Connecting Sunday School & Evangelism
In your opinion, what seems to be the most effective environment for
productive evangelism?
(write your responses below)
Program
Pulpit
Personal
In the space below, draw the three circles in proportion to the arena that currently reflects our church’s baptisms…
In the space below, draw the three circles in proportion to what best reflects a more complete discipleship strategy for our Sunday School/small groups…
What do you think prevents personal evangelism from occurring more often?
(Write your answers below)
If we move someone to a level or two above their current level, would that be a success?
2%
The percentage of church members actively involved in evangelism
99%
The percentage of church members that believe evangelism is every Christian’s responsibility
https://bible.org/illustration/evangelism-statistics
“Street Level Evangelism, Where is the Space for the Local Evangelist,” by Michael Parrott, Acts Evangelism, Spokane, WA, 1993, pp. 9-11.
What organization could our church mobilize that would involve more people in evangelism than we currently have engaged now?
“Follow Me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”
Mark 1:17
What can we conclude from Jesus’ statement to His small group?
1. Soulwinning was the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ group.
2. Jesus used His group to evangelize His group members.
What do your group members think is the ultimate purpose of your group?
Sunday School is how our church is organized to impact lostness.
Equip – 30% of our group members can not share the Gospel effectively. Our group members need equipping (anecdotal research from Bob Mayfield)
Engage – We need to mobilize the 98% of our group members who are not evangelistically unengaged
Every – Most of our church members are already attached to a small group
Evangelism – A soulwinner is the goal for every member
Groups – Our church’s strategy through which we will equip and engage every church member in personal evangelism
Equipping phase
LifeWay’s “Unvarnished Truth” series in Bible Studies for Life
· 6 week study of the Gospel
· Focus is studying and understanding the Gospel, not just “Gospel talking points”
Bible Studies for Life
Where the Bible Meets Life
FALL 2016
Unvarnished Truth: Life’s Greatest Story
Session / DateOf First Use / Title / The Point / Session Passages
1 / September 4, 2016 / One Great Creator / God created us—and He knows each of us. / Psalm 33:6-9,13-15; Colossians 1:15-17
2 / September 11, 2016 / One Great Purpose / We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. / Isaiah 43:1-7
3 / September 18, 2016 / One Great Problem / Without Christ, we are condemned forever. / Romans 3:9-12,
19-20,23
4 / September 25, 2016 / One Great Savior / God offers us hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. / Romans 5:6-11
5 / October 2, 2016 / One Great Commitment / To be saved, I must trust in Christ. / Romans 10:1-3,8b-13
6 / October 9, 2016 / One Great Task / Each of us must share the gospel. / 2 Timothy 2:1-10
Engaging Phase
3151 Challenge
· Beginning October 2, “Soulwinning Commitment Day”
· Church members are encouraged to take the “3151 Challenge”
Challenge / Individual / Small Group of 10 / Church of 100Pray for lost friends / 3 / 30 / 300
Learn a Gospel presentation / 1 / 10 / 100
Invite 5 people to your group / 5 / 50 / 500
Share the Gospel at least one time / 1 / 10 / 100
What if only 10% of our members respond…
Would not this evangelism emphasis still be worth it?
Ideas to help your group develop an evangelistic DNA
· Please fully engage with our church’s evangelism plan! We need you to be “all in”
· Have a group evangelistic prayer list
· Have one or two brief (3 minute) testimonies in your group each week
· Organize a group social and invite lost friends
· Allow time at each group meeting for members to share 3151 stories
· Use the “3151 poster” as an evangelism visual aid each week
· Memorize Romans 5:8
· Memorize verses about evangelism (attached)
· Walk your group through a Gospel tract
· Teach a Gospel presentation
Leverage every group meeting to include evangelism!
Monthly group meeting schedule
First Sunday – Pray for lost friends and neighbors
Second Sunday – Group testimonies
Third Sunday – Organize to invite lost friends to a group activity (mission project, social, etc)
Fourth Sunday – Teach a Gospel presentation; walk through a tract; memorize evangelism verses
Gospel Presentation
Romans 5:8
Evangelism Basics for Groups
Evangelism must be at the very core of our church’s groups. By using our groups, we assure that:
· We are completing the Great Commission discipleship process in our primary strategy:
· Because small groups is our largest organization, we are involving the maximum number of people possible in the Great Commission:
· Evangelism does not happen in a vacuum. We must be bold and open about our strategy:
· “Organic” does not mean unintentional. We must be intentional about reaching our lost friends and neighbors:
· We must do both “attractional” and “missional” evangelism in our groups. Thus, we invite people to our group to hear the Gospel, and we share the Gospel in our community with lost people:
· Since we value biblical community, inviting lost people into our group to hear the Gospel and enjoy community is one of the most loving things we can offer:
· Our church’s events are expected to: a) share the Gospel; b) direct participants to a small group, because discipleship happens better in a small group than at an event:
· As a church, we will be unapologetic about sharing the Gospel in our community, region, nation, and world.
Twelve Memory Verses on Evangelism
Jesus formed His small group with evangelism as its driving purpose. Encourage your small group or Sunday School class to memorize one of the following verses every month for a year to 1) remind them of your group’s primary purpose, and 2) equip each person with Scripture to use as they share their faith.
Romans 6:23 -For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Peter 3:18 -For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.
John 3:16 -For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8 -But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 -He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Corinthians 1:18 -For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Acts 4:12 -And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.
Luke 13:3 -No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!
Ephesians 2:8-9 -For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift,not from works, so that no one can boast.
John 5:24 -I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.
Romans 10:9-10 -If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
1 Timothy 1:15 -This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.
www.bobmayfield.com/verses