Effectively Fill in the GAPS of Evangelism
One of the biggest struggles pastors face when it comes to raising the evangelism temperature of their people is getting them to take the message from the pulpit, internalize it, and live it out when they leave the church building. I know pastors are sharing passionately with their people the need to go and share their faith with others. I have talked to many pastors who are frustrated when they preach that message to their people and see so few take it into their daily lives.
The people, for their part, are also frustrated because they may want to take the message to their friends, neighbors, and co-workers, but are hesitant for a variety of reasons. There is a gap between the message pastors are preaching and the ability of the people to follow through.
Pastors must be able to fill in the gaps for their members if their evangelism ministry is going to thrive.
Imagine a member of your church sitting in the audience who has never shared their faith with another person, or for that matter, even invited a lost friend to church. They hear a wonderful message and are convicted about not doing what they know they should be doing which is sharing their faith with their lost friends and neighbors.
However, they are disappointed and discouraged because there is a huge chasm between knowing what they should do and having the courage or the training to do it. Pastors and leaders have the responsibility of filling in the GAPS and getting their people sharing the Good News with the lost.
As a leader, you must help your people:
Grasp their callings – Every believer is responsible for the lost in their life.
Attain gospel training and resources – Training on multiple levels and offering a variety of resources
Partner together for Gospel advancement – The church is a sending agency for its missionaries. No one goes alone.
Stay on mission – Continuing emphasis and opportunity for the members.
When we help our people by filling in the gaps, we help them to accomplish the mission God has called all of us to be on. When we do this, the evangelism temperature of the church rises rapidly. In the following blog posts, we will expound on each of the four elements of filling in the GAPS.
For more information, please contact the Evangelism team of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and schedule a consultation. You can also join the conversation on Facebook!
Published September 15, 2020