Tim Dowdy told attendees at the Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference that the key to church evangelism is the heart of the pastor.
“A pastor once told me he was just trying to keep his head above water,” Dowdy said. “I was a pastor for 31 years, and I know the pressures are enormous. But the church is called to a culture of evangelism, and sometimes the pastor has to ‘aggravate’ the church to go into the world with the gospel.”
Dowdy, vice president of evangelism for the North American Mission Board, led a breakout session on “Creating A Culture of Evangelism” on Jan. 27 at Lakeside Baptist Church in Birmingham.
He said there are times when a church is more evangelistic than at other times, but the church must always be on mission.
Developing a new church culture
“Sometimes church members say their ‘sweet fellowship’ is what they love most, and this is good,” he said. “But having a sweet fellowship is not our primary purpose.”
Everyone is meant to be bringing more people into the family, Dowdy said.
“Though there is a gift of evangelism, according to Ephesians 4, the Great Commission was given to the church,” he said. “Jesus said, ‘As you go,’ so the church is on mission to make Him known. I believe old organizations can develop a new culture and focus on winning the lost.”
Dowdy said churches must embrace the communities they’re in.
“Often we discover the congregation doesn’t match the community, for example in ethnicity or in age,” he said. “And many in our neighborhoods don’t know anyone in the church, much less that the church cares about them. We must find a ‘gospel bridge’ to connect to our community.”
Strategic targets
Dowdy said a personal crisis is one bridge that brings people to the church, but this doesn’t happen very often. Because of that, the church should identify three or four targets for community outreach rather than overwhelming members with 15 projects.
He said NAMB offers community demographic reports without charge that help churches understand the makeup of their neighborhoods.
Dowdy said congregations also must pray for the Holy Spirit to energize their efforts and ready hearts for the gospel message.
“I think we must pray for the lost by name,” he said. “Sunday Bible study groups can do this, and we can do it in the traditional Wednesday night prayer time. This sharpens our focus on specific individuals who need the gospel.”
Celebrate obedience
Finally, Dowdy suggested churches “celebrate obedience.”
“Most of us don’t do this well,” he said. “But we should congratulate people who complete training, make much of those who pray for the lost and encourage those who find ways to be involved in their neighborhoods in order to witness.”
NAMB is promoting John 3:16 Day on March 16 (3/16), encouraging all pastors to preach on John 3:16.
“This can be the first day of an evangelistic emphasis in the 30 days preceding Easter,” he said.
Another suggestion Dowdy shared was distributing New Testaments in a Sunday morning worship service and leading people in marking the verses for sharing the gospel.
“I’ve done this as the sermon,” he said. “I’ve also found that youth groups especially enjoy learning to use the Bible in sharing their faith.”
During the breakout session, Dowdy distributed Evangelism Kit boxes to all participants that included videos and printed materials. The Evangelism Kit is free to any church and available at namb.net under the tab “Evangelism Home.”
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