What works best to share the gospel message among those where you live? Here are several ideas that church leaders across Missouri have considered or are doing. 1. Recruit and train Christian music groups to conduct a musical festival at a special event. Raise money for backpacks to help poor children to be ready for school. 2. Ask an elementary school principal for the name and contact information of a newly immigrated child. Have families in the church adopt the child and their … [Read more...]
Impactful evangelism ideas – Part 1 of 3
One of the most helpful exercises when training missionaries is to spend some time listing evangelism ideas that offer the greatest potential for impacting people with the gospel. This is a challenging exercise for many. Here are several ideas that churches have been encouraged to attempt – and many are – throughout Missouri. Maybe this will spark some new outreach methods for you and your church. 1. Conduct a survey simply asking if those in that home would be willing to conduct a Bible … [Read more...]
Missouri students share Jesus at SBC’s Crossover
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Students from Midwestern Seminary and North Central Missouri College were among more than 3,300 volunteer missionaries at 47 venues around the city the week before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, knocking on 10,000 doors, sharing 4,900 gospel presentations, resulting in at least 345 professions of faith. Dianne Barnes, the leader of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at North Central in Trenton took five students with her, working with Stowe Mission in inner … [Read more...]
‘Captive’ highlights God’s grace, Page says
NASHVILLE (BP) – Frank S. Page recalls the moment 10 years ago when he learned the single mother held captive in her Atlanta-area home by an accused murderer and rapist was the same Ashley Smith he had baptized when she was 12 years old. National attention focused on news reports of the manhunt for Brian Nichols, who killed a judge and three others in his escape from an Atlanta courthouse while accused of rape. As the story unfolded on live news coverage, it became clear Nichols had taken … [Read more...]
This could be the year
In a most passionate way, Dr. Ronnie Floyd is convening Southern Baptists to seek the Lord for revival and spiritual awakening. The urgency of the hour is evident to anyone who cares about life and liberty. The entire agenda of the SBC Annual Meeting is new. We cannot do business as usual. While there is business to do, the need of the hour is what happens starting Tuesday evening when Dr. Floyd and several other key leaders call God’s people to repentance and prayer. Authentic revival … [Read more...]
Macedonia Project targets state’s most unreached counties
JEFFERSON CITY — In 2016, Missouri Baptists will launch an initiative, called The Macedonia Project, with a vision for making disciples among the 2.3 million lost people in five counties near St. Louis and Kansas City. The lost population in these five counties—St. Louis County/City, St. Charles, Jefferson, Clay and Jackson – make up more than half of the 4.5 million Missourians who, according to a 2010 U.S. Religion Census, don’t claim to be born again. Moreover, these five … [Read more...]
Should evangelizing be work or play?
A number of veteran IMB missionaries were given personality tests and then given four samples of print materials to evaluate. Since this was my project, I assumed that the stern accountant-types would choose terse text and bullet-point layouts with conceptual analysis. Not so. The missionaries regardless of their personality type all chose print media that had lots of photos and testimonials of personal struggles or victories. They chose play over work every time. There is a sociological … [Read more...]
8 elements leading to community-wide revival
“Jesus Freak” is a label that suits me well. I was part of the Jesus Movement in the 1970s. Our Baptist church’s youth group conducted a weekly prayer meeting that attracted many lost kids and youth groups from several other churches. Keep in mind the setting: small town, rampant drugs and alcohol, over half of the freshman classes never graduated high school, unchurched families moved in with a new manufacturing plant, stagnant churches, perfunctory Bible teaching, and few if any teens … [Read more...]
Former missionaries fish for men in Joplin
JOPLIN – Wendy’s is one of Charles Brock’s favorite fishing holes. As he and his wife, Dottie, entered the fast food restaurant, they prayed and glanced around the room. Who needed to receive the Good News today? He took out a bright red Bible study guide that has “Good News For You” in large letters on the cover. A family of six gladly received several copies. Then Brock noticed a group of young men, one wearing a jacket with “Kazakhstan” written on the back. “I assumed they were … [Read more...]
Leading real change for evangelizing
The Lord must be trying to tell me something. I’ve been reading about change and attended what I thought was a seminar on church revitalization, but it was really about leading lasting change. Many of the same principles were used. John Kotter has the best reputation in the business world for “leading change.” He’s got a great book by that name, too. Kotter has eight steps to change that are widely recognized as successful. If your church or ministry needs change to actively making … [Read more...]
Are we training our pastors wrong?
The email said, “Mark, we’d like you to address this topic: ‘Are We Training Our Pastors Wrong?’” Now, there’s a good way to alienate yourself from godly men you have served alongside for several decades! At least I was able to add, “Or How Can We Train Pastors More Effectively?” The article required hours of research. I began to understand that there was a disconnect between pastors and their church members. The Bible created the biggest gap. Biblical ignorance is rampant in our churches. … [Read more...]
Servant evangelism: ‘Crazy love’ lights up Missouri
Reports are coming in from churches lighting up their communities for Jesus! Darron Edwards serves as pastor of United Believers Church in Kansas City. They conducted “Transformers” evangelism training in April. “Mothers Like You,” was a prayer breakfast conducted on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. There were 21 women that made a commitment to return to church. In June, the church distributed more than 1,100 water bottles in 10 strategic locations. In July and August, they conducted VBS … [Read more...]
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