1. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK

2. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
Acts 1:8
“You shall be my witnesses…in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, even to the ends of the earth.”

3. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
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.”

4. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
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.

5. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
CONTENTS
Purpose of a Committee
Level One Evangelism
Level Two Evangelism
Level Three Evangelism
Ideas from the Field

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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.

7. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
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.

8. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
A Simple Motivation
The Great Commission, Matthew 28: “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.”

9. AN EVANGELISM HANDBOOK
Some
NUTS
&
BOLTS

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THREE SUGGESTED LEVELS FOR AN EVANGELISM COMMITTEE
PUBLICITY AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
LIFESTYLE/FRIENDSHIP WITNESSING
EVANGELISM TRAINING

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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.”

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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.)

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Word of Mouth
Stress the importance of a positive attitude among the membership toward the church worship, pastor, educational programs, fellowship, etc.
Your ideas…

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Using Weekly Bulletin Announcements
It’s a great idea to have outreach reminders and tips printed weekly in the church bulletin.

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On Site Advertising
Special signs for events
Church sign
Appearance of property

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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…

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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.

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Media Advertising
Radio
TV ads
Weekly newspaper announcement
Special event ads
News release
Yellow pages
Your ideas…

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Other advertising
Direct mail programs
Service activities
Your ideas…

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Level One Goal Setting…
Sample Level One Goal: Activities of the congregation will be regularly publicized to the church and community.
Your Ideas…

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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…

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LEVEL TWO:
LIFESTYLE/FRIENDSHIP OUTREACH

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75-90 percent of people trace their connection to a particular congregation through a friend, relative, neighbor, co-worker, etc.

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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.

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Level Two Goal:
Members will gain skills and be motivated to share their faith in Christ

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Level Two Objective: (Sample)
By _(date)__ the Evangelism Committee will request that the Central Illinois District present a witness workshop at our church.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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Level Three Goal: (Sample) Visitors will be contacted within 48 hours of attendance at our church

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Level Three Objective: (Sample) By __(Date)__ four people will be identified and trained to make calls on visitors.

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RECAP
Consider working in all three levels of the evangelism task:
Level One; publicity and Public Relations
Level Two: Lifestyle/Friendship Witnessing
Level Three: Evangelism Calling

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IDEAS FROM THE FIELD…
Now it’s time for you to talk about your ideas for your congregation.

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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.