Don’t Be the (Evangelism) Bottleneck

by Nelson Searcy and Tommy Duke

Evangelism is one of the purposes of the church that we recognize as a high priority – I rarely hear from a Pastor who isn’t trying to reach more people for Christ.

But sometimes, Pastors and their churches appear to be doing and saying all the right things, but they’re seeing little (if any) fruit.

Their frustration is often voiced in questions like:

  • What are we doing wrong?
  • How can I get my people to invite their friends to church?
  • Why can’t we seem to reach the people of this community?

To check for one (unfortunately common) bottleneck, I’ve learned to ask a few key questions of Senior Pastors who are struggling with this situation:

  • What are the names of 3-5 unchurched friends that you are praying will come to know Christ?
  • Who have you personally invited to come to your church this week?
  • When was the last time you prayerwalked through your own neighborhood?

See, in Coaching over 800 Pastors, I have observed this truth:

Evangelistic Churches are Led by Evangelistic Pastors

The Pastor is a huge piece of the Evangelism puzzle (and more important than we often realize).

It’s true across the board – evangelism has to flow down from leadership if the people of your church are ever going to reach out effectively.

Notice, I didn’t say “Evangelistic Churches are Led by Pastors with the Gift of Evangelism” – because that’s not always the case.

In fact, some of the healthiest, most fruitful churches I know are led by Godly Pastors who understand that Evangelism is a vital function of every believer – and just preaching about it on Sunday doesn’t exempt them from living it out the rest of the week.

So, how about you Pastor…

  • Who’s on your “needs to know Christ” list?
  • What are you going to do this week to reach out to them?

P.S. To learn more about the essential pieces of your church’s Evangelism System and a proven strategy to Double Your Church in a Day, check out The Ignite Seminar.

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© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.

Nelson SearcyEvangelism

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