Recently, we began an emphasis at Eastwood Baptist Church called 4x4. Throughout the month of February, this emphasis was mentioned in Sunday School and talked about from the pulpit, and it will continue to be mentioned throughout the month of March during worship. Admittedly, this emphasis is not deep theologically, or trendy in methodology. In a nutshell, it outlines steps anyone can take to involve themselves in what has come to be called "relationship evangelism."
These four words that all start with an "I" encompass the actions we have been encouraging our congregation to engage in with people in their lives. I admit, when I first heard this process (it's not really a program because the bulk of it takes place in your daily life, not at the church) I was skeptical. I'd heard all of the evangelism promotional programs churches have used before. In my opinion, they all come across as cheesy canned sales-pitches. But when I met the author, a pastor himself that came up with this method to help his own church, I begin to change my mind. One thing he said really caught my attention: "I do NOT have the gift of evangelism."
Wow. Talk about guts. Pastors are supposed to be gifted at everything. They are supposed to be the 24/7 answer man. But his admission is likely the admission of most church members. The reason we shy away from evangelism is because it has been narrowly defined as knocking on doors, asking people questions, saying the "sinner's prayer" with people, and "leading them to the Lord." Obviously, this freaks most people out. And not simply because they might not be spiritual or committed enough. But because not everyone is an extrovert and made by God to do that kind of thing. INCLUDING some pastors.
The Bible does define evangelism as a spiritual gift, and if we narrowly define it as "saving," "soul-winning," or "leading someone to the Lord," then I have to admit that I am not gifted in it either. We've used this excuse in the past to get us off the hook. We've pointed at "canned" methods that treat everyone as if they are equally gifted in this area, and make people feel guilty when they fail to be as excited about "winning people for the Lord" as some of their more extroverted friends.
This is where 4x4 is different. The four things it encourages people to do can be attempted by anyone. We all know people in our lives that we can identify as unchurched. We've encouraged church members to identify 4 people and write their names on a card. If you are a Christian, you have access to God and can intercede for them regularly. We suggest 4 times a week to reserve room for other kinds of prayer. Investing in them should come naturally, as you share your life with them through the things you have in common. Something as simple as sitting by them at a sporting event or having lunch with them on your break can help you establish a relationship. 4 times a month is a worthy, but challenging goal for doing this. Finally, you invite them to some kind of special event or gathering associated with your church where they will experience Christian fellowship, and eventually be invited to hear the Gospel. Narrowing this invitation down to 4 strategic times a year keeps you from sounding like a nag and ensures the best possible experience for them.
In the past, we've gotten the "invite" part down. We invite our friends on "high-attendance Sunday," or people from the church down the road to see our special programs or come to our potlucks. Doing this is all well and good if our goal is simply to fill up the sanctuary every once in a while. However, our goal is beyond that. Our goal should not necessarily be to numerically fill the church, but to strategically connect people to church who otherwise are not. It seems to me that one of the biggest things that makes the difference between an inwardly focused church and an outwardly focused one is not WHAT the church does; But WHO the church intentionally tries to include in what it does.
Whether you are a member at Eastwood or not, I think this is a worthwhile challenge to undertake. What are your thoughts concerning this type of evangelism? How have you seen it modeled effectively/ineffectively in the past?
These four words that all start with an "I" encompass the actions we have been encouraging our congregation to engage in with people in their lives. I admit, when I first heard this process (it's not really a program because the bulk of it takes place in your daily life, not at the church) I was skeptical. I'd heard all of the evangelism promotional programs churches have used before. In my opinion, they all come across as cheesy canned sales-pitches. But when I met the author, a pastor himself that came up with this method to help his own church, I begin to change my mind. One thing he said really caught my attention: "I do NOT have the gift of evangelism."
Wow. Talk about guts. Pastors are supposed to be gifted at everything. They are supposed to be the 24/7 answer man. But his admission is likely the admission of most church members. The reason we shy away from evangelism is because it has been narrowly defined as knocking on doors, asking people questions, saying the "sinner's prayer" with people, and "leading them to the Lord." Obviously, this freaks most people out. And not simply because they might not be spiritual or committed enough. But because not everyone is an extrovert and made by God to do that kind of thing. INCLUDING some pastors.
The Bible does define evangelism as a spiritual gift, and if we narrowly define it as "saving," "soul-winning," or "leading someone to the Lord," then I have to admit that I am not gifted in it either. We've used this excuse in the past to get us off the hook. We've pointed at "canned" methods that treat everyone as if they are equally gifted in this area, and make people feel guilty when they fail to be as excited about "winning people for the Lord" as some of their more extroverted friends.
This is where 4x4 is different. The four things it encourages people to do can be attempted by anyone. We all know people in our lives that we can identify as unchurched. We've encouraged church members to identify 4 people and write their names on a card. If you are a Christian, you have access to God and can intercede for them regularly. We suggest 4 times a week to reserve room for other kinds of prayer. Investing in them should come naturally, as you share your life with them through the things you have in common. Something as simple as sitting by them at a sporting event or having lunch with them on your break can help you establish a relationship. 4 times a month is a worthy, but challenging goal for doing this. Finally, you invite them to some kind of special event or gathering associated with your church where they will experience Christian fellowship, and eventually be invited to hear the Gospel. Narrowing this invitation down to 4 strategic times a year keeps you from sounding like a nag and ensures the best possible experience for them.
In the past, we've gotten the "invite" part down. We invite our friends on "high-attendance Sunday," or people from the church down the road to see our special programs or come to our potlucks. Doing this is all well and good if our goal is simply to fill up the sanctuary every once in a while. However, our goal is beyond that. Our goal should not necessarily be to numerically fill the church, but to strategically connect people to church who otherwise are not. It seems to me that one of the biggest things that makes the difference between an inwardly focused church and an outwardly focused one is not WHAT the church does; But WHO the church intentionally tries to include in what it does.
Whether you are a member at Eastwood or not, I think this is a worthwhile challenge to undertake. What are your thoughts concerning this type of evangelism? How have you seen it modeled effectively/ineffectively in the past?
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