evangelism

Evangelism: Not Just the Committee’s Work Anymore

September 09, 20204 min read

Often times the very process we put into place to help, becomes instead a process that debilitates the organization it was designed to help!  With the best of intentions, it simply complicates the process or misses the mark of its purpose.  In many churches, this is what has happened with our Evangelism Committees (aka sometimes as Outreach).  Because we know how important evangelism is in the life of a congregation, we assign a committee of people to be responsible for the task.  Yet many times, transferring responsibility to a committee allows everyone to be excused from the task or process.  The congregation many times feels evangelism is “covered” by the committee, so that gets us (congregational participants) off the hook.  In essence, what happens is that the work of many becomes the work of few.  The few get tired of carrying the load.  Furthermore, I do not believe that was the original intention of the evangelism committee to start with.  The committee is designed to equip the congregation – not do the work of the congregation.  Each and every believer is called to share the Good News – not just the pastor … not just the evangelism committee! Evangelism is the foundation of the work Jesus commissioned the church to do – go and make disciples!

While many Christians know they are called to share about Christ, we find many feel they are not equipped to do so.  Others are scared to do so.  And yet others feel they will not have the answers to questions asked of them when sharing.  So, for these reasons and most likely many more, people just do not share their faith openly and routinely. 

How do we go about sharing our faith in today’s world in a way that those of us who are followers of Christ can do so without being too uncomfortable?  How can we share our faith in a world that is sometimes skeptical of the church and its people?  Who does this work at the church today if not the evangelism committee?  How does this happen in the world of Covid-19?

We believe it starts by learning your own story in safe places at the church.  A great question to ask in every Sunday school class, committee meeting, small group, etc. is “tell me about a time recently you have experienced God.”  Our first step at the church is to learn our own God stories.  If we start by sharing our stories in safe places like small groups at church, close family and friends, perhaps even a testimony in worship, we are readying ourselves to share our story with those in our community.

Twenty-first century relational evangelism is about starting conversations, building a relationship with trust over time and then knowing how to share your own authentic story and experience of God in a nonthreatening way.  Your story is where God is intersecting in your life yesterday or today.   Your story is how and why God is a part of your life today.  In our current culture, people are looking for authentic relationship and connection like never before!

When we nurture the people in our congregations to know their stories and practice their stories in safe places, we have begun to create a culture of relational, congregational evangelism rather than committee evangelism.  Every person in the entire congregation not only sees it as their individual responsibility to share their faith, but they are also encouraged, nurtured and equipped to do so.  How is your congregation helping people see that sharing Jesus is a privilege and a responsibility?  How are you creating a culture of relational, congregational evangelism?  Personally, how are you as a disciple becoming a disciple-maker?

If you and/or your congregation desire to equip people to share their faith, there are resources available.  Check out a small group experience called Unpacking Your Faith Story at http://kayk1.sg-host.com/product/unpacking-your-faith-story/.  Also check out the Get Their Name resources including the book, workbooks, coordinators guide, and DVD for a sermon series and all-church small group experience to equip individuals and congregations to reach new people for Jesus.  https://www.cokesbury.com/forms/search.aspx?filterGroup=1&txtSearchQuery=get+their+name&pagesize=20&sort=RELEVANCE

There will likely need to be a shift in our thoughts and actions around evangelism.  This shift is moving the church culture from evangelism being “committee” work to evangelism as part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.  It is also a shift in ministry being about us to ministry being about those we are called to reach.  This takes time, training, and practice to create a new culture of invitation and relational evangelism.  I invite you into embracing the shift.  What is your first step?  How will you invite your congregation to join you?

Kay’s purpose is to Equip and Empower Leaders of Faith Communities How to Engage in More Effective Ministry.
Kay Kotan is the founder of You Unlimited (coaching, consulting and training company) and The Greatest Expedition – a collaboration of more than twenty thought leaders providing resources and insights for a congregational journey to develop new MAPS (ministry action plans) to reach new people in your community.  Kay also launched Multipliers’ Movement – a gathering of kingdom multipliers for sharing, equipping, and encouraging.
She is a CoachU and Advanced CoachU Graduate, an accredited coach (PCC: Professional Certified Coach) with the ICF, International Coaching Federation, a Certified Path 1 Coach, and once served on the faculty at Coaching4Clergy.  As a passionate lay person, she has a banking background and has been a business owner for more than 25 years.  Kotan has served as a church developer for conferences and worked with churches, pastors, conferences, and judicatory leaders across the country for more than a decade.  She is most proud to be the wife of Bob for over 30 years and the mother of their adult son, Cameron.
Kay is the author of multiple books, workbooks, and resources including Gear Up:  Nine Essential Processes for the Optimized Church, Cry From the Pew, Full Schedules, Barren Souls, Being the Church in the Post Pandemic World, and Journey Preparation: Surveying Your Church’s Landscape,  as well as the co-author of the books titled:  IMPACT!:  Reclaiming the Call of Lay Ministry, Small Church Check-Up, Insights on Productivity, Renovate or Die – Ten Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission, Ministry 3.0 and Get Their Name , Ten Prescriptions for a Healthy Church, Necessary Nine – Nine Things Effective Pastors Do Differently, Launching Leaders:  Taking Leadership Development to New Heights, Strategy Matters:  Your Roadmap to Planning a Strategic Ministry Planning Retreat, Voices of Christmas: A Daily Devotional for Advent and Expanding the Expedition Reach Through Marketplace Multipliers. Mission Possible for the Small Church. Inside Out: Everting Ministry Models for the Postmodern Church, and more. Kotan and her co-author Bradford published their third version of the best-seller, Mission Possible:  Simple Structure for Missional Effectiveness.  

Mrs. Kotan spends her time investing in pastors, laity leaders, congregations, and judicatory leaders through equipping, coaching, and creating resources to help them discover and live into their fullest missional potential of effectiveness and fruitfulness to reach people for Jesus Christ.  Through her enthusiasm, truth-telling, and passion, she challenges those who encounter her in both their thinking and their doing.

Kay Kotan

Kay’s purpose is to Equip and Empower Leaders of Faith Communities How to Engage in More Effective Ministry. Kay Kotan is the founder of You Unlimited (coaching, consulting and training company) and The Greatest Expedition – a collaboration of more than twenty thought leaders providing resources and insights for a congregational journey to develop new MAPS (ministry action plans) to reach new people in your community.  Kay also launched Multipliers’ Movement – a gathering of kingdom multipliers for sharing, equipping, and encouraging. She is a CoachU and Advanced CoachU Graduate, an accredited coach (PCC: Professional Certified Coach) with the ICF, International Coaching Federation, a Certified Path 1 Coach, and once served on the faculty at Coaching4Clergy. As a passionate lay person, she has a banking background and has been a business owner for more than 25 years. Kotan has served as a church developer for conferences and worked with churches, pastors, conferences, and judicatory leaders across the country for more than a decade. She is most proud to be the wife of Bob for over 30 years and the mother of their adult son, Cameron. Kay is the author of multiple books, workbooks, and resources including Gear Up: Nine Essential Processes for the Optimized Church, Cry From the Pew, Full Schedules, Barren Souls, Being the Church in the Post Pandemic World, and Journey Preparation: Surveying Your Church’s Landscape, as well as the co-author of the books titled: IMPACT!: Reclaiming the Call of Lay Ministry, Small Church Check-Up, Insights on Productivity, Renovate or Die – Ten Ways to Focus Your Church on Mission, Ministry 3.0 and Get Their Name , Ten Prescriptions for a Healthy Church, Necessary Nine – Nine Things Effective Pastors Do Differently, Launching Leaders: Taking Leadership Development to New Heights, Strategy Matters: Your Roadmap to Planning a Strategic Ministry Planning Retreat, Voices of Christmas: A Daily Devotional for Advent and Expanding the Expedition Reach Through Marketplace Multipliers. Mission Possible for the Small Church. Inside Out: Everting Ministry Models for the Postmodern Church, and more. Kotan and her co-author Bradford published their third version of the best-seller, Mission Possible: Simple Structure for Missional Effectiveness. Mrs. Kotan spends her time investing in pastors, laity leaders, congregations, and judicatory leaders through equipping, coaching, and creating resources to help them discover and live into their fullest missional potential of effectiveness and fruitfulness to reach people for Jesus Christ. Through her enthusiasm, truth-telling, and passion, she challenges those who encounter her in both their thinking and their doing.

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