How do you and/or your church engage in evangelism?

[Deleted member 13126]

Sorry, I deleted that post. I saw that you were trying to keep it on topic with a post that stated "so what are your methods...," reiterating your OP. My comment seemed off topic.

No worries. For what it’s worth, I thought your post did contribute to the discussion. While it isn’t necessarily my view, it’s certainly a view, and quite a popular view at that. It’s lovely for brothers to dwell together in unity, but it’s difficult for me to be consistently edified by echo chambers. I appreciated the counterpoint(s).

 

[davejonescue]

No worries. For what it’s worth, I thought your post did contribute to the discussion. While it isn’t necessarily my view, it’s certainly a view, and quite a popular view at that. It’s lovely for brothers to dwell together in unity, but it’s difficult for me to be consistently edified by echo chambers. I appreciated the counterpoint(s).

No problem. We also must be cautious that often times the thing we are involved in, or have a passion for, can at times seem the most important thing to be passionate about (at least to us.) And then we may try to impose that passion on others. I personally struggle with this too because I am passionate about poverty, and helping the homeless; and often times wonder how can others be so cold to what seems to me as such an apparent detriment. But I think I am amiss if I accuse everyone of being a stingy or stone-hearted person because not every car stops to help if I do. God invests in each of us a passion, and we should pursue them, but we really cant expect everyone to be as fired up as we are about it, since we are only passionate about it, and able to pursue it, by grace.

 

[Rom]

I did not interpret our brother's question to be solely about what individuals are doing but also to reveal what your congregation may be doing. At Dallas RPC, we do not lay any guilt on members who do not come to our evangelistic events. Though, God's people often have a desire to support such works and do often come. There are no quotas or such or that everyone must be a "soul winner".

But surely, every congregation must point to something they are doing in terms of evangelism as a congregation. Ministers are to do the work of an evangelist both inside and outside the congregation, called to go into highways and hedges, and the people can be of help. The Great Commission is a Great Commandment after all.

I also do not think that we should shy away from necessary duties being brought to our remembrance. I sincerely appreciated our brother David's reminder that we ought to think more upon the poor. We certainly have texts like James 1:27 to contend with - pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

We also forget that we are not just individuals in these pursuits, but a body of Christ. Our bodies, our congregations, ought to be able to point to what they are doing together for the cause of Christ. Just because everyone doesn't go to a soup kitchen or go door to door or teach/preach the Word or shepherd God's people or support missions - does not mean that our congregations should not be able to say, "yes we do that - and here is how". Even from a denominational level.

I have to say, part of the lukewarm nature of the church in America is an attitude, "do not bother me, I am too busy with my life" (which often, but not always, is a pursuit of worldliness) that results in a species of spiritual minimalism in our churches. I have a great difficulty squaring that with the Scriptures where the Lord speaks of giving ourselves to the kingdom in a myriad ways. Dying to self, seeking first the kingdom, loving thy neighbor as thyself, bearing each others' burdens, giving to His cause, etc. Never in neglect of our ordinary vocations and in our home, but surely, there is some time left over for other ways to serve Christ's kingdom afterward, right? I especially have a difficulty with this in the American context specifically when I consider the brethren that I know overseas who have it much harder than us and yet, seemingly, have more time for the Lord.

In any case, may the Lord continue to bless us as we look to see Him glorified. Evangelism, as I often remind my people, is not solely about saving souls. But firstly, to glorify Christ, by revealing to all who hear us what great things the Lord has done (come, see!), so that Christ would be magnified and glorified before the people for His love for sinners and for the salvation that He has accomplished. May we all have such a heart to see the Redeemer extolled among the people He has placed us among.

As a personal note - I really enjoy hearing what congregations do in this area and I am often struck by how the Lord gives wisdom in different ways to those who seek to win souls, within the bounds of what He has called us to do in the Scripture.

 

[LittleFaith]

I have to say, part of the lukewarm nature of the church in America is an attitude, "do not bother me, I am too busy with my life" (which often, but not always, is a pursuit of worldliness) that results in a species of spiritual minimalism in our churches. I have a great difficulty squaring that with the Scriptures where the Lord speaks of giving ourselves to the kingdom in a myriad ways.

@Rom - while I hate asking questions that could be interpreted as reducing something to a matter of 'technique' - is there anything that you have found helpful in encouraging your congregants - corporately or individually - toward overcoming this spiritual minimalism without wandering into the territory of guilt trips or legalism?

 

[Rom]

@Rom - while I hate asking questions that could be interpreted as reducing something to a matter of 'technique' - is there anything that you have found helpful in encouraging your congregants - corporately or individually - toward overcoming this spiritual minimalism without wandering into the territory of guilt trips or legalism?

Good question - I have to necessarily be brief! - but I have found what has been helpful, is to begin with, the person of Christ and the glorious nature of God.

His loveliness. His perfection. His grace. Then the encouragement is to foster greater communion with Him - to never divorce our spiritual exercises from a pursuit of Him. Even when I preached on marriage - we have to realize that loving our spouse is a pursuit of Christ and is part of our religion in that way. This is what I have found to be most helpful in combating a legalistic mind. Recently I preached on Isaiah 43:22 - the Lord's complaint of His people was, "thou hast been weary of Me" (in the context of duties to Him) along with Zechariah 7:5 where the Lord asked, "Did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?" The Christian, in fact, is meant to enjoy God, not only glorify Him (WSC Q.1) and finds as in Psalm 73:25-28 that He is their great desire.

Such considerations will then center our labors on the Lord rather than on bare duty disassociated from the One that is the Christian's great desire. That is where I have begun and I have found the hearts of God's people to engage. After we consider Him as our Lord that we cherish, we can consider Matthew 6:33 where the Christian receives a promise that if they seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness that all their needs will be cared for.

 

[Deleted member 13126]

Good question - I have to necessarily be brief! - but I have found what has been helpful, is to begin with, the person of Christ and the glorious nature of God.

His loveliness. His perfection. His grace. Then the encouragement is to foster greater communion with Him - to never divorce our spiritual exercises from a pursuit of Him. Even when I preached on marriage - we have to realize that loving our spouse is a pursuit of Christ and is part of our religion in that way. This is what I have found to be most helpful in combating a legalistic mind. Recently I preached on Isaiah 43:22 - the Lord's complaint of His people was, "thou hast been weary of Me" (in the context of duties to Him) along with Zechariah 7:5 where the Lord asked, "Did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?" The Christian, in fact, is meant to enjoy God, not only glorify Him (WSC Q.1) and finds as in Psalm 73:25-28 that He is their great desire.

Such considerations will then center our labors on the Lord rather than on bare duty disassociated from the One that is the Christian's great desire. That is where I have begun and I have found the hearts of God's people to engage. After we consider Him as our Lord that we cherish, we can consider Matthew 6:33 where the Christian receives a promise that if they seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness that all their needs will be cared for..

Amen. This is an excellent line of reasoning. Love is active. If we really love Him, it’s going to manifest itself in our actions. We’ll obey His commandments. We’ll strive to be more like Him, by serving rather than being served, etc.

 

[No Other Name]

As far as group activities, we do monthly open air preaching where I preach and the congregation engages with those passing by. Handing tracts, praying with them, conversing. I wrote a series of blog articles on our experiences. Here is one:

Open-air preaching and the observant congregant

Coordination and Cooperation for the Gospel Introduction Two days ago, several from our congregation went out to Grapevine, TX to proclaim and present the gospel in advance of an exploratory worshi…

christcodeandkids.com

We also go door to door once a month in our neighborhood after our PM service. Besides that our people are pretty active speaking individually with their friends and loved ones.

In your article, you write: "This sister spoke to her about Christ and invited her to the evening exploratory worship service the next day."

May I please inquire as to what an "exploratory worship service" would entail? Thank you in advance.

 

[Rom]

In your article, you write: "This sister spoke to her about Christ and invited her to the evening exploratory worship service the next day."

May I please inquire as to what an "exploratory worship service" would entail? Thank you in advance.

Yes - sorry about the term - we are looking to plant a congregation in that area as the Lord wills - so we had a special (not regular) worship service the following evening in the area to invite those in that area to attend to gauge interest.

 

[Joshua]

To be clear -lest I unwittingly be a discouragement to my brethren such as Pastor Rom or others- my purposefully general comments were intended to be a bridge of charity between differing practices amongst those of us who confess like precious faith, and any excess about which I may have pointed was not to be interpreted as a veiled accusation against any here (e.g. I don’t believe Rom, et al are guilting/shaming their flock into Bible-beatings in the public square ).

 

[alexanderjames]

A very obvious point but one that has yet to be said is plainly that we pray for evangelism. May I encourage us to follow the Lord's call for us to earnestly pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest (Matthew 9:37-38).

My church partners with missionary workers and has a number of outreach ministries to the local community such as a cafe and various clubs (run largely by church member volunteers) which at least in part help facilitate personal evangelism.

 

[Rom]

To be clear -lest I unwittingly be a discouragement to my brethren such as Pastor Rom or others- my purposefully general comments were intended to be a bridge of charity between differing practices amongst those of us who confess like precious faith, and any excess about which I may have pointed was not to be interpreted as a veiled accusation against any here (e.g. I don’t believe Rom, et al are guilting/shaming their flock into Bible-beatings in the public square ).

Thank you for your sensitivity, brother - but I did not interpret your words in any uncharitable light at all!

 

[LittleFaith]

Good question - I have to necessarily be brief! - but I have found what has been helpful, is to begin with, the person of Christ and the glorious nature of God.

That's really helpful - thank you.

 

[TylerRay]

With the scope of this current thread, it’s easy enough to avoid. Rather than discuss whether or not to capitalize the ‘e’ in evangelism, or commandments for laity, it seems good to me to simply ask what people are doing (if anything).

Greenville recently passed a pesky law and I’m trying to drum up new ideas, as the new law substantially interferes with one of the reasons I moved out here in the first place.

What kind of law did Greenville pass?

 

[Deleted member 13126]

What kind of law did Greenville pass?

They're making it very difficult for street preaching to continue. Even street preaching without amplification is at risk based on how broadly the new noise ordinance is written. This may impact Pastor McCurley as well, I am not sure. Do feel free to forward this information on to him. Below is a quote from the source (emphasis mine).

The ordinance states that if “noise substantially interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of persons of ordinary sensibilities,” then a violation has occurred.

The noise ordinance now will:

• Reduce the distance at which decibels are measured from 25 to three feet from the sound source in the central business district; and from 100 to 10 feet in areas outside the central business district.
• Give police discretion as whether to issue a warning or a citation immediately, if the circumstances warrant it. Additionally, a citizen report is not required to write a citation.
• Require a minimum of $100 for any violation and potential maximum of $500. When court costs and fees are assessed, a fine of $500 requires a total payment of $1087.

Source: https://www.greenville.com/news/2023/09/stronger-ordinance-will-reduce-downtown-noise/

 

[MyCrows]

They're making it very difficult for street preaching to continue. Even street preaching without amplification is at risk based on how broadly the new noise ordinance is written. This may impact Pastor McCurley as well, I am not sure. Do feel free to forward this information on to him. Below is a quote from the source (emphasis mine).




Source: https://www.greenville.com/news/2023/09/stronger-ordinance-will-reduce-downtown-noise/

Curious as to what kind of noise they they are actually looking to reduce. Do you think they are specifically targeting preachers?

 

[Deleted member 13126]

Curious as to what kind of noise they they are actually looking to reduce. Do you think they are specifically targeting preachers?

Allegedly they are looking to reduce automotive noise. But cars don't stick around long enough to be ticketed. They're simply passing through. Street preachers, on the other hand, are typically stationary. I have seen one pair who walk up and down the street in a predictable manner. As for whether or not I think they are specifically targeting preachers, in a sense, Yes, I do, and our Pastor does as well.

Some background may be helpful.

The weekend I moved to Greenville, SC, from Cumming, GA, was the weekend that a fellow laborer was arrested for street preaching at a LGBTQ event downtown on Main Street. He wasn't given a warning and was then detained for something like 12 hours in very poor conditions. He was arrested probably 100-200 feet or so from where he normally sets up to preach at the Peace Center. Later, it was determined that the police officers who arrested him were brought in for the event and didn't actually have the authority to perform any arrests. A conversation transpired between our Pastor and the Chief of Police, and the charges were dropped.

However, since then, the big triangle-shaped signs (usually filled with water or sand) to display the noise ordinance were kept out at the Peace Center in downtown Greenville where we normally go (he to preach, I to distribute tracts and talk with folks). After the arrest, permits for performers were also routinely granted for that specific intersection where he has been faithfully preaching multiple times each week for close to three years. A permitted performer must be given about 100 feet, so any performer who is permitted for that location will force us to go elsewhere. We've also seen an increase in the amount of attention we receive from law enforcement officers, although some are friendly.

So, for these reasons, we believe that the new noise ordinance may be intended to discourage street preachers based on how broadly it's been written.

You can download the NIOSH Sound Level Meter (NIOSH SLM) app on iOS and see that it's not hard to get a sufficiently high reading at close distances. From six inches away while typing this on a mechanical keyboard, for example, I'm able to get as high as 52 dB. Other ordinances would have required an excess of 80 dB from 25 feet. It's not hard to get a high reading from three feet, especially in light of the ambient noise downtown. It could easily be exceeded while speaking loudly without amplification.

Although, with the new rule, they don't even need to take measurements. This is the jarring part of the new ordinance. Imagine a cop writing you a speeding ticket without taking any measurements, pacing your vehicle, or even receiving a report from a concerned citizen. That's roughly analogous to what we're dealing with. At their discretion, they can simply write a $1000 ticket, and there is no shortage of law enforcement officers who hate street preaching and will very likely exercise that option.

 

[Mr. Great-Heart]

Based on the number of replies, are our critics right to broadly refer to the Reformed as the frozen chosen? Could it be that we have the most robust doctrine but are lacking in this one vital area? Hoping to hear from more folks on this topic.

If there's another lull, just ask what type of clothing one should wear when engaging in evangelistic activities.

 

[Andres]

Based on the number of replies, are our critics right to broadly refer to the Reformed as the frozen chosen? Could it be that we have the most robust doctrine but are lacking in this one vital area? Hoping to hear from more folks on this topic.

I'd say yes it is accurate but by God's grace, I do see that tide changing.
Here are some videos from our evangelism times, including hecklers.

 

[Deleted member 13126]

I'd say yes it is accurate but by God's grace, I do see that tide changing.
Here are some videos from our evangelism times, including hecklers.

I've seen some of these, Brother. They are excellent. However, when clicking on the YouTube logo from Pastor Rom's blog where they're embedded, YouTube actually refused to load the page. Instead I had to look up the Dallas RPC YouTube channel manually from YouTube.com and find the videos that way. I'm not sure if this is a kind of soft censorship or just a technical issue on my end, though. Keep up the great work for the King and His glory!