is a list of ways to connect.

Other Hospitality Posts
Hospitality is a piece of evangelism
What’s your sign? (Do your signs help or hinder?)
Poor Word Choice (One sign that just doesn’t read right).
Hospitality and Evangelism (The story of our welcome to our church).
Welcome a Spanish speaking Visitor
How not to welcome a visitor
No One Said Hello
I can’t silence the pain.
I want to feel Jesus
Six Hints for welcoming Visitors

There was a church that took over an abandoned post-office and turned the exterior into a nice presentable place. It looked sharp, clean, and with fresh paint and landscaping, it was attracting my attention.

• Does your exterior signage tell potential visitors what time your services are?
• Can a visitor find your website?
• Does your website tell the visitor when and where your services are?
• If a visitor calls for information, does someone answer the phone, or does your outgoing message communicate service times?

This article at 8 (Or So) Questions About Your Church Signage raises some excellent questions about the signs around your church.

At my first church, the visitors were the only ones to use the front door. Nobody used them, so they were never unlocked. We solved that shortly after my arrival by putting “Church entrance” near the door that was used by “everybody.”

Here are some questions to use as you evaluate your signage (quoted directly):

Are they clean, clear and readable? From a distance? From up close?

Do they fully embody and represent the ethos of your church?

Are your signs attractive and professional and eye catching?

Do they clearly direct people where they need to go?

Are they helpful?

Are there enough signs to help lost people get un-lost?

Or, do you have too many signs blocking up the scenery of your church?

What image do your signs paint in visitor’s minds about your church?

Do your signs help direct a person to the essential areas–such as where to park, the kids area, bathrooms and the worship environment?

Can I follow your signs comfortably front the street to my seat?

Related Posts:
More Bad Church signs.
Poor Word Choice

Other related posts on hospitality:
Welcome a Spanish speaking Visitor
Hospitality and Evangelism
How not to welcome a visitor
Hospitality is a piece of evangelism
No One Said Hello
I can’t silence the pain.
I want to feel Jesus