What is the first image that comes to your mind when you hear the word evangelism? Perhaps you recall an uncomfortable experience or a negative portrayal on TV. The Department of Church Growth and Evangelism recognizes paradigms are shifting, and new themes affect the way we share our faith. People today are spiritual but not dogmatic. They want to know God is real. They are looking for stories, experiences, and connections to God. These realities compelled us to reinvent how we practice sharing the good news about Jesus. We recognize the need to articulate a biblical view of evangelism because people in our culture are not responding and because people in our churches are not excited or engaged.
Today we have a new definition: To evangelize is to cooperate with other Christians and the Holy Spirit to bring one person one step closer to Christ.
The Department of Church Growth and Evangelism continues its passion for sharing Christ by launching a fresh approach to evangelism. We are pleased to offer our new material and workshop called One Step Closer. It is more than just a seminar—attendees will learn together in an interactive discussion-based format. One Step Closer covers a wide range of topics and questions such as:
• What is evangelism?
• What is the Gospel?
• Barriers to evangelism
• The process of evangelism: prayer, care, share
• Community evangelism and spiritual friendships
It is our hope that this will be an invaluable resource for your congregation and for church leaders. The One Step Closer workshop and materials are available now as we seek to resource your church.
