Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Jan/84

Contributor - Rev. Murray Moerman

Title - Training For Personal Evangelism

Topic - Evangelism

Does your church have a specific means of training lay people how to share Jesus Christ and how to lead another person in prayer accepting Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and permanent Lord? If not, a faithful pastor may speak often of reaching the lost and a faithful people may feel guilty about not doing so, but without a practical outlet for action.

You may say, "Our church already has an evangelism committee and they show films sometimes and invite non Christians to come". That's great! However an evangelism committee exists to encourage and to help train the congregation to do personal evangelism, not to do it for them. I recall one pastor meeting with an evangelism committee for many months with the only observable result being many empty coffee cups. One evening this pastor said to the committee, "No need for coffee tonight, tonight we're going out". "Going out!" exclaimed the committee, "we're not ready to go out, put on the coffee.

How do we get ready?

First comes the acknowledgment that, while not all have the spiritual gift of evangelism, all Christians are called to be active witnesses to Jesus Christ, Further the pastoral leadership of each congregation is responsible to train or provide training for those under his care, enabling them to give an account of the faith that is in them.

Second comes a choice as to the best means of training Christians for personal evangelism.

a) Your pastor may want to train you simply from the Bible using such a means as "The Roman Road" (Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 5:8; 10:13; 10:9-1 1) or other scriptural outlines.

b) Your pastor may want to invite a local Campus Crusade for Christ representative to a two day "Lay Institute for Evangelism" workshop right in your own church. The cost is minimal and the teaching straightforward and effective.

c) You may wish to send some members of your congregation to an "Evangelism Explosion" training session. The cost is greater but the training superb.

d) "Project Philip" is a four part film strip and cassette tape presentation of a discussion between a young man recently returned from military service, a young mother, and a Christian man dealing with many objections raised by non-Christians to the gospel. It is available at reasonable cost from the Canadian Home Bible League.

Other excellent resources exist. The point is simply to choose one that your congregation can use in personal evangelism.

Third, you need to set a date, give the training, and make a consistory level decision to provide that, or other training, every year on an ongoing basis. Some will not attend the first year. New believers need to be trained in future years. Covenant children need to be trained as they come of age.

Fourth, pray for the empowering of the Holy Spirit. The finest electronic marvel can be polished and shine like the sun, but is useless unless it is plugged into its Power Source.

Fifth, go. Whether you go door-to-door, to a friend or relative, to a recent visitor to your church, or to a neighbour down the street, you must go. New Testament evangelism does not take place in the church, but the church is scattered in the world and evangelism takes place there. Evangelism is not an accident. It is a decision and a deliberate lifestyle to which all Christians have been called.

Consider these steps:

1 . Evaluate honestly where your church is in the matter of evangelism. Is it the pastor's job? Is it up to the evangelism committee? Ask your pastor to give the evaluation a major place on a consistory agenda or during your next congregational meeting. Be ruthlessly honest.

2. Plan a training event or ongoing program in personal evangelism. Personal evangelism is not the only means of reaching out, but it is a foundational step. Whether you choose fishing tackle, a gill net or some other fishing tool is not the issue. That you choose and use a tool is.

3. Repeat the training in personal evangelism annually (if this training does not continue on an ongoing basis). Churches that grow, plan to grow.

Jesus said, "Come follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).

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