7 COMPONENTS OF AN Missionaries

Invite enough missionaries to challenge and encourage

EFFECTIVE MISSIONS your members, but not more than your church can properly
take care of.

CONFERENCE When inviting missionaries try to get some from all stages
of missionary work. You should have some come that are
HOSTING A CONFERENCE THAT IS veteran missionaries, some that are on deputation, and at
least one missionary that your church currently supports.
HELPFUL TO YOUR CHURCH AND THE
Conference speaker or speakers
MISSIONARIES YOU INVITE The speaker should be a person who has a passion for
By Dr. Don Sisk | May 17, 2013 missions and who will preach on missions. To have
According to a popular Christian magazine, only preaching that does not center on worldwide evangelization
approximately 20% of evangelical churches in America in the conference will be counterproductive. It is a missions
have a missions conference. I seriously doubt that the conference, therefore the main thing is missions.
percentage in independent Baptist churches is much larger. There is no shortage of those willing to speak at missions
I have had the opportunity to participate in over 1,300 conferences, and thinking about the following types of
missions conferences in the past 30 years. In many speakers may help you as you select a speaker.
churches, this is the most exciting week of the year for
 Mission personnel: representatives from mission
their church. For some, it is more of a tradition than it is an
impact meeting. Since the last command of the Lord was a organizations
command to evangelize the world, this certainly should  Pastors: those who have an outstanding missions
merit at least five days during the year when the primary program and can communicate the needs to others
emphasis of the entire church is worldwide evangelism.  Evangelists: those who have a record of helping and
1. THE PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE being involved with missionaries.
 To inspire: (to exert an animating, enlivening, or  Veteran missionaries: those who have been successful
exalting influence on; to motivate; to spur on; to draw and are able to inspire others
forth or bring out) 4. THE PROGRAM FOR THE EVENING
 To enlighten: (to furnish knowledge, to instruct, to SERVICES
give spiritual insight to) Music
 To encourage: (to give hope or promise to)  The music should be missions-centered and
 To enlist participation in missions: inspirational.
1. Members inspired to go as missionaries  The choir should be used every night.
2. Members inspired to pray for missions  Congregational songs should be carefully chosen.
3. Members inspired to give to missions
 Missionaries who have musical abilities should be
2. THE PLANNING OF THE CONFERENCE considered for specials.
 Missions conferences should be planned well in  Using children’s choirs and other groups from the
advance. Next year’s conference should already be school and the youth group will encourage attendance
well into the planning stages by the end of this year’s at the conference
conference.
 The invitational song should be appropriate for the
 Plan to involve enough people to make the conference occasion.
successful without one person doing all the work.
MISSIONARY TESTIMONIES
 Plan for the missionaries’ lodging and transportation.
 Have a missionary or missionaries share a testimony
 Involve people from each aspect of your church: during the service.
Sunday school, youth, ladies, deacons, senior saints,
Christian school, etc. A good way to do this is by  In addition to the live testimonies, schedule time for a
having various meetings take place in conjunction with missionary presentation/video.
the missions conference such as:  The missionary should be informed far enough in
1. Ladies meetings: this is one of the highlights for advance so that he has time to set up and be ready to
ladies of the church and for the missionary wives. go before the service starts. Also, make sure you
2. Men’s prayer breakfast: this gives the men of the coordinate your equipment with that of the missionary.
church an opportunity to interact with the missionaries  The music and testimonies should not take so long that
and to pray with them. your speaker feels the need to hurry though his
3. Youth night: a time when the missionaries meet with message.
the youth of the church. It could include pizza or light  When possible, displays should be in places that would
snacks. (I have found that this usually works best encourage people to interact with the missionaries
before the Friday evening service.) before and after the service.
4. Missionaries should be used in classes of the
Christian school as well as in the chapel services. 5. PROVIDING FOR THE MISSIONARIES
5. Senior saints meeting: older people like to eat and so The conference should be planned in such a way that it is
do missionaries. A lunch with the seniors can be a very not only a blessing to the church, but to the missionaries as
profitable time. well.
6. Missionaries should be used in the Sunday school  As you plan for the lodging, don’t forget the families
classes. of your missionaries.
3. THE PERSONNEL  When wives are to be involved in meetings you should
provide care for their children.
 It can be a great blessing to the members of the church
and to the missionaries when the members are
encouraged to provide gifts for the missionaries or
when the ladies are taken on a shopping trip with
money provided by the church.
 Encourage your members to use whatever skills they
have to help the missionaries as well. Services such as
auto repair, beauty shop opportunities, computer help
from church staff, and other services that can be
supplied by the church for the missionaries can be an
encouragement both to those who provide the service
and to the missionaries.
 Financial assistance should be considered long before
the conference starts. Plan for their travel expenses,
love offerings, offerings for special projects the
missionaries have, and regular support. There are
many ways to raise the needed funds:
1. A definite amount should be designated from the
missions budget on a monthly basis and put into a fund
for the conference.
2. Take offerings for several Wednesday nights before
the conference starts.
3. A special offering can be taken at the end of the
Sunday night service for the special needs of the
missionaries.
6. CONFERENCE COMMITMENTS
At the end of the conference, you should have a definite
time for people to commit how much they will give to
missions over the next year. As part of the giving
commitments, it is helpful to ask people to commit to pray
for the missionaries over the course of the next year—after
all, prayer is the most important need that missionaries
have.
7. CONFERENCE EVALUATION
After the conference has ended, you should ask yourself
several questions to help you identify ways to have a better
conference next year:
 What was a special blessing during the conference?
 Were there any problems that hindered the conference?
 How can we improve on the weak points?
 How can we make the good points better?
The missions conference is an absolute necessity if we are
to maintain the kind of intensity that is needed to keep the
church inspired to do the thing that Christ has commanded
us to do. It can be and should be an exciting, blessed time
for the church and for the missionaries.
A HEART FOR
MISSIONS
MISSIONS CONFERENCES STIR
CHURCHES TO DO MORE FOR THE
LORD
By Dr. Kevin Folger | February 07, 2013
The Missions Conference is a powerful and monumental time on our
church’s calendar. Why is the World Missions Conference always such
a powerful meeting?
MISSIONS IS THE CHURCH’S
RESPONSIBILITY
When Jesus left this world He commissioned His church to go into “all
the world” with the gospel message. This is more than just the message
of salvation; it is also administering baptism and then training or
discipling new converts. If we are going to be successful in doing what
Christ gave us to do, churches must be planted in order to carry out the
three directives given by the Lord.
There is something special about new churches being birthed. It is much
like birthing physical babies. There is great joy when children and
grandchildren are born. By partnering with missionaries, we are helping
them birth churches, and we have great joy from that element of our
spiritual life. It is what Christ has put us here to do!
MISSIONARIES ARE SOME OF THE FINEST
CHRISTIANS YOU WILL EVER MEET
All Christians should be willing to live in complete and total obedience
to Christ. Missionaries, by their very response to God’s call, are
following Christ wherever He wants them to go. For some, it means
leaving behind their home, family, and the American way of life. It
means being thrust into a new culture and learning a new language. It
may mean getting out of their comfort zone and meeting new people. It
means loving and caring for those that Christ loves.
When we see the sacrifices these missionaries are willing to make, it
should cause us to want to have a part in what they are doing.
WE SET ASIDE THIS TIME TO FOCUS ON
WHAT IS DEAREST TO THE HEART OF GOD
It has been said, “God had one Son and that Son was a missionary.” It
was Jesus that said “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature.” When we focus on what God focuses on, we get a
special blessing from the Lord.
Hearing from and interacting with these great servants of the Lord stirs
our hearts because God is stirring their hearts.
WE MAKE A FINANCIAL INVESTMENT
It means making decisions and choices about our resources above a tithe
in order to help missionaries get to and stay on the field. They are
willing to go to the far corners of the world, but it takes people being
faithful in their financial support to keep them on the field. It takes
people praying that God will protect, provide, and encourage these
missionaries. This kind of focus endears us to what the Christian life is
all about.
I trust that as you read this God will stir your heart to be faithful to your
promise of finances but also to pray for the missionary family of your
church. For more than forty years, I have participated in giving to Faith
Promise Missions. It has been one of the joys in my life to watch God do
great things by faith in my heart. I trust that you, too, will know that
same joy by being involved in giving to the missions’ program of your
local church.
3 IDEAS TO BOOST
ATTENDANCE AT YOUR
MISSIONS
CONFERENCE
HAVING A WELL ATTENDED MISSIONS
CONFERENCE
By Dr. R. B. Ouellette | May 01, 2012
The first time we held a missions conference, I was greatly
disappointed by the attendance at the Monday and Tuesday
evening services. I had assumed that our people would
come because I had announced the meeting and had
excellent missionaries in attendance. I was wrong. Here are
some ideas that have helped us get people out for the
services that I hope will be a blessing to you:
1. A FOREIGN LANDS DINNER
Several weeks in advance of the conference we announce
that on a particular evening we will have a dinner before
the church service and ask our ladies to make an
international dish. Of course, some of them with various
ethnic origins will make a dish from their homeland. When
I announce the dinner, I often ask ladies in the
congregation what dish they are going to bring.
2. A DRESS-UP CONTEST FOR CHILDREN
On another night, we encourage our children in sixth-grade
and below to dress up in a costume representing a land
where our missionaries serve. We usually have the
children’s choir sing that night, so that the children get
plenty of time on the platform in their costumes. We judge
the costumes and give prizes to the best ones. Parents love
to come see their children on the platform. It even helps to
reach grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others.
3. A “SPREAD THE LIGHT” SERVICE
The last night of the conference, we turn off all the lights in
the auditorium and have each of our missionaries hold a
lighted candle. We explain that these people have
committed themselves to carry the Gospel into a darkened
world. But in a large auditorium, a handful of missionaries
does not spread much light.
Then we ask our young people who have surrendered to
full-time Christian service to come stand with the
missionaries and light their candles. Then we ask those
who are going to make a commitment to faith-promise
missions and by their gift help to “spread the light” to
come light their candles and stand with the missionaries
and the young people. By this time, nearly the entire
congregation is involved and the light is greatly increased.
It is a moving experience to see what can happen when
others get involved in spreading the light.
THE JOY OF THE
ANNUAL MISSIONS
EXCEPT THEY BE SENT
CONFERENCE 3 ASPECTS OF SENDING MISSIONARIES
HELPING YOUR CHURCH DEVELOP A
STRONG MISSIONS PROGRAM
By Dr. Don Sisk | June 28, 2010
I often hear pastors say, “My people just will not come out
for mission conferences.” I understand mission conferences
are not the easiest meetings to promote; however, if a
church is to develop a good, well-rounded missions
program, it is absolutely imperative that they have an
annual missions conference. Let me give you three
examples that may encourage you to start and aggressively
promote an annual missions conference.
In April, I was with the Temple Baptist Church in
Herndon, Virginia, for their twenty-second annual missions
conference. It was probably the most exciting and most
well-attended meeting of that great church, but it was not
always that way. It took the church a few years to really get
the conference to be what the pastor desired. The first three
years I preached their missions conference we did not see a
lot of great things, but a foundation was being laid. For the
past fifteen years, Temple Baptist Church has had a great
impact on world evangelism. The church has several
families on the mission fields of the world. They
consistently give over $400,000 a year for missions. The
missionaries leave that conference greatly encouraged and
well provided for.
The very next week, I was with the Valley Forge Baptist
Temple. Pastor Scott Wendal was used of God to plant that
church twenty-five years ago. I preached their first
missions conference in 1990. The faith promise was
approximately $20,000. This year the faith promise was
$520,000. They had five missionary families in the
conference, and the church gave them many unbelievable
gifts. The church immediately began financial and prayer
support for each of the five families. The church building
was practically filled to capacity every night during the
conference. This church also has several families serving
on mission fields around the world.
In my home church, Lancaster Baptist, we have a
wonderful missions conference each year. The first time I
preached in this conference was 1991. At that time the
church was supporting three missionaries at about $50 per
month. We are now supporting over 200 missionaries, and
the church has given over a million dollars per year for
missions during the last two years.
We usually have about twenty missionary families in the
conference, and all of the missionaries who are invited to
the conference receive monthly financial support as well as
the prayer support of our members. The conference is well-
promoted, and there is always an excellent attendance. We
now serve as the sending church for over ten missionary
families.
Many churches feel that they have a good missions
program simply because they are doing something for
missions. But think how much you could do if your people
were challenged to get totally involved in God’s plan. I
have noticed that as people are challenged to get involved
in praying for and giving to missions, many of them are
called to the mission field. When you begin to send out
your own missionaries, missions really comes alive in your
church. Faith promise giving and an annual missions
conference will not detract from your church, but will add
a whole new dimension.
By Alan Fong | November 10, 2010
Sermon outline: This is an abbreviated outline with the
complete sermon downloadable at the bottom of the post.
Text: Romans 10:11-17
Title: Except They Be Sent
Introduction: A well prayed over and planned for missions
conference can be one of many energizing events that the
Lord will use to increase our faith, enlarge our vision for
the world, and remind us that every one of us have an
opportunity to make a difference in lives we may not get to
meet until we get on the other side of eternity!
Missions is the heartbeat of a holy and righteous God!
What is it that defines a missionary? How do I know if I
am called to be a preacher of the Gospel to a local area or a
distant land?
I. The Inescapable Pressure—vs. 1
II. The Inexcusable Problem—vs. 14–15a
A. The shrouding of the message
B. The shunning of the mandate—vs. 14b
C. The shortage of missionaries—vs. 15a
III. The Irrevocable Priority—vs. 15b
A. Involvement
B. Investment
Conclusion: Illustration about Christian Athletes
At a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
Bobby Richardson, former New York Yankee second
baseman, offered a prayer that is a classic in brevity and
poignancy: “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing
less, nothing else. Amen.”
DEVELOPING A 3. Male missionaries must meet the qualifications for a
pastor as stated in 1Timothy 3.

WRITTEN MISSIONS 4. Must be in agreement with the doctrine and philosophy

of our church.
POLICY B. Expectations
1. To maintain regular communication with the church
CREATING GUIDELINES FOR YOUR a. Letter or other correspondence at least every other month
MISSIONS PROGRAM b. Report to church while on furlough
By Dr. Don Sisk | September 13, 2011
c. Keep the church informed as to any change in ministry
Very few independent Baptist churches have a written such as changing fields etc.
missionary policy. Most of our churches have a burden for
missions. However, only a few have taken the time and 2. To be faithful to perform the ministry as was stated to
effort to put their mission purpose and policy in writing. the church when seeking support
There are several advantages of having a written policy. In III. MISSIONARY SUPPORT
my many years of working with a missions organization, I A. Method of choosing missionaries for support
was asked repeatedly about certain issues in missions such B. To start the month the missionary is approved by the
as the following: what can I expect from our missionaries? church.
should we support fewer missionaries for larger amounts or
C. To end when the missionary ceases to be an active
more missionaries for a smaller amount? what do we do
missionary or in some way becomes disqualified as a
about missionaries who have spent many years on the field
missionary of our church
and are not able to stay on the field? what do we do with
missionaries who change fields? These are just a few of the D. Amount
many questions that I have tried to answer for missions 1. For missionaries for whom we are the sending church
conscious pastors. a. First year on deputation: $1,000 per month
If we have a written missions policy, we do not have to b. After first year: $500 per month
make an emotional decision or a decision based on 2. For other missionaries: $150 per month
personalities to determine what we will do or what we will
not do in any of these specific situations. 3. For retired missionaries (minimum of 30 years of
service)
I have always emphasized that it is not our responsibility as
a mission organization to set policies for local churches. a. Continued full support for those who remain active in
Each local church should decide what they believe God missionary service
would have them do. While we may not find specific b. For those who are not actively involved in missions, the
answers in the New Testament for each of our present support will be decreased fifty percent.
challenges, there are principles that can help us greatly in E. Projects and Organizations
the most important ministry. 1. Bible colleges
Since many of these questions continue to be asked, and 2. Mission organizations
since God has allowed me be a part of so many great
churches, allow me make some suggestions concerning a 3. Church planters in the U.S.A.
written missions policy. The following is an outline of a 4. Evangelists
sample missions policy: 5. Camps
I. WHAT IS MISSIONS? 6. Children’s homes
There is a great difference between the F. Since we believe that Biblical missions is evangelism,
words mission and missions. The mission of the church edification of believers, and the establishing of indigenous
includes its entire scope of activities. It includes Baptist churches, a minimum of fifty percent of the
the upward aspect or what we classify as worship. It missions budget will be used to support church planting
includes the inward aspect which is building up the missionaries.
believers, also called edification. The outward aspect of the IV. MISSIONS CONFERENCE
church’s mission is the evangelization of the lost.
A. To be conducted annually
The word missions is a specialized word and indicates the
B. Personnel
ministry of the church beyond its borders.
1. A minimum of five missionary families
A missions statement may or may not be desired. A typical
statement could be something like this: 2. A conference speaker or speakers
“Believing that the great commission was given to the Apostles 3. Special musicians
as representatives of believers of all ages and therefore believing 4. Representatives from Bible colleges
that it is the duty of every local church to evangelize the world,
we commit our self to the task of encouraging each member of
5. Representatives from missions organizations
the church to be totally involved in praying for, giving to, and C. Activities
being willing to go to the uttermost parts of the earth.” 1. Preaching nightly
II. MISSIONARY PERSONNEL 2. Missionary presentations
A. Qualifications 3. Ladies tea or luncheon
1. Must be recommended and supported by his or her 4. Youth activity with missionaries
sending church. 5. Men’s prayer breakfast
2. Must be approved by and affiliated with a reputable D. Offerings and expenses for the conference
mission organization.
1. Offerings received at mid-week service for 5 weeks prior
to conference
2. Budget $300 each month for conference from missions
budget
3. Each missionary to receive love offering and expense
check
4. Speakers and other guests to receive love offering and
expense check
E. Meeting of church leaders immediately after the
conference to evaluate the effectiveness of the conference
and to consider changes in the conference that need to be
made
V. CHURCH MISSIONARY PERSONNEL
A. Pastor
B. Missions committee
1. Made up of five couples
a. One couple for each age group in the church
b. Each couple to serve for three years
c. Committee to meet monthly
2. Activities
a. Consider needs of missionaries
b. Consider the progress of each missionary
c. Pray for laborers and for missionaries on the fields
d. Encourage involvement of members with missionaries
VI. RELATION WITH MISSIONS
ORGANIZATIONS
A. Must be compatible with church in doctrine and
philosophy
B. Must show proof of financial accountability and
integrity
C. Must recognize and honor the authority of the local
church
D. Must communicate with church concerning missionaries
and missionary issues
E. Missions organizations must recognize that they are
service organizations that have only designated authority.
(Designated by the local church.)
This is only a sample written policy. The actual policy of
your church would vary depending on your convictions and
your policies.
THE JOY OF MISSIONS
FINDING FULFILLMENT IN GOD’S PLAN
FOR MISSIONS
By Dr. Don Sisk | July 20, 2011
We often preach about the obligation of every believer to
be involved in missions. It is not difficult to find a text to
emphasize this truth. There is much in the Bible that
demands that the Gospel be preached to every person in
every generation. I preach much on both of these subjects.
However, my favorite subject is the joy of missions.
In order for the Gospel to be preached to all men, three
things are necessary as far as man’s part is concerned.
Someone must go. Many must pray. Many must give.
When someone commits himself to go and others promise
to pray and give, it brings great joy.
In February of 1965, my wife Virginia, our daughter,
Renee, our son, Tim, and I went to Japan. A few churches
supported us financially and many people prayed. I studied
the language for a year with the help of a young Japanese
man, Keita Takagi, and started Senri Newtown Baptist
Church with Brother Takagi as my interpreter. God blessed
the church from the very first service, and several people
were saved in the first few weeks.
Brother Takagi and I developed ten lessons for new
believers. We would take a lesson to the new believers then
check on what they had done with the lesson a week later.
One junior high school student who was saved was
Michiko Yamashiro. Her father was a priest in the
Tendikyo form of Shintoism—a militant sect of the
religion with their own political party. The first meeting
with Michiko’s father was very cold. He did not like
Americans. He did not like Christians. And he particularly
did not like me because his daughter had become an active
Christian through our ministry.
On my fourth encounter with Mr. Yamashiro, I asked if we
could bring a tape recorder to his house and play a
Christian sermon. Reluctantly, he agreed to allow it. I well
remember Brother Takagi and I taking my old reel-to-reel
recorder up to the third floor of the large apartment
complex. The taped message was by a Japanese evangelist
who preached on “Jesus, the Light of the World.” I
watched as Mr. and Mrs. Yamashiro for the first time
listened to a Christian message. He tried to act as if he
were not interested; however, God’s Word has great power,
and I knew that both of them were being impacted by the
message. After the sermon, we discussed it with them and
invited them to attend church.
We did not hear from them for several weeks. Then one
Sunday, I noticed that both Mr. and Mrs. Yamashiro were
sitting with their daughter. I was so excited that they had
come. They listened with great interest to the message. At
the invitation, two young people came forward to trust the
Lord, and some other decisions were made. For the next
three weeks, this couple came every Sunday morning. On
the fifth Sunday, they both came during the invitation, and
Mr. Yamashiro said to me, “Teacher, we want to take Jesus
as our Saviour.”
A few days after their conversion, Brother Yamashiro
asked that Brother Takagi and I come to his home. After a
time of Bible study, Brother Yamashiro began to talk about
his idols. One room in his home was filled with idols, and
Shinto services were a regular occurrence at the Yamashiro
home. He informed us that he no longer needed the idols,
and he gave them all to us to do with them what we
wished. We left and returned to his home with a hammer
and crowbar. After tearing all the idols down from the
walls, we boxed them up and put them in my station
wagon.
On Sunday evening after the services, all of the people in
the church went to an open field near our meeting place.
We placed Brother Yamashiro’s idols in a heap and
dowsed them with kerosene. We had a song service, and
Brother and Mrs. Yamashiro gave their testimonies. Both
emphasized their faith in Jesus Christ and Him only for
their salvation. We read from 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10, “For
they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we
had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to
serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which
delivered us from the wrath to come.” After the
testimonies, Brother Yamashiro struck a match and set the
idols on fire.
I shall never forget one of the men who lived in the
neighborhood saying to me, “What are you people doing
now?” I did not have to answer. Brother Yamashiro said to
him, “I have served these idols all my life. They have done
nothing for me. I have trusted Jesus Christ, and I no longer
need these.” A few days afterward, I baptized Brother and
Mrs. Yamashiro along with several other new believers.
From the time of their glorious conversion, Brother and
Mrs. Yamashiro became faithful Christians. They grew
rapidly in the grace of God. Both became active in every
phase of the church, and Brother Yamashiro eventually
became a deacon. He was one of the most joyful believers I
have ever met. Every time I saw him, he had something
good to tell me—souls he had led to the Lord and prayers
that had been answered. He had a simple but effective
faith. I remember expressing my disappointment about not
being able to find land for our church. He smiled and
assured me that God had assured him that we would soon
find a proper piece of land for the church building, and he
was right.
Brother Yamashiro died a few years ago. He was faithful
until the very end. When I was visiting Japan some months
later, Dr. Ogawa asked Mrs. Yamashiro to show me her
prayer list. It included more than 400 names which she
3 REASONS
prays for at least twice every day. What a joy it is to my
heart every time I think of the conversion of Brother and FAITH
MISSIONS GIVING IS
Mrs. Yamashiro. It has also brought much joy for those
who have supported and prayed for me and my family.
STEWARDING THE EFFECTIVE
GOSPEL THROUGH THE BIBLICAL PLAN FOR SUPPORTING
MISSIONARIES
MISSIONS
Jesus gave the church a very clear command—evangelize
3 LESSONS FROM ACTS 13
By Dr. Paul Chappell | October 31, 2011
God has given us the answer that the world needs—the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. But what do we do with this
treasure? How do we steward the Gospel? How can we get
this truth into all the world?
Acts 13:1–4 provides the answer by example: “Now there
were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets
and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called
Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been
brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they
ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I
have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed,
and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they,
being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia;
and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.”
GOD USES LOCAL CHURCHES
Notice that all of this took place in the context of a local
church. Biblical missions is the work of local churches
getting behind others to plant local churches.
I’m thankful for every soul that is brought to Christ, even
when there is no local church in that part of the world. But,
every newly-saved person needs a local church to grow and
bear fruit as a Christian. Thus, missionary efforts must
have church planting at their heart.
GOD SPEAKS WHEN WE LISTEN
Why were the first missionaries called and sent from the
church at Antioch? Perhaps it is because these Christians
were serious about hearing God’s voice. They were already
busy in ministry and earnestly seeking God through
fasting.
The modern, self-centered church of today sees few called
to missions. Perhaps it is because few are listening for the
call, and few are listening for the direction to give.
GOD WORKS MIRACLES WHEN WE OBEY
Barnabas and Saul obeyed the Holy Spirit to go. The
church obeyed the Holy Spirit to send them. The rest is
history.
Who could have imagined how God would use these men?
Who could have foreseen how far they would carry the
Gospel, the churches that would be planted, the epistles
that would be written? And it all began because they
obeyed. What would happen if we, as God’s people,
rendered the same obedience today? The world could truly
be reached in our generation!
God has entrusted the Gospel to our care, and we must
bring it into all the world. We steward the Gospel when we
work through the local church, listen to the Holy Spirit, and
obey Christ’s command, “Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
By Dr. Don Sisk | July 15, 2014
the world. But each church cannot do this alone. The only
way we can reach the world before the “night cometh when
no man can work” is to support the work of pioneering
missionaries.
There are different ways churches have supported
missionaries. Some give because of an emotional appeal.
Others give as part of their budgets. But one of the most
effective, biblical means to support missions is through a
method called faith missions giving.
I first learned about faith missions giving while preaching
in a missionary conference at the Marquette Manor Baptist
Church in Chicago. I had been a missionary to Japan for
five years and even pastored before going to Japan, but I
had never heard of faith missions giving. When I heard the
pastor teach on the subject from 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, I
was convinced that this was God’s plan for financing
missions. When I returned to my sending church after the
conference, I could not wait to tell my pastor what I had
learned. We agreed to present this to our church at the next
missions conference. I well remember taking a faith
missions card at that conference in 1968 and committing to
give $5 per week to missions. We have made forty faith
missions commitments since then, and we have increased
our giving every year. For many years now, the largest
item in our budget has been faith missions giving.
God blesses faith. I have preached in over 1,300 missions
conferences and taught on faith missions giving in most of
those churches. Following are some of the reasons I have
told them why they should consider giving by faith
missions:
A BIBLICAL PLAN
Second Corinthians 8 and 9, two entire chapters in the
Bible, are given to one subject—an offering. The offering
was not for the church at Corinth. Instead, it was to be
given for causes outside the church. When we think of our
church financially supporting causes outside our own
church, we naturally think of missions. It is an offering that
is given through the church but not for the church.
God has a perfect plan for supporting missions with the
offerings of the members. Paul points out that everyone
should give: “Every man as he purposeth in his heart so let
him give” (2 Corinthians 9:7). He makes it clear that this is
an offering by grace (2 Corinthians 8:7). It is not
something we have to do but something we get to do. He
tells the believers that it is good for the giver: “This is
expedient for you” (2 Corinthians 8:10). God’s provisions
are promised to those who give. “He which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians
9:6). “God is able to make all grace abound toward
you” (2 Corinthians 9:7). These are only a few of the great
truths taught about faith missions giving in these two
chapters.
A SIMPLE PLAN
With faith missions giving, once a year every member of
the church is challenged to give something above his tithe
and regular offering to his church for missions. This can be
done during a missions Sunday, or, even better, a missions
conference. When these commitments are collected and
counted, the missions budget for the new year is
established.
There is a place on most offering envelopes for missions
giving as well as the tithe and other special offerings.
Church members can write one check, and the funds are
divided among the various projects. A separate account is
set up for the missions giving, and from that account the
missionaries and other missions projects are supported. For
both legal and ethical reasons, it is very important that faith
missions is used only for missions projects and
missionaries.
AN EFFECTIVE PLAN
Churches are able to give much more by this method than
by just taking the missions money from their regular
budget. Contrary to the thinking of many, the regular
budget does not suffer because of the emphasis on missions
giving. In nearly every church I have known, when people
get involved in giving by faith to missions, their giving to
the general fund of the church increases. Faith missions
giving is good for the church; it is good for the giver; and it
is good for the cause of worldwide evangelism.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of faith missions giving is that
it teaches us to trust the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without
faith it is impossible to please Him.” It works in any
geographical location, and it works in any economical
situation. God’s Word says, “Give and it shall be given
unto you” (Luke 6:38).
Years ago I was teaching the leaders in a church about this
method of giving to missions. The pastor was preparing the
leaders before he presented it to the church. As I was
enthusiastically teaching about the value of faith missions
giving, a deacon raised his hand and asked, “Brother Sisk,
do you mean to tell us that we have been giving to missions
the wrong way all of these years?”
I thought for a minute and responded, “No, there is no
wrong way to give to missions. Emotional giving is not
bad. In fact, if you get emotional and give me $10,000
today, both of us will get emotional!” Budget giving is not
bad. It is more consistent than emotional giving. I believe,
however, that the best way to financially support missions
is the faith missions method. Please study these two
chapters in the Bible, and let God speak to your heart about
giving to missions by faith.
7 WAYS YOU COULD
GIVE MORE TO
MISSIONS
INVESTING IN ETERNITY
By Monica Bass | October 29, 2016
One of the most memorable moments of my trip to the
Philippines last January was sitting in on a young adults
Sunday school class at Bethany Baptist Church in Makati.
(I took the picture above from the upstairs balcony of this
church.)
The text for the lesson was 2 Corinthians 8 about the
Macedonian churches who, out of their poverty, were
motivated and enabled by the grace of God to give joyfully
to the advancement of the gospel.
In the morning church service, that church—comprised of
Filipino Christians from the greater Manila area—
gave three offerings. I am not exaggerating. The final
offering was for five families in the church who were going
through times of financial trial due to sickness or deaths in
the family. When the pastor announced the amount of that
offering (as he had announced the two previous offerings),
I was amazed and humbled at the generosity of these
Christians.
In fact, I was sure I had just seen a modern demonstration
of the grace giving in 2 Corinthians 8:1–2: “Moreover,
brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on
the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of
affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty
abounded unto the riches of their liberality.”
I thought about my own giving, and I was challenged to
want God’s grace to abound more fully in it. I think it is
easy for us in America to slip into a mentality of scarcity
and easily feel maxed out in our giving. How, when you
live on a fixed income, can you increase your giving for the
work of God?
1. Give a cup of coffee. Maybe it won’t be a literal cup
of coffee, but $2 and $3 expenses add up—especially
when you set the money aside to give. Just two $2 cups
of coffee a week adds up to $208 a year. (And I know
lots of Christians who would love to give an additional
$200 a year to missions.) Even just one cup a week is
an extra $100 freed to give.
2. Budget your expenses. Sometimes we feel financially
burdened because we really don’t know how our
money is being spent. A budget—made with a
commitment to include giving—can show us spare
change we’ve been wasting.
3. Remember God blesses little things. Sometimes we
assume that since we can’t give as much as we would
like we shouldn’t give at all. The fund to send William
Carey to India started with just over thirteen British
pounds (about $16) in a wooden snuff box. From there,
small, sacrificial gifts continued to trickle in, and God
blessed the faith of His people to the end that Carey
was sent to the field, led thousands to Christ, and
translated the Bible or portions of the Bible into 40
languages. And it all started with a collective gift of
$16 in a snuff box.
4. Keep the needs of mission fields before you. You
know how when you see a missionary presentation in
 church, you feel burdened for, even gripped by, the
needs of the hundreds of thousands of people it shows
you? Keep those needs before you year round. You
might do this with a world map highlighting the
population of various countries. Or by following
missionaries on social media who post about the
people to whom they minister. Or by praying through
your stack of missionary prayer cards.
5. Be willing to sacrifice. I’m not suggesting that we
shouldn’t enjoy the provision and comforts that God
gives us. Neither can I say that I’ve always found the
balance between gratitude and sacrifice. But I do know
that I have never regretted giving and have found my
gratitude increased when I’ve given generously in
response to God’s grace.
6. Remember the promises of God. Hoarding convinces
us that we are our own providers; giving is our
opportunity to see God provide for our needs. It was to
one of the poor, but giving, churches of Macedonia
that Paul wrote, “But my God shall supply all your
need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 4:19).
7. Meditate on the grace of God. The real point of 2
Corinthians 8 is not the poverty of the Macedonian
Christians; it is the generosity of grace. It was grace
that made the Macedonian Christians want to give—
even out of their poverty. And when we meditate on
the grace of Jesus, it causes us to want to give as well.
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2
Corinthians 8:9).
Looking back over this list, some of these points are
practical, and some motivational. And I probably have the
order backwards because when we desire to give, we will
find a way. (Take, for instance, a certain congregation of
Filipino Christians I observed give generously three times
in one service….)
With that in mind, perhaps you would read this list again
from the bottom up…and see if by the time you reach the
top you can’t see a way to further invest your treasure in
God’s eternal work.
PRACTICAL IDEAS TO
HELP YOUR CHURCH
DEVELOP A HEART FOR
MISSIONS
BEING A SENDING CHURCH
By Adam Fridenstine | September 15, 2016
Financially and prayerfully supporting worldwide missions
is not just a commandment for North American churches—
it is a commandment for every local church in the entire
world.
When our family had the opportunity to travel on
deputation nine years ago, we were blessed to be in one
hundred twenty GREAT churches in fifteen months. We
were able to experience being a guest missionary in
missions conferences and services. It was a wonderful
experience and humbling to be entrusted with taking the
gospel to other parts of the world on behalf of those
sacrificially giving in each church that supports us.
Now I am the missionary pastor of a young church; and I
get to experience the missions conference, special love
offerings, and doing things for the missionaries from the
pastor and local church perspective. As much fun as
deputation was, it is so much better getting to host
missionaries and getting behind them financially and
prayerfully as they take the gospel around the world.
Our church is similar to many churches: we have lots of
new Christians and some that have been saved for a while.
Our church is currently supporting five missionary families
at $100 each. That doesn’t seem like a lot on some budgets,
but it is about 25% of our church budget where the average
wage in our area is about $250 per month. We have
implemented the plan of giving through faith promise,
through the local church.
When we have our annual missions conference, we pay
ALL traveling expenses for the missionary families
attending, give a generous love offering, and try to give a
special gift to the missionary’s wife and children. It is
amazing to see what the Lord is doing through a small, but
faithful group of believers. I feel that many church plants
wait entirely too long to make missions an emphasis and
focus in the church body. Some missionaries have been
able to establish a church, but have not established a
missions program. Our job as local churches is not to build
a surplus, or even a large church; our job is to fulfill the
Great Commission, taking the gospel around the entire
world and then baptizing and teaching those who get saved.
I believe that biblically, every church should be supporting
missions around the world, as well as planting other
churches closer to home. We take great pride in being a
“local church,” and that is great; but our outreach should be
so much more than the neighborhoods inside of our city.
There are millions of people waiting to hear the gospel.
Who will tell them?
Sending out missionaries is not just the work of North
America, but rather every single local church around the
world. Imagine what would happen if every Baptist church
in the world took on a new missionary family each year
and helped plant another local church every 3–5 years.
Obviously the result would be exponential growth of the
Word of God reaching around the world. It would be
similar to how the church grew during the time of the New
Testament.
I grew up in the USA, which is a long way from Jerusalem.
But I heard the gospel as a child because of the
effectiveness of worldwide missions. Praise the Lord for
how the United States has been used in recent years to help
send the gospel around the world, but each church in every
country has the same responsibility to be a sending church.
Here are some practical ideas that we use to help our
church be excited about missions, missionaries, and
missions giving.
 Preach about missions.
 Pray specifically for each missionary family we
support—we do this during our mid-week service.
 Invite missionaries who are doing something for the
Lord, and keep the church up to date on what they are
doing and the difference being made.
 Have an annual missions conference—make it big.
 Have a couple of mission emphasis Sundays each year:
maybe a video call with a supporting missionary
during the service or a guest preacher with the focus of
keeping the people excited and thinking about
missions.
 Send birthday cards to each family member of the
missionaries.
 Allow the kids’ classes to participate in making special
gifts and cards for the missionaries.
 Have room for display tables and create visiting time
with the missionaries when they are visiting.
 Have a special offering that goes on for a couple of
months leading up to Christmas. We do a coin offering
trying to fill a 5 gallon jug. We then send a Christmas
bonus to each missionary family (normally more than,
and in addition to, their normal support).
 Help people get involved in local soulwinning, and
connect that with what missionaries are doing in other
places.
 Treat your missionaries first class when visiting, and
allow many people to be involved with the details of
taking care of them: lodging, gift baskets, special
meals, etc.
 Schedule “down time” when they can just be people
and enjoy fellowship and fun activities.
 Love people. This includes your local church, the
surrounding area, missionaries, and the whole world in
need of the gospel.
I praise the Lord for allowing me to begin participating in
faith promise missions giving since I was nine years old,
and then calling me to be a missionary during a missions
conference in the local church where I grew up. It has been
a wonderful journey, and I cannot wait to see how many
more people will have the same opportunity to serve the
Lord because of the focus on missions in their local
churches.
NOTHING TO WIN BUT
THE WORLD
A REVIEW OF THE BOOK BY CLAY
COOPER
By Stephen Benefield | October 21, 2011
There is no shortage today of books on missions, and I
have certainly read my share. Aside from individual
missionary biographies, there are three books that I have
read in recent years which stand out in my mind as some of
the most challenging books I have ever read. One of them
is Nothing to Win But the World.
Nothing to Win But the World was written by Clay Cooper
in 1965. Mr. Cooper was the founder of a non-profit
fundraising group for missions called Vision, Inc. This
book has a very distinctive flavor because of the era in
which it was written. Two major issues from the 1960’s are
heavily referenced throughout the book: The Space Race
and The Cold War. Mr. Cooper correctly concluded that
Communism was not only an enemy to the political
systems of the free world, but that it was also an enemy to
Christianity. Consequently, although the topic of this book
is the spreading of the Gospel, he made multiple references
to the evils of Communism.
While the book is not overly political in nature, there are
definitely some fascinating political overtones, particularly
in the foreword and the preface. The foreword was a very
strong call for all Christians to rededicate themselves to the
spreading of the Gospel, and it was written by then-
governor of the State of Oregon, Mark Hatfield!
Even more interesting is the preface of the book which is
an excerpt from the United States Congressional Record of
the 86th Congress. On February 11th, 1959, Walt Horan,
apparently a state representative, read an article by Clay
Cooper in his speech before the House of Representatives.
The title of the article by Clay Cooper was “Missions or
Missiles—This World or the Moon.” In his article, Mr.
Cooper suggested that perhaps the Communists were
getting the U.S. sidetracked with a race for the moon while
the Communists’ ultimate goal was to win the world. Here
are a few excerpts from his article (and remember—this
was read on the floor of the United States House of
Representatives a mere 50 years ago).
“Bear in mind it is not something we shoot from earth into
the Heavens that is going to save the world. Rather it is that
Someone who came down from Heaven to earth one starlit
night in the long ago.”
“As a symbol of hope, the fiery launching pad pales in
comparison with Bethlehem’s manger.”
“It is cause for amazement to many thinking people that a
nominally Christian society should frantically compete
with avowed atheists in the moon-race. Let the Reds be
first to reach unknown worlds. Let the known world with
its known peoples and their known problems be our first
concern. Why bankrupt the nation so as to plant the Stars
and Stripes on the pock-marked Sea of Tranquility? The
Blood-Stained Banner has yet to be lifted over more than
half of terra firma!”
“Shall we major in missiles and minor in missions? Shall
we invest trillions for one and trifles for the other? Shall
we put a man on the moon or a missionary in Martinique?
Shall we waken, too late, and realize that while we were
trying to gain the moon we lost the earth?”
And that’s just the preface! Now you see why he entitled
the book, Nothing to Win But the World.
I love the author’s idea for the main text of the book. There
are 27 chapters in the book. Does that number ring a bell?
It is the number of books in the New Testament. Every
chapter of this book is a truth about worldwide
evangelization based upon a verse from a different book in
the New Testament.
For example:
Chapter 1 is drawn from Matthew 25:25 (“And I was
afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth...”) and
makes the case that fear hinders the spreading of the
Gospel more than any other single thing.
Chapter 2 is based on Mark 6:7 (“And he called unto him
the twelve and began to send them forth...”). This chapter
presents a very strong argument that too many men have let
women lead the way in the cause of missions, when it is
actually men whom God has always used to advance the
Gospel.
In Chapter 3 he compares the sending forth of the disciples
to the launching of a rocket, taking his text from Luke
24:49 (“...but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be
endued with power from on high.”)
Chapter after chapter he follows this same pattern of
pulling out one verse or passage from each subsequent
book of the New Testament and using that verse to
challenge the reader to do more for the cause of Christ. He
covers every major topic related to missions including
racial prejudice, financing missions, the importance of
prayer, only one way to Heaven, what a world without
Christ would be like, the chain-reaction of missions,
missions logistics, love, and many other topics.
While the illustrations used in this book are largely
outdated, the truths contained therein certainly are not. Any
Christian would benefit greatly from reading this book.
Unfortunately it is out of print, but there are some used
copies available on various websites. Get it. Read it. It will
light a fire in your soul.
THE EXTRAORDINARY
LIFE OF BOB HUGHES
By Dr. Rick Martin | March 15, 2010
For 30 years I have prayed that someone would write a full
biography of Missionary Bob Hughes. It was through this
man that many missionaries, including myself, surrendered
to go to the mission field. I believe the best way to
introduce this book is by sharing the following email I sent
to Bro. Roark after receiving a copy of the book:
Dear Brother Roark,
I received your email with the book attached to it early this
morning before church. I printed about 20 pages and read
them: I then realized I could not stop even though it was
Sunday. My son printed the rest of the pages and
throughout the day I read it whenever I could find time. I
had about three hours of time after church tonight to read
the rest of it and just finished. It's 1:00 am Monday
morning here.
It’s hard to express my gratitude to you properly as this has
been a dream of mine for so many years. I never thought a
book this well written and researched would ever be done
on the life of Bob Hughes. I thought you did a very good
job of being objective and yet telling his story in a way that
would be a blessing to Christians. I learned many details
about his life I had not known. More importantly, it helped
me see the heart of Bob Hughes in a way only a biography
like this could do. I believe your book will stand the test of
time and will be read for generations to come. I knew very
little of the details about his last days in the hospital. The
story of Ray Young, who was a friend of mine in college,
was touching as was the account of Brother Hughes’ last
moments. I have to admit I couldn't hold back the tears.
I'm going to go to bed but I wanted to write and let you
know how thankful I am for the countless hours you spent
on this project.
God bless,
Rick Martin
7 WAYS TO KEEP A
CHURCH ENGAGED IN
REGULAR OUTREACH
CONSISTENT SOULWINNING REQUIRES
A PLAN
By Dr. Paul Chappell | April 06, 2016
Special days, such as Easter Sunday, are a great time for
extensive soulwinning in your community.
But sharing the gospel is not just a once-or-twice-a-year
responsibility for the local church. It is to be our great
priority. It is the mission with which Christ left us.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end
of the world. Amen.—Matthew 28:19–20
If your church is going to be consistently focused in
soulwinning, thorough in saturating your community with
the gospel, and diligent in follow up, you will need a
soulwinning director—someone to coordinate the
soulwinning efforts of the church family.
This may be a paid staff member or a layperson. It may
even be, as it was for our church in the early years, the
pastor.
How can a soulwinning director effectively engage the
church family in outreach? Below are seven practices:
1. RECRUIT
Because the mission of the church is Christ’s Great
Commission, we should always be working to engage new
people in learning how to share the gospel with others.
On a personal level, one of the best ways to recruit a new
soulwinner is to simply ask, “Will you come soulwinning
with me?”
A soulwinning director, however, can also create specific
times over the course of a year for a church-wide emphasis
on enlisting new soulwinners. At our church, this includes
signup opportunities in adult Bible classes and church
services and then a particular night when people meet their
new partner and enjoy a meal together before going out to
share the gospel.
Having specific enlistment times is a great opportunity for
those who are newer to the church to signup, and is a good
time for long-time soulwinners to renew their commitment
to share the gospel. It also challenges experienced
soulwinners to be continually training new soulwinners.
2. TRAIN
Three or four times a year (usually in conjunction with new
signup opportunities), we offer a four-week soulwinners
training.
We’ve done it at different times—sometimes as a
Wednesday night elective during the Bible study,
sometimes Saturday morning before the regular
soulwinning time. Both are very effective.
In these classes, the soulwinning director teaches how to
share the gospel, be an effective witness, make follow up
calls, encourage new Christians, etc. For years, we’ve used
the manual To Seek and to Save for this training, although I
am currently writing a new training resource which we
look forward to releasing at Spiritual Leadership
Conferencethis June.
3. ORGANIZE
A soulwinning director can organize partners for
soulwinning times—partnering new soulwinners with
experienced soulwinners and partnering people according
to which soulwinning meeting they are able to attend
(Thursday/Saturday mornings, Thursday night, etc.).
At Lancaster Baptist, we partner people through their adult
Bible classes and encourage people to keep the same
partner through a six-month season, until our next church-
wide new signups.
4. SEND
Before people even arrive at the soulwinning meeting, the
soulwinning director can have maps prepared for
doorknocking areas and follow up visits prepared for class
teachers or others to make.
We have mapped out our entire community and assigned
various areas to different classes. At each soulwinning
meeting there are maps printed with streets highlighted for
people to take. This enables our church to saturate our
community without going to some areas every week and
neglecting other areas entirely.
The soulwinning director should also have tracts, guest
gifts, baptism brochures, and any other resources the
church provides for making calls set out for soulwinners to
use.
5. EVALUATE
Keeping attendance of soulwinning meetings, keeping
track of how many collective doors have been knocked,
how many people are getting saved, and how follow up
visits are going provides helpful information for a
soulwinning director.
6. STEWARD
Every contact—whether reached through doorknocking or
as a guest to the church—is a person who needs the Lord.
These follow up visits should be stewarded with utmost
care and should be tracked tenaciously in terms of making
sure contact has been made and someone is consistently
working to reach that guest—either to share the gospel (if
unsaved) or to fully engage them in the church.
I encourage soulwinners to use a prospect list as a tool to
help in stewarding contacts. This is part of what we cover
in our regualar soulwinning training mentioned above.
(Also, we’ll be releasing a newly-designed prospect list
booklet as part of the 4Outreach program at Spiritual
Leadership Conference.)
The soulwinning director can encourage soulwinners to be
diligent in using a prospect list for people they meet out
doorknocking and following up on these prospects. He
should personally monitor the follow up efforts for
assigned calls for people who have actually visited the
church.
7. ENCOURAGE
Finally, a soulwinning director should work to encourage
soulwinners. At each soulwinning meeting, he should give
a brief and encouraging challenge for those who have
come. But he should also be observant to a soulwinner who
may be getting discouraged or who had a difficult visit.
Consistent encouragement requires consistent observation.
As I often tell our staff, “Don’t be guilty of not noticing.”
A soulwinning director is in a great position to notice when
someone needs extra encouragement and to give it.
A CHURCH-WIDE RESPONSIBILITY
The Great Commission was not given just to pastors. It was
given to the local church. As pastors, it is our job to equip
the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12),
and this includes the work of witnessing.
Whether you do this personally or with the help of a
soulwinning director, it is vital that you engage your
church family in making Christ’s last command their first
priority and that you equip them with the resources to do
so.
5 WAYS TO HELP YOUR
CHURCH BE SOUL
CONSCIOUS
DEVELOPING FERVENT SOULWINNERS
By Dr. Paul Chappell | September 23, 2013
The mission of every local church is, “Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark
16:15; see also Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8). But to
break it down further, the personal order to every Christian
is to be, “Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us.” Our job is to stand “in Christ’s
stead” imploring sinners, “be ye reconciled to God” (2
Corinthians 5:20).
To obey our personal orders we must personally be soul
conscious. If we depend on conferences or latest strategies
to keep us engaged in personal evangelism, we’ll be
sporadic in our efforts at best. But if we discipline
ourselves to focus on our mission, we’ll see every person
with whom we interact as an individual with an eternal
soul. We’ll make and schedule time for purposed
soulwinning, and we’ll be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s
promptings to witness as we go about our regular business.
Being a faithful soulwinner and building a soulwinning
church only happens by intention. It must be purposeful,
and it must be a priority.
What would it take for you to commit to lead your church
to become more fervent in its soulwinning efforts? Here
are a few practical suggestions:
1. LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Soulwinning is better caught than taught. People do what
people see, so model soulwinning yourself by being
faithful. Plan quality gatherings for evangelism on a
weekly basis, and be sure to attend these gatherings and to
lead in the outreach efforts.
2. TRAIN FAITHFUL MEN
The most valuable gift you can give another person is a
good example with personal mentoring. I encourage the
trained soulwinners in our church to find and train a new
partner every several months. In this way, more Christians
are personally invited to begin soulwinning, and at the
same time, they are given hands-on training.
3. MOTIVATE SOULWINNERS
Encourage your church family to develop and maintain a
heart for soulwinning by having soulwinning testimonies
shared in church, writing personal notes of encouragement
to those who are communicating their faith, and preaching
on the eternal priorities of the gospel.
4. PROVIDE MULTIPLE SOULWINNING
OPPORTUNITIES
You don’t have to be a large church to be an effective
soulwinning church. But you do need some organization.
Schedule times throughout the week when church members
can pair up at church with another soulwinner to
systematically bring the gospel to every home in your
community. At these meetings, share Scripture and have
prayer.
5. BE DILIGENT IN TRACKING CONTACTS
For many years I have maintained an active soulwinning
prospect list, and I have taught our church family to do the
same. On my list I collect names and addresses of people I
have met or visited who have shown an interest in visiting
church or in hearing the gospel. I strive to call, visit, or
write every person on my prospect list at least once a week.
Scores of the people in our church today were once on my
or another soulwinner’s prospect list. I’ve seen the Lord
bless this diligence over and over again.
Launching out into the deep is not just an idea—it is the
action of personal, passionate, and compassionate
soulwinning.