Acts 1:8
“You shall be my witnesses…in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.”
I Timothy 2: 3-4
“ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight
of God our Savior, who desires all people to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth.”
This presentation is not intended to be a
step by step “how to” instruction on how to
conduct evangelism in your church.
The purpose of this presentation is give your
committee some ideas on how to start and sustain
an active Evangelism Committee in your
congregation.
No one has all the answers,
however we pray that this
presentation might be used by
the Holy Spirit to encourage
the pastor and laypeople to be
active in the area of evangelism.
CONTENTS
• Purpose of a Committee
• Level One Evangelism
• Level Two Evangelism
• Level Three Evangelism
• Ideas from the Field
PURPOSE OF AN EVANGELISM
COMMITTEE
The committee or board bearing the
name, “Evangelism,” has the task of
keeping the leadership
and members of the
congregation outreach
minded. This group does
not have the sole duty
for “doing” the entire
evangelistic work of
the congregation.
The word most commonly associated
with this activity is, “Evangelism.”
Evangelism means “to tell the Good
News of God’s love for all people through
the person and work of Jesus.
A Simple Motivation
The Great Commission, Matthew 28:16-20 “Make disciples
of all nations” by “going, baptizing and teaching.”
Acts 1:7-8 Jesus simply states, “You will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the to the ends of the earth.”
Some
NUTS
&
BOLTS
THREE SUGGESTED LEVELS
FOR AN EVANGELISM
COMMITTEE
1. PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
2. LIFESTYLE/FRIENDSHIP WITNESSING
3. EVANGELISM TRAINING
LEVEL ONE: PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
This level includes anything and everything that holds the
name, purpose and activities of your church before the
community.
This level is unthreatening to most people and therefore allows
you to involve many people who might otherwise shy away from
anything bearing the name, “Evangelism.”
Word of Mouth
• Always the best form of publicity
• Intentionally done by frequently
reminding members to tell
friends, relatives, co-workers and
acquaintances about your church
and things that are happening
there, especially regarding
upcoming events (VBS,
Friendship Sunday, Mission
Festival, Sunday school, Adult
Education opportunities, etc.)
Word of Mouth
• Stress the importance of
a positive attitude among
the membership toward
the church worship,
pastor, educational
programs, fellowship, etc.
• Your ideas…
Using Weekly Bulletin Announcements
It’s a great idea to have outreach reminders
and tips printed weekly in the church
bulletin.
On Site Advertising
Church sign
Special signs for events
Appearance of property
On Site Appearance
First impressions of the
interior of the church
when entering are very
important
Greeters and general
reception by
members are a plus
Your ideas…
Media Advertising
Web based pages (homepage, Facebook, etc…)
These days, the internet has become the dominant
means for locating services of any kind. It is highly
advisable to have at least a simple home page for your
church. This will allow people to easily locate and
contact the church.
Media Advertising
Radio
TV ads
Weekly newspaper announcement
Special event ads
News release
Yellow pages
Your ideas…
Other advertising
Service activities
Direct mail programs
Your ideas…
Level One Goal Setting…
Sample Level One Goal: Activities of the congregation
will be regularly publicized to the church and
community.
Your Ideas…
Achievable Objectives…
Sample Level One Objective: By Wednesday of each week the
publicity committee will update the web page with the time of
services, theme of the sermon and any upcoming special activities.
Your Ideas…
LEVEL TWO:
LIFESTYLE/FRIENDSHIP OUTREACH
75-90 percent of people trace their connection to a
particular congregation through a friend, relative,
neighbor, co-worker, etc.
The leadership and
congregational members:
• Need to be aware of how many
in their community are
un-churched.
• Need to be taught the different ways they
can be involved in spreading the Good
News.
• Need to be reminded regularly of God’s
great love in sending His only Son so that all
may spend eternity with Him.
Level Two Goal:
Members will gain skills and be
motivated to share their faith in Christ
Level Two Objective: (Sample)
By _(date)__ the Evangelism Committee will
request that the Central Illinois District present a
witness workshop at our church.
LEVEL 3 EVANGELISM TRAINING
This level will involve fewer people as the
Christian is prepared to sit down and discuss
another person’s life situation in light of the
Gospel.
Needed at this level are people who…
•
•
•
•
•
are strong in their faith and regular in Bible study
enjoy talking to people
are good listeners
are patient, allowing the Holy Spirit to work
are willing to receive specific training in making a
presentation of the Christian faith
• will be specifically recruited for the task
The Utilization of the Evangelism Committee
• When calling on newcomers to the community or
acting on referrals from other sources
• Follow-up (phone) call on visitors to worship or
other church activity, Sunday school, VBS or
Christian Day School
• Contact the un-churched spouse of a member of
the congregation
Recruiting Committee Members
Prepare a “job description” before recruiting a
committee so they know clearly what is being asked
of them.
Look for people talented in each of the three levels of
evangelism. For example, someone with writing
talents or advertising experience could be
responsible for the first level.
Job Description could include:
• a statement of the main purpose of the
committee
• a description of the three levels of evangelism
• a statement of qualification for the position
• a listing of tasks and duties
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS:
• make sharing the Good News of Jesus your top priority
• make Bible study and prayer a regular part of the
committee meeting
• recruit committee members who have a heart for the lost
• know the community in which you live and the needs of
the people who reside there
• provide opportunity for committee members to grow in
their knowledge of evangelism
• encourage others in the congregation to become involved
Level Three Goal: (Sample)
Visitors will be contacted within 48 hours of
attendance at our church
Level Three Objective: (Sample)
By __(Date)__ four people will be identified
and trained to make calls on visitors.
RECAP
Consider working in all three levels of the
evangelism task:
1. Level One; publicity and Public Relations
2. Level Two: Lifestyle/Friendship Witnessing
3. Level Three: Evangelism Calling
IDEAS FROM THE FIELD…
Now it’s time for you to talk about your
ideas for your congregation.
This Power Point presentation has been left open
for congregations of the Central Illinois District of
the LC-MS to change or edit for local use at their
discretion.
If you would like to add to or make suggestions for
the improvement of this presentation, please
contact the CID District Office in Springfield, IL.
May God bless your congregation as you seek to
serve Him.