6 Ways To Develop an Evangelistic Culture in Your Church

We all desire non-Christians (i.e., pagans) to come to saving faith in Christ. Sometimes, however, our lament is that we are not seeing this occur in our churches as frequently as we would like. Here are 6 ways to help develop an evangelistic culture in your church.

1. Example: The officers, and all other ministry leaders, should set an example for the congregation. When church leaders are sharing the gospel and inviting non-Christians to church on a consistent basis, those sharing the good news normally talk about their experiences. One's witnessing encounters can be a catalyst to encourage others to imitate you in your evangelistic witness.

2. Events: Some churches use events (e.g., car washes, church booths at county fairs, church tables at malls, door-to-door, etc.) for the purpose of being intentional in one's evangelistic witness. This is a great option for those who desire to be stretched in witnessing, as well as those who do not mind contact evangelism.

3. Public prayer: Those involved in praying from the pulpit on the Lord's Day should pray for the salvation of non-Christians. That assumes, of course, people are inviting non-Christians to church. Along with praying for non-Christians, ministry leaders should also pray for increased evangelistic zeal in the congregation and a sense of urgency for the gospel to be spread locally. 

4. Accountability: Men and women, boys and girls, keep each other accountable for many things (e.g., contentment, marriage, sexual purity, Bible reading, etc.). Consider making evangelism a part of your accountability efforts. Whatever the frequency, we might ask each other the question, "Have you shared the gospel lately?" Then, we can use that as a point of discussion to keep each other accountable.

5. List: Hopefully we all know non-Christians and have cultivated a relationship with them. Consider creating a list of 2-3 persons whom you desire to see saved and added to your local congregation. Once the list is created, exchange it with others so that people in the church can pray for those on the list. As you are praying for their salvation, be sure to also pray that the Spirit would provide the boldness for the list's creator to share the gospel and invite those on the list to church. Be mindful that the list is not about turning people into numbers. Rather, it is a way for the church to pray for these individuals, as well as a way for others to pray that you would have the boldness to witness to those on your list.

6. Preach the gospel: I am a firm believer that the gospel should be preached in every sermon. If the minister is consistent in this God-given responsibility, the congregation will grow more familiar with the contents of the good news. That way, when they have the opportunity to share the gospel, it will be that much easier for them to witness to the person and work of Christ because of the consistency with which they hear it from the pulpit. It is a catechesis of sorts.