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EvangelismSharing the Good News

Kwasi KenaGeneral Board of Discipleship

GUIDELINES

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EVANGELISM

Copyright © 2012 by Cokesbury

All rights reserved.United Methodist churches and other official United Methodist bodies mayreproduce up to 500 words from this publication, provided the following noticeappears with the excerpted material: From Evangelism 2013–2016. Copyright© 2012 by Cokesbury. Used by permission.

Requests for quotations exceeding 500 words should be addressed toPermissions Office, Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South,Nashville, TN 37202-0801 or [email protected].

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

ISBN 978-1-426-73640-7

All Scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are from the New RevisedStandard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Educationof the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States ofAmerica. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Some paragraph numbers for and language in the Book of Disciplinemay have changed in the 2012 revision, which was published after theseGuidelines were printed. We regret any inconvenience.

MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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Contents

Called to a Ministry of Faithfulness and Vitality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Evangelism—Relevant Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Aim and Definition of Evangelism

Tell Good News

Bear Witness

Proclaim

A Come-and-Go Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Church Means . . .

Going Out Precedes Coming In

The Process of Making Disciples

Your Ministry of Evangelism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Build the Evangelism Ministry Team

Assess Current Reality and Set Goals

Implement Your Evangelism Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Reach Out and Receive

Relate People to God

Nurture and Equip People for Christian Discipleship

Send Out Disciples into the Community

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

General Agency Contacts Inside Back Cover

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Called to a Ministry of Faithfulnessand Vitality

ou are so important to the life of the Christian church! You haveconsented to join with other people of faith who, through the millen-

nia, have sustained the church by extending God’s love to others.You have been called and have committed your unique passions, gifts, and abilities to a position of leadership. This Guideline will

help you understand the basic elements of that ministry within your ownchurch and within The United Methodist Church.

Leadership in Vital MinistryEach person is called to ministry by virtue of his or her baptism, and that min-istry takes place in all aspects of daily life, both in and outside of the church.Your leadership role requires that you will be a faithful participant in the mis-sion of the church, which is to partner with God to make disciples of JesusChrist for the transformation of the world. You will not only engage inyour area of ministry, but will also work to empower others to be in ministryas well. The vitality of your church, and the Church as a whole, depends uponthe faith, abilities, and actions of all who work together for the glory of God.

Clearly then, as a pastoral leader or leader among the laity, your ministry isnot just a “job,” but a spiritual endeavor. You are a spiritual leader now, andothers will look to you for spiritual leadership. What does this mean?

All persons who follow Jesus are called to grow spiritually through the prac-tice of various Christian habits (or “means of grace”) such as prayer, Biblestudy, private and corporate worship, acts of service, Christian conferencing,and so on. Jesus taught his disciples practices of spiritual growth and leader-ship that you will model as you guide others. As members of the congregationgrow through the means of grace, they will assume their own role in ministryand help others in the same way. This is the cycle of disciple making.

The Church’s VisionWhile there is one mission—to make disciples of Jesus Christ—the portraitof a successful mission will differ from one congregation to the next. One ofyour roles is to listen deeply for the guidance and call of God in your owncontext. In your church, neighborhood, or greater community, what are thegreatest needs? How is God calling your congregation to be in a ministry ofservice and witness where they are? What does vital ministry look like in thelife of your congregation and its neighbors? What are the characteristics,traits, and actions that identify a person as a faithful disciple in your context?

4 GUIDELINES FOR LEADING YOUR CONGREGATION

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This portrait, or vision, is formed when you and the other leaders discerntogether how your gifts from God come together to fulfill the will of God.

Assessing Your EffortsWe are generally good at deciding what to do, but we sometimes skip themore important first question of what we want to accomplish. Knowing yourtask (the mission of disciple making) and knowing what results you want (thevision of your church) are the first two steps in a vital ministry. The third stepis in knowing how you will assess or measure the results of what you do andwho you are (and become) because of what you do. Those measures relatedirectly to mission and vision, and they are more than just numbers.

One of your leadership tasks will be to take a hard look, with your team, atall the things your ministry area does or plans to do. No doubt they are goodand worthy activities; the question is, “Do these activities and experienceslead people into a mature relationship with God and a life of deeper disci-pleship?” That is the business of the church, and the church needs to dowhat only the church can do. You may need to eliminate or alter some ofwhat you do if it does not measure up to the standard of faithful disciplemaking. It will be up to your ministry team to establish the specific stan-dards against which you compare all that you do and hope to do. (ThisGuideline includes further help in establishing goals, strategies, and meas-ures for this area of ministry.)

The Mission of The United Methodist ChurchEach local church is unique, yet it is a part of a connection, a living organ-ism of the body of Christ. Being a connectional Church means in part thatall United Methodist churches are interrelated through the structure andorganization of districts, conferences, and jurisdictions in the larger “fami-ly” of the denomination. The Book of Discipline of The United MethodistChurch describes, among other things, the ministry of all United MethodistChristians, the essence of servant ministry and leadership, how to organizeand accomplish that ministry, and how our connectional structure works(see especially ¶¶126–138).

Our Church extends way beyond your doorstep; it is a global Church withboth local and international presence. You are not alone. The resources ofthe entire denomination are intended to assist you in ministry. With thishelp and the partnership of God and one another, the mission continues.You are an integral part of God’s church and God’s plan!

(For help in addition to this Guideline and the Book of Discipline, see“Resources” at the end of your Guideline, www.umc.org, and the otherwebsites listed on the inside back cover.)

EVANGELISM 5

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Evangelism—Relevant Againou have been chosen to be a leader in evangelism during a most exciting and critical time in the life of our Church. While some may have viewed evangelism as an optional activity in the past, theCall to Action report, considered by General Conference, clearly

names disciples making new disciples” as one of the goals of The UnitedMethodist Church. This denomination-wide emphasis coupled with adecades-long decline in UMC membership reveals the importance of estab-lishing evangelism as a core value and ministry of the local church. Onestep toward creating vital congregations is enlisting each local church to setgoals and measures, undergirded by prayer, designed to yield newChristians.

This new attention to goals and measures should not intimidate you. Goalsand measures simply provide a means to assess how well you are progress-ing in ministry. For individuals, goals make the difference between successand failure. The online FAQ section of the Call to Action report states thefollowing regarding people of similar backgrounds and educational stan-dards, “Studies find that 3% of people are highly successful in their lifeplans and careers, 30% are moderately successful, and 67% just exist.”Similarly, churches can benefit from setting ministry goals.

One of your roles as a leader in evangelism will be to help the congregationdevelop clear goals and measures that help the church assess the progress itis making to relate people to Jesus Christ as first-time believers.Suggestions for setting goals and measures for evangelism ministry are pro-vided later in this Guideline. (See Assess Current Reality and Set Goals onpage 18.)

The good news is that neither you nor your committee carries the soleresponsibility for making new disciples. This is the entire church’s joyoustask. You and your team are more like a catalyst than a committee. Think ofyour ministry as inspiring, promoting, and encouraging the ministry ofevangelism throughout the entire life of the church.

Your importance as the chair of evangelism in this context cannot be over-stated. Perhaps the words Mordecai spoke to Queen Esther capture the sen-timent best, “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for sucha time as this?” (Esther 4:14b).


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EVANGELISM 7

The Aim and Definition of EvangelismBefore you begin the process of setting goals and measures for your evangel-ism ministry, you need to have a clear idea of what evangelism is and what itsultimate aim is. In short, the aim of the ministry of evangelism is to relatepeople to God so that they will begin an initial relationship with Jesus Christ.Evangelism does not end with a person’s decision to begin a relationship withJesus Christ. Effective evangelism must lead new Christians into a process ofongoing discipleship and spiritual formation. Ultimately a disciple shouldbecome actively involved with making other disciples. Evangelism withoutconnection to disciple formation often results in church members who quicklybecome inactive. With this aim in mind, let us focus on what evangelism is.

Evangelism has become a problematic term for some in the twenty-first cen-tury. In order to understand evangelism more fully, let’s examine the rootword evangel. Just what is the evangel? In the early church, three Greekwords described the evangel: euaggelizesthai, marturein, and kerussein.Translated, these three words mean to: (a) tell good news, (b) bear witness,and (c) proclaim.

Tell Good NewsWhat was the good news that Jesus shared? The first evidence of the goodnews is found in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus recites a lesson from Isaiah 61.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, / because he has anointed me to bringgood news to the poor. / He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives/ and recovery of sight to the blind, / to let the oppressed go free, to pro-claim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).

The year of the Lord’s favor, also called Jubilee, represented a forgivenessof past burdens and a fresh start. This passage underscores care and concernfor the poor and marginalized people in society. The good news promisedrelief and release.

Action Step: Discuss the following with your pastor, leaders, and congregation:

1. What things are we already doing as a congregation to offer relief topeople from spiritual, physical, financial, or social burdens?

2. What additional steps might our church take to help people who needgood news?

3. List specific ways to share good news in the community that the con-gregation actually can do. Focus on at least one of the suggestions.Strive to do more than you have been doing in the past.

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REPENTANCE The early church emphasized two key elements of the good news: (1) repen-tance (turning away from evil and turning to good—through salvation inJesus Christ) and (2) the announcement of the kingdom of God (God’s reignon the earth).

Action Step: Discuss the following with your pastor, leaders, and congregation:

1. How do we talk to people about repentance? 2. The invitation to repent or turn away from evil is still relevant today.

Just as in addiction recovery programs, admitting that one is, or hasbeen, participating in evil is the first step toward healing. How do weteach people to resist evil and live better lives?

3. What testimony of repentance can we share individually with othersfrom our personal walk with Jesus Christ?

4. Read the following Scripture passages. List several characteristics ofChristian behavior found in them. These passages help us realize theneed to repent and embrace a God-directed life. Discuss ways in whichyour congregation teaches and demonstrates these characteristics.• Galatians 5:22-23 (the fruits of the Spirit) • Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes)• 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter).

THE KINGDOM (REIGN) OF GODHow do you talk to people about the reign of God? The announcement ofthe kingdom of God (God’s reign) is another key point of the good news.For decades, many church and para-church organizations emphasized con-version “in order to get to heaven.” By contrast, Jesus Christ’s foundationalmessage was, “Repent for the kingdom of God is near.” His emphasis wason conversion that led to a change in behavior, thought, and action. Thesechanges indicated that a person was choosing to live daily as a new citizenin God’s reign (kingdom).

There is a marked difference between the two approaches. Salvation withheaven as the only goal has a distant future orientation. To emphasize a sin-gle future benefit can leave new Christians wondering what should be hap-pening to and through them in the present. By contrast, salvation that invitesus to be participants in God’s kingdom and reign has a present orientation.The focus is on what is necessary to live in this new reality, right now.

Action Step—Discuss with your pastor, leaders, and congregation:1. How is the present reality of God’s reign currently being shared

through preaching, Christian education, and our other ministries?

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2. Invite the church to complete a short questionnaire with the followingquestions on it. Ask: As a church• Why does our church exist? • What is our purpose? • What do we hope will happen to people as a result of coming here? • What is God’s reign and how are we participating in it?• What difference are we going to make in the world?

Bear WitnessThe early church embraced the Greek understanding of bearing witness; alegal term used to denote witness to facts, events, and truth. The validity ofthe act of bearing witness depended on two things: personal involvementand assurance of truth by the person bearing witness. People in the twenty-first century continue to look for this type of witness from Christians. Aquestion to ponder is this: How often do Christians provide a credible wit-ness to others?

Rightly or wrongly, people who claim that they are Christians serve as a“living billboard for Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi writes of 7 Deadly Sins. Theseventh sin is “worship without sacrifice,” a prophetic statement that chal-lenges the worship of a religion that asks nothing of its followers.

OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLESIn the Old Testament, God bore witness of God’s self through disclosure tohumankind. The Bible uses terms such as tent of witness or ark of witness.The tent was the place where God revealed God’s divine presence to God’sfollowers. The ark represented the record of God’s self-disclosure.

God also called on the people of God to be witnesses to those who did notknow God. The constant admonition to the people was “Fear not” or “Donot be afraid.” It seems that people of all ages have had difficulty leavingtheir comfort zones to tell others about God.

In Acts and in the writings of the apostle John, witness took on a Christiandistinction. Witness ordinarily meant to attest to facts or assert truths. TheChristian witness, however, is more narrowly defined. Jesus commissionedthe disciples to be his witnesses, attesting to what they had seen and hadknown about Jesus as the Christ. They were to assert to the truth of the factsof Jesus’ life, his deeds, and his words. They were eyewitnesses who wereto serve as heralds of divine truth. Paul, who was not an eyewitness, spokeof God bearing witness within him. In short, Paul had a testimony of per-sonal spiritual transformation made evident by his life.

EVANGELISM 9

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HOW CAN I BEAR WITNESS?The key consideration in our Christian witness is the personal evidence thatChrist is alive in us. People outside of Christianity want to know What dif-ference has Christ made in our lives? The validity of our witness dependson the reality of our personal interaction with Jesus Christ and our personaltransformation by the Holy Spirit. What processes are in place that teachpeople how to tell the story of their transformation through their Christianjourney?

Action Step: For individuals, there are generally two groups of Christians in the church:(1) Those who can name the exact moment of their Christian conversionand, (2) Those who cannot remember a time when they were not aChristian. To help both groups articulate their faith journeys, invite the pas-tor, leaders, and congregation to answer the following questions.

Group 1—Those Able to Name the Exact Time of Conversion1. What was your life like before meeting Jesus Christ?2. How did you meet and accept Jesus Christ as Savior?3. How would you describe your life since accepting Jesus Christ?

Group 2—Those Who Cannot Remember Not Being Christian1. What was it like to grow up in a Christian environment?2. When did you accept the Christian faith as your own? (Perhaps you

were baptized as an infant or went through confirmation, but claimedChristianity as your personal faith later.)

3. How would you describe your life since affirming the Christian faith?

THE WITNESS OF THE CONGREGATIONLike individuals, congregations have an opportunity to bear witness to JesusChrist too. It is important for the congregation to be able to articulate thevarious ways it has and is bearing witness.

Action Step: Invite the congregation to rehearse its history in ministry since its inception.Gather a roll of butcher paper or tape newsprint together end-to-end to cre-ate a working surface. Draw a timeline on the paper beginning with thebirth of the church leading up to the present. Ask the pastor, leaders, andmembers of the congregation to place on the timeline key ministries, activi-ties, and events through which the church has been sharing its Christian wit-ness with the community. After completing the timeline, discuss the storythe timeline tells about your church.


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1. What highlights appear on the timeline?2. What is the significance of each item listed? 3. Has the frequency of outreach to the community increased, decreased,

or remained the same over the years? If there has been a change,which way did it go and what caused it?

4. Brainstorm new ways that your church could share its Christian wit-ness to the community today.

5. Ask several members of your congregation to interview two or threepeople in the community this week. Ask the interviewees to sharewhat they know about your church. Then ask them, “If you were toask our church to do one thing for this community, what would youask?”

6. Invite the interviewers from your church to share the results of theirinterviews. What did you learn from the community responses? Youmay wish to invite unchurched people from the community to speakwith your church as it determines its ministry goals for next year.

ProclaimOne major gospel message proclaimed by the early church was JesusChrist—who he was and what he did. The early disciples had confidentbelief and trust in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who died and was resurrectedfrom the grave.

The early disciples boldly retold the story of Jesus’ earthly ministry, hisdeeds, his miracles, his teachings. These were oral people who never tiredof telling and retelling the “old, old story of Jesus and his love.” This con-stant telling and retelling of the story of Jesus Christ created a body of oralknowledge and awareness that circulated throughout the population. Storiesin oral tradition serve as paperless receptacles for the storage and retrievalof information for moral and spiritual instruction. There is a lesson that con-temporary Christians can learn from this.

TELL ME A STORYAt an International Orality Network conference, an event dedicated toreaching oral learners with the gospel of Jesus Christ, a presenter noted thatmuch of the preaching in Western Christianity is shared as exposition; thatis, explanation about the Bible and Christian doctrine. This approach pre-sumes two things: first, that most people prefer to receive information viaexplanation, lists, and logical arguments—characteristics of literate commu-nication methods; and second, that we are still living in Christendom, an agein which there was widespread Bible literacy.

EVANGELISM 11

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In reality, the age of Christendom is over. Some refer to our present realityas either postmodern or post-Christian. This means that we can no longerpresume that the listening audience has a basic familiarity with the Biblestories, such as Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, or Jesus’ feeding ofthe five thousand. Those Bible stories will have to be told in their entirety—again and again—to create an oral Bible within people, who can, in turn,retell those stories to friends and loved ones.

At the International Orality Conference, “Making Disciples of OralLearners,” Dr. Grant Lovejoy stated, “It seems certain that at least 60 per-cent of the total population worldwide are oral communicators by virtue oflimited or nonexistent literacy skills.” This means that we need to use oralcommunication or story rather than a literate style of presentation that reliesheavily on lists, steps, and explanations.

Observe the communication vehicles that attract the attention of children,teens, and young adults—smart phones, tablets, gaming devices, videogames, television, videos, and interactive Internet sites. There is little or noreading involved. All of the communication comes packaged as a video oraudio story. People want still want to hear a good story.

HOW DO WE PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS TODAY? One simple way to share the good news with others is to talk about whatJesus said and did. According to some academics, we have now entered thethird or fourth generation of biblically illiterate people in the United States.That means that sharing the stories of Jesus is more crucial now than everbefore.

Action Step: Consider offering a Bible reading plan. Some churches invite people to reador listen to the Bible on CD, mp3, or smartphone app (or even using a print-ed Bible) throughout the year. Invite families to read Bible stories to theirchildren from a children’s Bible and invite the children to retell the storiesin their own words. The Bible reading schedule could be coordinated withthe preaching schedule and children’s moments in worship. Include creativeways of telling the story in worship, such as:

• Bible dramas• Bible storytelling• Mime of a Bible story• Liturgical dance/movement to interpret a story• Scripture reading interspersed with music that underscores the text

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A Come-and-Go Structurehurches of all sizes, locations, and ethnicities ask a common question, “How can we get more people to come to our church?”Shrinking membership rolls, neighborhoods in transition, and

inadequate finances provide ample motivation for this request. However,viewing the church solely as a come-structure may be the wrong place tobegin a discussion about evangelism. Think for a moment about what isinvolved with inviting an “outsider” to church.

Imagine that you are a person unfamiliar with Christianity who has neverbeen inside a Christian church. What would compel you to come in? If youdid venture in, how would you feel attending a worship service where: (1)People recite things from memory (like the Lord’s Prayer) and no oneexplains where to find them? (2) Everyone but you knows when to standand sit. (3) Someone tells you to sit elsewhere because that seat “belongs”to a member of the church. (4) After worship people greet each other warm-ly, but barely acknowledge you. What is the likelihood of you returning?What will you tell your other unchurched friends about your experience?

Church Means . . .What do you mean when you say church? Congregations in transitioningneighborhoods often express the desire to invite people from the communityto church. The critical question is, “What is your definition of church?”

Let us imagine that a historic “middle-class church” with dwindling member-ship is located in a transitioning neighborhood populated primarily by work-ing-class persons from several different ethnic groups. Established popula-tions and transient populations may have completely different understandingsof what church is and how the church should function. In addition to beingthe place for spiritual and moral instruction, church, for marginalized people,historically has been a safe haven from oppression, a strategic planning cen-ter, an economic empowerment office, and a social gathering place. Even ifthat person did not attend church, he or she has likely embraced some defini-tion of what church stood for to him or her and the community.

HOW DOES YOUR CONGREGATION DEFINE CHURCH?Before inviting people to come inside your church consider these questions.

When members of your congregation think of church, what comes totheir minds? Trace the history of your local congregation. What significantevents, ministries, and persons shaped your church’s identity? How would

EVANGELISM 13

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you describe the DNA of your church culture; that is, who are you and whatdo you stand for? What does your local congregation call people to be andto do? (See “The Witness of the Congregation” on pages 10-11.)

What, through Christ, does your local congregation have to offer thepeople in the surrounding community? Has your church developed a rela-tionship with the community in any way? Has your congregation connectedwith the people who have transitioned into the neighborhood? Is yourchurch aware of the major concerns of the people in the surrounding com-munity? Is your congregation’s concept of church similar to or differentfrom the concept of church held by people who live around the churchbuilding? What do people in this community expect from a church? If yourcongregation were to invite people from the neighborhood who have vastlydifferent understandings of church, who bears the responsibility of bridgingthe communication gap?

Action Step: Discuss the following with your pastor, leaders, and congregation.

1. If we discovered a magic magnet that would draw outsiders to ourlocal church, what would they find when they arrived?

2. Ask congregation members to invite friends to church and have themprovide feedback about your church’s worship, preaching, music, andhospitality. Have members ask their friends to provide feedbackabout how they felt as first-time visitors to the Sunday worship experience.

3. Create a bulletin insert and ask members of your church to respond tothe following questions:• What do you expect from a church?• What would make church meaningful for you (and/or your family)?

4. Ask several members of your church to conduct an informal surveywith people in the neighborhood. Encourage them to ask questions,such as: • What do you expect from a church? • What would make church meaningful for you (and/or your family)?• What do you know about [our] ____ United Methodist Church?”

5. Compare the answers from members of your congregation and thosefrom people in the neighborhood. Note the similarities and differences.

Pray for God’s guidance in showing your congregation the unique gifts andgraces that it has to offer to the community and how to build relationshipswith the people in the community. (A host of “welcoming” resources maybe found under the Knowledge Center tab on the United MethodistCommunications web site www.umcom.org.)


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WHAT REPUTATION DOES YOUR CHURCH HAVE?Churches often hire consultants to “help them grow.” In the first meeting,consultants often ask, “What reputation does your church have, or what isyour church known for?” The point is to help the people discover what isunique about their local church. How might your congregation answer thisquestion? When people state that they don’t go to church because “it offerslittle of value” and that they simply “don’t know why they don’t go,” itmeans that the local church has not made a positive impression on its com-munity. How does your congregation express what it values?

Going Out Precedes Coming InEffective evangelistic congregations concentrate both on inviting the peopleoutside to “come in” the church and on equipping members inside to “go out”and reach people for Jesus Christ. It is helpful to think of the church as both a“come” and a “go” structure. To develop a positive reputation outside thechurch building, the people—who are the real church—must go out andengage other people in meaningful ways. The first step is deciding to do some-thing meaningful to create a positive reputation outside your church building.The ministry of going out actually prepares you for the ministry of coming in.

Action Step: Read the following examples. Then discuss what your local church is will-ing to do to create a positive reputation in the community for Christ.

1. Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, pastors of St. John’s UMC in Houston, Texas,began with a handful of people and a goal of serving hurting people. Aftermuch prayer, they gathered a group of volunteers and renovated the formerparsonage. They designed it to serve the homeless, hungry, and unemployedpeople who lived on the streets around the church. Furthermore, they decid-ed to demystify the sanctuary by inviting the homeless to eat inside it. In sodoing, homeless people would feel at ease coming into that space.

The feeding ministry, called Bread of Life, has expanded. Homeless guestscan wash and dry their clothes in their laundry. Health-care professionalsoffer basic health services, and group counseling is available for recoveryfrom addiction. This church has a positive reputation in the community.

2. Reggie McNeal, author of The Present Future: Six Tough Questions forthe Church and Missional Renaissance, urges churches to change theirscorecard; that is, what they measure. One suggested change is to track thenumber of hours your church members volunteer in the community (pages68-69 in Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church).

EVANGELISM 15

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This promotes a church culture that prepares and sends people into theworld to bear witness to Christ. He also suggests that the church endorse thepastor to engage in volunteer work in the community to model the impor-tance of going outside the church building. What type of reputation wouldthis generate for a local church?

Encouraging people to come to church must be preceded by Christian disci-ples going out to engage the world with the love of Jesus Christ. What isyour local church willing to do?

A BIBLICAL EXAMPLEThroughout Jesus’ earthly ministry he compelled and expected his disciplesto reach out to others. He expected his disciples to partner with God toexpand the kingdom (reign) of God. In the Gospel accounts of Matthew,Mark, Luke, and John, each writer describes how Jesus sent out his disci-ples to make other disciples for him. The best known example is the GreatCommission found in Matthew 28:16-20.

Obeying the Great Commission is not one option among many for a congre-gation; it is at the very heart of the Christian enterprise. Christianity is amissionary, evangelizing faith.

The Process of Making DisciplesThink of your experience of coming to faith in God. What role did a con-gregation play? How has a congregation helped or hindered your Christiandevelopment? As a leader your role is to help shape a congregation that willreach out, welcome, and invite others to commit their lives to Jesus Christand then help to equip and empower them to live as Christian disciples.

IT TAKES A CONGREGATION TO MAKE A DISCIPLE One way congregations make disciples is by developing an atmosphere thatis welcoming, inviting, encouraging, and empowering. Two major factors inthis process are attentiveness to God and faith development of every personin the congregation. Other factors are trust, generational and ethnic inclu-siveness, hospitality, and spiritual leaders—lay and clergy—who equip dis-ciples for ministry in the world.

Evangelism is, at its heart, sharing faith with others, particularly with thosewho are unchurched or disconnected, and inviting them to follow JesusChrist as Christian disciples. Effective congregations develop a disciple-making system that welcomes and invites, equips, and sends disciples forthin ministry. Growing congregations receive new persons on profession oftheir faith, not just transfers from other churches.

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Your Ministry of Evangelisms a leader of the evangelism ministry of your church, you have variousresponsibilities. These include:

1. Serving as team leader for those assigned to work with you, guidingthe work of the team, helping them to work from a biblical and theo-logical foundation, creating work space in which Christian faith for-mation happens, planning agendas, presiding at meetings, and repre-senting the ministry of evangelism in meetings of the church counciland charge conference

2. Working with the pastor, team, and other church leaders in assessingyour congregation’s goals and measures pertaining to evangelism(paying particular attention to professions of faith) and attendancetrends, as well as the way in which new people are received into thecongregation and empowered for ministry

3. Promoting evangelism as a core value of each ministry of the church

4. Envisioning what God’s will for the congregation’s future might beand setting goals that are consistent with that vision

5. Developing a plan for an overall evangelism strategy and system thatreaches out to persons, welcomes them into the congregation, relatesthem to God, and equips and empowers them for ministry

6. Implementing your plan

Build the Evangelism Ministry TeamEvangelism is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit. Start building yourteam with prayer. The committee on nominations and leadership develop-ment may help to identify team members, though you may need to recruit oradd members yourself. Your pastor can assist you with suggestions. At yourfirst meeting determine a time of day when team members will be in prayerfor one another and for the development of a common vision for the congre-gation’s evangelistic ministry.

Build a team with persons committed to the ministry of evangelism. A teamdiffers from a committee in that a team is personally involved. A team isaligned around a single purpose. Depending on the size of the congregation,a team should consist of a workable number—no fewer than five and no

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more than a dozen. Your team should represent a cross section of the con-gregation. If you do not currently have an evangelism team, you might wantto include as members your lay leader, any lay servants (speakers) in thecongregation, a youth, and at least one young adult.

Agree on a reading list and schedule, including this Guideline. Workthrough the Action Steps with your pastor; team; and as much as possible,with other key church leaders and members of the congregation.

Read the Bible for your own spiritual formation and for models of evangel-ism and faith sharing. Important passages in this regard include:

• Matthew 9:35–10:23 (call of the disciples)• Luke 4:16-21 (Jesus’ sermon in the synagogue)• Luke 8:26-39 (Jesus’ expulsion of unclean spirits)• Luke 10:1-20 (mission of the seventy)• Luke 10:25-37 (parable of the Good Samaritan)• Luke 15 (parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son)• John 1:35-51 (call of Jesus’ first disciples)• John 20:19-31 (post-resurrection appearance of Jesus)

Read the book of Acts for a description of the missionary evangelism of theearly church and the way that a vital church reaches out to new groups ofpeople.

Assess Current Reality and Set GoalsFirst, assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current ministry efforts.How does your church presently reach out and welcome persons into thelife of the church? How effective are these activities? What are the results?

The Vital Congregations web site www.umvitalcongregations.org provideshelpful tips on goal setting. On this site you will find charts that guide youin assessing your historical data and setting future goals.

Goals can provide you with a process that helps you cultivate an evangelis-tic church culture. Here are some sample goals and measures for individu-als, congregations, and pastors.


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EVANGELISM 19

Sample: For Individuals

Sample: For Congregations

GOALS MEASURES

Increase your of Bible knowledgeand growth in discipleship

Track what you are doing to growas a disciple, such as participatingin a read-through-the-Bible planper year, Bible basics orChristianity 101 course

Actively invite non-members toattend a church function ___num-ber of times per month

Track the number of visitors youinvite

Actively share your faith with others

Track the number of people towhom you witness

Participate in community outreach Track the number times and placesin which you volunteer in the com-munity, participate in VIM or othermission outreach efforts

Pray for the salvation of pre-Christians

Track the number of pre-Christiansyou actively pray for—considerusing a prayer journal

Bear Christian Fruit Note how active the fruits of theSpirit are in your life (Galatians5:22-23)

GOALS MEASURES

Increase the number of biblicallyliterate people in the church

Track the number of people whoparticipate per year in a read-through-the-Bible plan or Biblebasics or Christianity 101 course

Increase the number of invitationsmembers extend to others to attenda church function

Track the number of visitors whoattend by invitation

Increase the number of churchmembers instructed in faith sharing

Track the number of people who par-ticipate in faith sharing instruction

Increase participation in communi-ty outreach among members

Track the number of people whovolunteer in the community, partic-ipate in VIM or other mission out-reach efforts

Increase the number of memberspraying for the salvation of pre-Christians

Track the number of people active-ly involved in intercessory prayerfor pre-Christians

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Sample: For Pastors

Action StepsVisit the Vital Congregations web site www.umvitalcongregations.org andreview the following resources found under the Setting Goals tab:

1. “Vital Congregation Planning Guide: A Strategic Plan for UnitedMethodist Congregations”

2. “A Key Questions Resource for Leadership Committees in theChurch”

3. “Measures Evaluation Tool: A Companion to the Vital CongregationPlanning Guide”

After reviewing these sites, invite your team to examine the historical dataand current goals in place for your congregation. This information shouldhave been entered on the chart found on the Vital Congregations website inthe Setting Goals tab, at this link: “Congregations: Click here to set yourgoals.”

The most important statistics concern the number of people joining thechurch on profession of faith; the net growth or decline each year; and theaverage weekly attendance at worship, Sunday school, and other smallgroups. Statistics related to giving can also be helpful to measure growth in

GOALS MEASURES

Preach at least one evangelistical-ly focused sermon every ___weeks

Track the evangelistic sermonspreached each quarter

Participate in at least one out-reach experience in the communi-ty every ___ weeks

Track the number of outreachexperiences you participated inquarterly

Conduct ministry assessmentswith leaders to determine effec-tiveness in evangelism every ___months

Track the responses produced ateach assessment, adjust andrevise ministries as needed

With leaders of the church plan atleast one outreach event per quarter

Track the number of outreachevents conducted per quarter

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discipleship. Is giving on the rise? What is the percentage of giving to mis-sion projects in and through the local congregation?

Compile the information from the statistics and determine where thestrengths and weaknesses are in your local church. Celebrate yourstrengths. Ask why questions about both your strengths and weaknesses.Keep asking why until root causes are determined. Then, devise a plan ofaction that builds on your strengths and successes to improve the vitalityof your congregation. This should help improve the areas of weakness as well.

Another important piece of information concerns the numbers of memberswho are considered inactive or marginal. Who are they? Why are they inac-tive? Who might be able to reconcile with them on behalf of the church?The percentage of marginal members should be low if a viable discipleshipsystem is in place and active in your local church.

Obtaining demographic data about your community is helpful. Your confer-ence office may have contracted services with a demographic informationcompany such as Percept (www.perceptgroup.com). If so, you can obtain awide array of demographic data about your immediate community throughsuch a service. If your conference office doesn’t have such data, you maycontact the Office of Research of the General Board of Global Ministriesdirectly, which can supply this information. (See the Resources section fordetails.) From these findings, you will be able to determine the numbers andage groupings of people in your community.

When these data are assembled, spend enough meeting time to analyze thematerial prayerfully. Ask questions. Is your church good at welcomingstrangers? Do you have a working discipleship system in place? How activein mission is your church? What is God saying to you through it?

DEVELOP A SHARED VISIONVision is essential to growth. A process for developing a shared visionamong an evangelism ministry team should begin with prayer. Spend timein team meetings on the personal vision or hopes that people have for theirchurch. Who are the people left out or ignored in your community? Whatone thing could the church do that would make the most difference? Thevision must be shared with the pastor, church council, and other teams inorder for an integrated vision to develop, which will empower the congrega-tion to move forward.

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ESTABLISH A PLANIt is common wisdom that when we fail to plan, we plan to fail! Rememberthat the mission of the church is to make disciples for Jesus Christ. Vital,growing congregations will have a comprehensive plan for evangelism.Your task is to lead the evangelism ministry team in designing your congre-gation’s discipleship system.

A discipleship system needs to focus on these areas: welcoming, incorporat-ing persons into the congregation, and equipping and sending them out asdisciples of Jesus Christ. The following pages will assist you and your teamin developing a comprehensive plan for evangelism.

SET YOUR PLAN INTO MOTION Action causes change. Do not spend too much time meeting and planning.Move quickly to action. Your whole discipleship plan does not need to be inplace before you begin a part of it that your team believes is essential. Forexample, your team could choose to study personal faith sharing and couldcovenant to begin by each team member’s filling out a F-R-A-N Plan (see“Implement Your Evangelism Plan”) and agreeing to be held accountableby the team.

Team leader, remember two things: keep cool and have fun. As a friend ofmine likes to say, if joy is missing in the work of evangelism, only the“news” section of the “good news” is present!


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Implement Your Evangelism Plans stated before, one of the denomination-wide goals for each local church is “disciples make new disciples.” Similarly, The Book ofDiscipline of The United Methodist Church states that the mission of each church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transfor-

mation of the world” (¶120; see also ¶¶121-122). Congregations need notspend time in defining the church’s mission. It is already stated. The pri-mary task of the church in fulfilling that mission includes the following:

• reach out to people wherever they are and receive them as they are• relate them to God through Jesus Christ• nurture and equip them for Christian discipleship, and• send them out into the community to be the church in the family, theneighborhood, the community, and the world.

As you read, put a star by the ideas in the following categories you want toexplore with your team and with the congregation.

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Reach Out and ReceiveA widely held perception in United States culture is that church property isprivate property and that churches are for members only. To change this per-ception, congregations must become more intentional in invitation and wel-come. Does your church have a web site or print a church newsletter? If so,what does it communicate to pre-Christians? Do you include informationabout your vision and mission? Do you highlight ways you reach and servethe community? What content do you have for a spiritually inquisitive visitor?

CONNECTING/ RECONNECTING OTHERS TO CHRIST

Give people a copy of the above diagram or create a Personal F-R-A-N Planhandout to help people identify friends (F), relatives (R), associates (A), andneighbors (N) who are not practicing Christians. Ask your team members tocommit to pray for these unchurched and disconnected friends each day andto invite them to church for worship or some other congregational event.

BRING-A-FRIEND SUNDAYSet one Sunday each month and ask your members to bring a friend. Havegreeters at the door and design the worship experience so that visitors willfeel welcome. Make sure the worship bulletin is “user-friendly.” As exam-ples: Print the Lord’s Prayer. List the page number of Scripture readingsfrom pew Bibles, and so forth. Ask your pastor to preach something verybasic and relevant to church newcomers on that Sunday to help visitorsunderstand what United Methodist Christians believe.


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VISIT YOUR VISITORSMake a follow-up visit, phone call, or mailing to visitors. Studies indicatethat the sooner a response is made, the better the chances are that the per-son will affiliate with the congregation. The same studies show that a visitby a layperson or a lay couple is most effective. Consider the culturalexpectations in your community. Some areas expect unannounced visits;others are repelled by them. When in doubt, call for an appointment first.

TELL YOUR STORYThe best advertising is always word of mouth, but there are innovative waysof telling your story. Advertise where non-church people look. Consider anad in the real estate or obituary section. Many churches have an artist intheir membership who could design a Christmas postcard to be sent to allvisitors in the past year who haven’t affiliated. Easter is another time whenpeople are more conscious of their spiritual needs.

MAKE MEMBERSHIP MORE MEANINGFULStudies of congregational life reveal that as many as one-half of those whojoin churches become inactive in their first year of membership. Find waysto incorporate new members into the life of the church (but do not over-whelm them). Remember that the mission is to make disciples, not mem-bers. Visitors should be welcomed as guests. Members need to feel likemembers of the family.

When new members are graciously and intentionally incorporated, they• continue to grow spiritually through small groups• have at least seven personal friends in the congregation• have identified gifts and callings and are exercising them• understand, identify with, and support the mission and vision of the con-gregation

• are excited about the congregation and naturally invite friends, familymembers, and neighbors to become disciples of Christ

To assist in this process, assign sponsors or fellowship friends to each newmember, person, or family. These “shepherds” would help introduce new-comers to other members of the congregation and Sunday school class lead-ers and invite them to fellowship events.

Design and manage, under the pastor’s direction, a plan whereby personsinterested in exploring Christian faith or church membership could haveopportunities to learn about Christianity, United Methodism, and the missionand ministry of your own congregation. Several online courses in United

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Methodist basics are available on the United Methodist Communicationsweb site www.umcom.org. (Look under the Support Center tab > ChurchCommunications and Training > United Methodist Basics.)

Assist newcomers in the congregation to identify their own visions, gifts,and callings. Evidence exists that each person has to be connected to a con-gregation in three ways to stay connected: a worship connection, a fellow-ship connection, and a service connection.

Keep your eyes open! Maintain records to ensure that members are prompt-ly missed and contacted if they begin to drift away. People feel importantwhen they are missed! Studies of inactive people show that, in many cases,they will test out becoming inactive to see whether “anyone would miss me.”

Relate People to GodYour congregation’s spiritual life is nurtured in a variety of practices andsettings: worship, personal devotions, private and group study of the Bible,personal faith sharing, small groups for learning and practicing the spiritualdisciplines, discovering and using spiritual gifts, and serving others. Thegoal is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

It is important for the ministry team to spend time at each meeting in inten-tional spiritual formation. Ministry area members might share their ownexperiences of being formed in Christ. Ask questions like, “Who have beenthe two or three most spiritually influential persons in your life?” and “Whatone experience has influenced you the most in your spiritual journey?”

You might consider having a spiritual life emphasis sometime in the “greatfifty days” between Easter and Pentecost. If the Walk to Emmaus is activein your area, it can be a valuable resource for helping people relate to God.You might consider sponsoring and supporting a person to attend theAcademy for Spiritual Formation, offered by the Upper Room.

ESTABLISH A FAITH-FORMING RHYTHMRelating people to God is an ongoing process. Talk with your pastor andthose responsible for worship planning and Christian education about waysto introduce and acquaint the congregation with the pattern of the Christianyear. The various seasons highlight various aspects of God’s revelation tohumankind and our response as Christ-followers. In Ancient FutureEvangelism, Robert Webber describes how churches can establish a “faith-forming rhythm” by using the Christian year (Webber, pp. 179-180).


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Here is a summary of Webber’s outline of special days and their signifi-cance in the Christian year:

PENTECOST SUNDAYThis day, which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit, provides a won-derful opportunity to commission those who believe they are called to evan-gelism ministry. Commissioned persons could be ones who have completedspecialized training to reach pre-Christians through volunteer service in thecommunity, one-on-one relationships, or other specialized outreach.

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENTOn this Sunday new converts may be presented to the church. These indi-viduals may include confirmands or others who have completed a newChristian course. The idea is to punctuate publically a Christian rite of pas-sage experience that celebrates entry into life-long disciple formation.

LENTThe first Sunday of Lent provides another milestone opportunity for bothnew and established disciples. Lent signals the need to move into deeperspiritual formation.

RESURRECTION DAY (EASTER)The ancient Christian church baptized and reaffirmed baptism on thisSunday. In the ancient Christian tradition, new Christians moved into thefinal period of their initial faith formation. From Resurrection Day (Easter)to Pentecost the new Christian’s spiritual focus should be directed to con-templation of his or her Christian vocation; in short, discerning spiritualgifts and where he or she is called to participate in mission and ministry.

The annual rehearsal of the faith-forming rhythm provides the local congre-gation the opportunity to be formed in evangelism, discipleship, spiritualformation, and Christian vocation.

Nurture and Equip People for Christian DiscipleshipThere is a difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. A thermome-ter registers the temperature; the thermostat changes it. The climate of acongregation is most affected by attitudes and relationships within the con-gregation. Attitudes and relationships are affected by people’s continualspiritual renewal. One way to set the climate and to regulate our behaviorsas Christians and as a congregation is practicing the means of grace.

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John Wesley promoted a personal and congregational lifestyle focused onthe means of grace (see below). Practicing these means of grace helps us tosense Christ’s presence and to “turn up the thermostat” in living out andmodeling the Christian faith.

MEANS OF GRACE

Works of Piety Works of Mercy (Personal Holiness) (Social Holiness)

• Prayer (private and family) • Feeding the hungry• Public worship • Clothing the naked• The Lord’s Supper • Caring for the sick• Reading and studying Scripture • Visiting the jails and prisons• Christian conferencing • Sheltering the homeless• Fasting or abstinence • Welcoming the stranger• Peacemaking • Acting for the common good• Regular participation in a smallgroup for spiritual nurture and accountability

In pursuing such means of grace, vital congregations commonly promotethree things: (1) the small group experience, (2) a congregation-wide,focused Bible study, and (3) personal involvement in ministry and mission.

You may want to consider offering your members some of the small groupexperiences below (see Resources).

• Transforming Evangelism is an overview of a Wesleyan approach toevangelism that may be used as a six-week study for small groups.

• Witness is a small group study that helps people share faith and inviteothers into the body of Christ. A second part of the study helps changethe climate and culture of the congregation to be one of “witness.”

• DISCIPLE Bible Study groups have also been found effective for chang-ing the congregational climate. These groups gain the benefits of thesmall group experience while also having the possibility of aligning acongregation around a sharply focused Bible study.

• Companions in Christ is a twenty-four-week small group experience inwhich persons learn to share their faith.


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Send Out Disciples into the CommunityJesus announced that he came “not to be served but to serve” (Matthew20:28). A disciple of Jesus is, first of all, a servant. Service is the heartbeatof discipleship. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” says Jesus to thechurch today (John 20:21). Discipleship is being sent forth into homes,schools, workplaces, and communities at large to serve with the gifts ofGod. The possibilities of service are beyond counting in the ministry area ofevery congregation. Doing acts of mercy is one of the ways we tell theChristian story.

Your team can assist your pastor in helping members of the congregationdiscover and identify their gifts for ministry, including their gifts and gracesthrough service evangelism. Invite people to serve, for example, at a foodbank, a Habitat for Humanity project, an after-school tutoring program, aMeals-on-Wheels program, or a prison ministry.

Consider the possibility of assisting in the establishment of a new congrega-tion, which is the most effective evangelism strategy. Ask your districtsuperintendent if there is a new church development planned in your areaand volunteer to help.

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Resources** Indicates our top picks

WEB RESOURCES** General Board of Discipleship Evangelism web sitewww.gbod.org/evangelism/ or www.umcevangelism.org

• Evangelistic Preaching Helps—aids evangelistic sermon preparation• Offering Christ Today—provides tips on evangelism and suggestedresources

• Stories for Survivors—Bible stories for survivors of disaster• Continue to Change the World—Companion resources for book Changethe World

Upper Room Ministries www.upperroom.org • Chrysalis: www.upperroom.org/chrysalis for young adults and teens • Walk to Emmaus • The Academy of Spiritual Formation

General Board of Global MinistriesDemographic data of your church and community are available through theOffice of Research, General Board of Global Ministries. 212-870-3840.www.new.gbgm-umc.org/about/um/org/research/

**The United Methodist Communications web site www.umcom.org • Knowledge Center > Welcoming• Support Center > Church Communications Training > UnitedMethodist Basics

• Rethink Church

**The Vital Congregations web site www.umvitalcongregations.org

The Foundation for Evangelism: www.evangelize.org

National Association of United Methodist Evangelists: www.naume.org

Percept Group, Inc. (Ministry Demographics service) www.perceptgroup.com

EVANGELISM BOOKSAncient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-FormingCommunity, by Robert E. Webber (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. ISBN 978-0-80109-160-5).


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Evangelism After Christendom: The Theology and Practice of ChristianWitness, by Bryan Stone (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-58743-194-4).

Heartbeat! How to Turn Passion into Ministry, by Charles Arn (Longwood:Xulon Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-61215-0536).

Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church, by ReggieMcNeal (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009. ISBN 978-0-470-24344-2).

**The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church, by ReggieMcNeal (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2009. ISBN 978-0-47045-3155).

Radical Outreach: The Recovery of Apostolic Ministry and Evangelism, byGeorge G. Hunter III (Nashville: Abingdon, 2003. ISBN 978-0-687-07441-9).

Spiritual Waypoints: Helping Others to Navigate the Journey, by BobWhitesel (Indianapolis: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2010. ISBN 978-089827-4080).

**Transforming Evangelism, by Henry H. Knight III and F. Douglas PoweJr. (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2006. ISBN 978-0-88177-485-6).

**Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism, second edition, by MarthaGrace Reese (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-82723-8084).

**Your Church Can Thrive: Making the Connections That Build HealthyCongregations, by Harold Percy (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003. ISBN978-0-687-02256-4).

HOSPITALITY/WELCOMING RESOURCES**Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, byChristine D. Pohl (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN 978-0-80284-431-6).

**The Race to Reach Out, by Douglas T. Anderson and Michael J. Coyner(Nashville: Abingdon, 2004. ISBN 978-0-68706-668-1).

Untamed Hospitality: Welcoming God and Other Strangers, by ElizabethNewman (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-587-43176-0).

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FAITH SHARING DISCIPLE Bible Study, available in four phases. Contact: CokesburySeminars, 800-251-8591. www.cokesbury.com; then Search DISCIPLE.

The Faith-Sharing New Testament and Psalms (Nashville: Cokesbury, incooperation with Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2007. ISBN 0-687-64279-3).

The Faith-Sharing Congregation, by Roger K. Swanson and Shirley F.Clement (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1996. ISBN 978-0-88177-153-4).

**Holy Conversation: Talking About God in Everyday Life, by RichardPeace (Downers Grove: IVP Connect, 2006. ISBN 978-0-8308-1119-9).

Witness, by Ronald K. Crandall (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007.ISBN 978-088177-493-6).

For additional resources, check with your annual conference office.

MULTICULTURAL EVANGELISM**Many Faces, One Church, by Ernest S. Lyght, Glory Dharmaraj, JacobDharmaraj (Nashville: Abingdon, 2006. ISBN 978-0-687-49445-3).

**The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South,by Philip Jenkins (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-195-36851-2).

**The Next Christendom, by Philip Jenkins (New York: Oxford UniversityPress, 2011. ISBN 978-0-199-76746-5).

Whose Religion Is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West, by LaminSanneh (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2003. ISBN 978-0-8028-2164-5).

SPANISH LANGUAGE EVANGELISM RESOURCES Resources for the National Hispanic Plan are on line through the GeneralBoard of Global Ministries. http://new.gbgm-umc.org/plan/espanol/recursos/

• **Módulo III: Elementos esenciales en la facilitación en la educatiónChristiana, by Ada Chong, Lucrecia Cotto, Hildelisa Ordaz, MarigeneChamberlain, Saúl Trinidad, y Alma Perez (Nashville: DiscipleshipResources, 2006. ISBN 978-0-88177-453-5).


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