Pastor, you have a remarkable privilege to address a group of people every week to influence their growth in Jesus. You can lead congregational evangelism through your influence.
Evangelism is something pastors lead others into. As a pastor, your influence can shape how your whole congregation steps into sharing the faith. Whether it’s from the front platform, pulpit, or stage, you can coach a passion for evangelism in the congregation as you call people to grow with cooperating with God’s activity in their lives.
Let me give you five effective ways you can lead congregational evangelism and build an evangelistic culture in your church.
#1: Share Personal Evangelism Experience
One of the most powerful ways you can lead congregational evangelism is by sharing your own stories. In 3 Keys to Ignite the Evangelism Passion of a Congregation, I encourage pastors to tell their personal stories of faith conversations.
Share the real ones:
- Conversations where you helped someone take a step closer to Jesus.
- Moments when you completely missed the opportunity.
- Encounters that stretched your faith or made you nervous.
Tell these stories often. Work them into volunteer training, use them as examples in leader meetings (your session, consistory, presbytery, deacon board, or elder board), include them during pastoral visits, or weave them into your sermons when appropriate.
But maybe you’re thinking: I don’t have any stories.
You’re not alone. Reese’s research in Unbinding the Gospel found that many pastors have no personal experience with evangelism (Reese, 9). In fact, only 10 out of 60 denominational seminaries in mainline denominations even require a half-course in evangelism for graduation. The other half of the course is often paired with stewardship (p. 22).
Or maybe you think: I don’t have time.
The truth is, the demands of ministry can crowd out time for conversations with non-Christians. Between worship prep, visitation, counseling, funerals, weddings, staff meetings, and even fixing leaking toilets, personal evangelism often gets pushed to the side
In this video (Can Pastors find time for Evangelism?) Pastor Richard White talks about his own struggles to find time as an evangelist.
So how can you grow in personal evangelism experiences? Start small and intentional:
Make a list of 5 people that you are actively seeking to influence for Christ.
- If you can’t fill the list, what can you do this month to change that?
- If you can fill the list, pray for each one and ask God to allow you to talk with them this week.
- Keep track of the conversations you had in the last 10 days with non-Christians about their journey towards Christ.
Evangelism stories aren’t reserved for missionaries or extroverts. As a pastor, you can model what it looks like to live with open eyes and ears. Your congregation will follow your lead.
Related Reading:
15 ways to keep your Evangelism Passion High.
4 More Evangelism Tips for Pastors
3 More Evangelism Tips for Pastors
Do you have any non-Christian Friendships?
And if you’d like more hands-on help, consider a 30-day personal coaching plan in personal evangelism during the next month, contact me via email our contact page. Consider using some of your study leave money for this.
#2: Incorporate Life Impact Stories
Another way you can strengthen congregational evangelism is by regularly sharing life-impact stories in worship.
As I listen to sermons and podcasts from growing churches, one common thread stands out: they consistently feature real testimonies of life change.
- Why someone started to follow Christ.
- Journey to baptism
- Celebration of baptism
- Celebration of new members
- Stories of how preaching series or a church program made a difference.
Each time, the pastor didn’t just let the story stand alone. They affirmed the congregation and reinforced the value of both personal and corporate evangelism.
What I Noticed About These Testimonies
1. Testimonies were brief.
Some testimonials were given by video, some were given live, but all were intentional. Most people need help telling their story in a clear and concise way. A little coaching makes a big difference. Personally, I like to meet someone over coffee before they share publicly. That conversation lets them ramble and remember, but it also gives me a chance to help them refine their story into a few powerful minutes.
2. Testimonies were on topic.
If the message was on prayer, the testimony highlighted answered prayer. If the series was on grace, the story showed God’s grace at work. The alignment made the testimony feel like part of the teaching, not an interruption.
3. The pastor affirmed the congregation.
After the story, the pastor celebrated the church’s role in it: “Isn’t that awesome to see what God has done through your prayers, your hospitality, your invitations?” Often the congregation responded with applause and thanksgiving. Those moments reinforced that evangelism is a shared effort.
Key times to use these testimonies:
1. Baptism.
Baptism services are a natural moment to let people tell their story of coming to Christ. Others can identify with those experiences, and the congregation gets to celebrate the fruit of their evangelism.
2. New member ceremonies.
When new members join, ask them to share what made them stay. Again and again, I hear it was the way the church welcomed them. Affirming that in public encourages the congregation to keep practicing hospitality as part of evangelism.
How You Can Start
- Review your preaching calendar for the next 6–10 weeks. Are baptisms or membership events coming up? Build testimonies into those services.
- Look ahead at your sermon series. Who in your congregation has a story that illustrates the theme you’ll be teaching?
- Work with your team to capture stories on video, or coach people to share live in a way that feels natural and clear.
When your people hear and see these life-impact stories, they’ll connect the dots between their daily faithfulness and the larger work of congregational evangelism. Stories remind them: this is what God does when we walk together in mission.
Related Reading:
- 10 Practical Evangelism Tips for Pastors
- 10 Practical Ways of Sharing Your Faith
- My First Evangelism Experience
#3: Inspire your staff and/or leaders about their own personal evangelism.
As a pastor, you carry the torch of vision in your church. People look to you not only for direction in worship and preaching, but also for guidance in every area of church life—recruiting volunteers, raising funds, launching programs, and shaping mission.
Evangelism is no different. If you want congregational evangelism to flourish, you must first nurture it in those who lead alongside you.
Start With Your Leaders.
Your staff and lay leaders will follow the passion you model. If you want evangelism to be part of the church’s DNA, regularly challenge your leaders to grow in their own faith-sharing. Whether you oversee a board, a staff team, or small-group leaders, keep evangelism on the agenda.
- In staff or board meetings, set aside time for faith-sharing stories. Ask questions like:
- Where have you seen God at work this week?
- What is God doing in your life today that makes the gospel good news?
- Encourage leaders to share their own evangelistic conversations, both successes and struggles.
These simple moments keep evangelism fresh and personal for those shaping your congregation’s culture.
Cultivate Personal Practice
Coaching leaders in evangelism isn’t only about strategy. It’s about helping them live it. Encourage them to:
- Make a list of five people they’re actively praying for and influencing toward Christ.
- Invest in those relationships through prayer, presence, and invitations.
- Think intentionally about how their ministry area—small groups, worship, children’s ministry, hospitality—can be more welcoming and evangelistic.
Hold them accountable by revisiting these goals in leadership meetings or performance reviews.
Lead in Prayer
Prayer keeps evangelism from becoming a program. Take time in leadership gatherings to pray for the lost by name, for the church’s outreach events, and for God to move through upcoming sermon series. Prayer walks in your community can be a powerful way to align hearts with God’s mission.
Invest in Their Development
Equip your leaders with resources that will stretch their evangelistic vision:
- See my Recommended Books on Personal Evangelism, or Church Hospitality Books, then discuss how these insights can be applied in your church.
- Use study leave money or conference money to send your staff to an evangelism conference or organize one for your local area. Even attending once every couple of years keeps the fire alive.
The goal isn’t simply to send them to training but to integrate what they learn back into their leadership.
Cast Vision in Their Ministry Areas
Every leader has influence over a pocket of the congregation. Help them ask questions like:
- How can our ministry area be more welcoming to visitors?
- How does evangelism show up in our small groups, worship team, or children’s ministry?
- What would it look like for me to coach the leaders I lead in personal evangelism?
When staff and leaders embrace evangelism personally, they will spread that passion into the areas they oversee. And when leaders live evangelistically, congregations follow.
How you can grow in this area:
- Give space in the next leadership meeting for encouraging evangelism among your leadership or staff.
- Brainstorm ways you can help your leaders identify and grow in their personal relationships.
- Look at your calendar for the next 6 weeks.
- What are some events that you can be more intentional in incorporating faith sharing conversations.
Related Reading
- 7 Questions to Evaluate Your Church’s Evangelism
- Church Prays for Passion for the Lost
- Recommended Books on Evangelism
#4: Schedule regular big events or launch a series with a big event.
In the rush to be “missional,” some churches overlook the attractional side of ministry. But the Sunday worship service remains the main gathering for most congregations. It’s not an either/or choice—it’s a both/and. The question is: how can you leverage Sunday worship to lead congregational evangelism?
One of the simplest ways is through big events or the launch of a new sermon series. Personal invitations tied to these moments often draw people in who might not otherwise attend. Think of it as attractional evangelism centered around the preaching of the Word and the gathered worship service.
For many church members, inviting someone to church feels far less intimidating than trying to share their faith story on the spot. (Read: Grow from Witness to Evangelist). By creating a clear, easy opportunity—like a series launch—you give them a way to participate in evangelism with confidence.
This was #6 in the article 7 Ways to Encourage Congregational Evangelism.
The basic idea is to use a preaching series to
- draw a crowd,
- help some of them connect,
- and some will stay and explore their own faith and find faith in Christ.
It’s attractional evangelism centered around the preaching of the word and the weekend worship event.
How This Works
- Design invitation tools. Create cards, postcards, or digital graphics that members can easily hand out or share.
- Build anticipation. Take time in services to remind the congregation of the launch date, pray together, and encourage them to think about who they’ll invite.
- Pray intentionally. Ask members to make a list of friends or family who don’t know Christ. Invite them to pray for those people daily leading up to the launch. Some may even choose to fast.
- Cast vision weekly. Each Sunday before the launch, set aside a moment to reinforce the importance of invitation and highlight the potential impact.
When you do this, momentum builds. Excitement grows. People begin to expect that God will move, and they’re more willing to extend invitations. Even brand-new believers, who may not yet feel confident in sharing their story, can easily say, “Come with me to church.”
Don’t Forget Hospitality
If you’re planning a big launch, make sure your hospitality ministries are ready. Are your greeters trained and energized? Is your welcome process clear? Is your church environment warm and inviting? A well-run hospitality team helps ensure that first-time guests not only attend but also want to return.
How to Grow in This Area
- Look at your preaching calendar for the next quarter.
- Identify a sermon series you could launch with a special focus.
- Define the theme and set a clear start date.
- Work backward to plan marketing steps, invitation tools, and congregational prayer rhythms.
Big events and sermon series don’t replace personal evangelism. But they create moments when the entire congregation can engage together in the work of evangelism—and see the fruit of their invitations.
Related Reading
- How to Get a First Time Church Visitor
- Only Two Things Grow a Church
- Operation Andrew / Bring a Friend Sunday
- Statistics on Invitations to Church
- 15 Strategies to Increase Number of First Time Visitors
5. Schedule Evangelistic Outreaches
I want to share some very practical advice a church planter gave me.
“Evangelism doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to do it.”
He explained how his new church grew rapidly in its early months: intentional, weekly outreach. Their mindset was simple—if you don’t plan evangelism, it probably won’t happen.
That same principle applies to established churches. The “come and see” approach of inviting people to Sunday worship still matters, but so does engaging your community outside the church walls. Intentional outreach creates natural opportunities for congregational evangelism.
Two Approaches to Evangelistic Outreach
1. Acts of Community Service
Churches can—and should—serve their community in tangible ways. For example:
- Health screening
- Community cleanup day
- Free dental clinic for a day.
- Job fair for the community
- Tutoring or after school programs
- Transportation for senior citizens
- Fundraising walk/run for disease research
- Clean up the overgrown yard of an elderly shut-in
But here’s the caution: if all you do is serve without ever pointing to Jesus, people may not connect your kindness with the gospel. Other charities also do good work. How will recipients know your motivation is Christ unless someone shares?
I ask the same question Is Community Service Evangelism? There, read the story of Olympic Gold Medalist and his shoes. See how a nation misinterpreted the color of shoes. See what insight that gives about your community service.
- Encourage volunteers to pray for “kairos moments” during service projects.
- Pair community service with invitations to church or other evangelistic events.
- Equip members to recognize when conversations about faith naturally open.
Good deeds are essential—but they become evangelistic when paired with words of hope
2. Servant Evangelism approaches
Servant evangelism is the practice of simple acts of generosity paired with a clear gospel touchpoint. This could look like:
- Giving out bottled water at a marathon.
- Handing out batteries for smoke detectors.
- Hosting a gas buy-down at a local station.
- Offering free food in a neighborhood.
The difference here is intentionality. You’re not just serving; you’re creating space to point people toward Christ and connect them with your church.
As Pate and Wilkes write in Evangelism Where You Live: Engaging Your Community, this kind of lifestyle is about using your spiritual gifts to meet needs in your community as salt and light.
a Christ follower who serves others out of his or her passion, using one’s spiritual gifts at connection points of need in the community to demonstrate the love of Jesus to others as a salt and light servant. . . . . (73)
Johnson, in Got Style? Personality Based Evangelism, devotes a whole chapter to servant evangelism and connects it to a church’s personality.
How can you grow in this area?
- Review your church calendar for the next few months. What outreach or service projects are already planned?
- Train volunteers to look for faith-sharing opportunities during these events.
- Consider scheduling new servant evangelism projects that fit your church’s personality and strengths.
- Ask: what needs in our community can we uniquely meet?
Evangelism doesn’t happen by accident. When you plan intentional outreaches, you create regular rhythms where your congregation can step outside the walls of the church, love people tangibly, and share the hope of Christ.
Related Reading:
- Evangelism Where You Live – A Review
- The Church has left the Building
- Re-engaging the Neighborhood (how a church discovered a need)
- Did Saint Francis of Assisi get it wrong?
Bringing It All Together: How to Lead Congregational Evangelism
Leading congregational evangelism is not about adding another program to an already crowded church calendar. It’s about shaping a culture. As a pastor, you lead by modeling, equipping, and inspiring your people to see evangelism as part of everyday discipleship.
- You share your own stories of faith conversations so your congregation sees evangelism as normal.
- You incorporate testimonies of life change that connect the dots between the church’s ministry and God’s transforming work.
- You inspire your leaders and staff to grow in their own personal evangelism and to spread that passion into their ministry areas.
- You leverage big events and sermon series as moments when the whole church can participate in inviting and welcoming others.
- You schedule intentional outreaches that serve your community while creating opportunities to point people toward Christ.
When you do these things consistently, you lead congregational evangelism not by yourself, but through your people. Your church becomes a place where sharing faith isn’t reserved for a few—it’s something everyone participates in.
That’s the heart of pastoral leadership in evangelism: creating rhythms, opportunities, and stories that remind your congregation, “We do this together.”
How to Grow a Small Church
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