Never forget: the church is in abattle. Your city may not havethe overt occult activity that wesaw in Colorado Springs, butyou can be sure that Satan is

using some other strategy to make it hard togo to heaven from your city. It may bepornography, rampant crime, poverty, pros-perity, apathy, self-righteousness, religion, orany other snare.

In the pre-1960s Judeo-Christian culture ofAmerica, the church forgot its primary purpose.

ENVOYA TimelessMessage In AChanging Culture

continued on page 2

ENVOY

the

vo l .3 / no.1winter 2003

vanguard ministries149 business park drive,suite 201virginia beach, VA 23462757-499-2838 voice757-497-2398 faxvanguardmin@aol.com

bobby hillfounder & international director

apostolic teambobby hilljoseph umididoug fike

board of presbyters lance wallnau blake cromwell charlene fike eric dombach diane chandler steve ruckel jerry graham ray duenke sam scaggs

bonnie kylecommunications director

monelle baynardoffice manager

for membership information contactus at the above address or visit us at:www.vanguardministries.org

by Ted Haggard

the

1

primaryobjective

We became secure and believed that com-paring ourselves among ourselves was asignificant task because everyone was a“Christian.” And, to some degree, it wastrue. God-consciousness was reinforced byprayer in schools, at athletic events, andduring graduation ceremonies. Politicalleaders would often refer to the Lord andtheir dependence on God’s sovereignty.

During those years, the average Americancommunity only had Christian churches.Sometimes a small Jewish synagoguewould be present, but there were noIslamic mosques or Hindu temples. Thevast majority of people were eitherMethodist, Baptist, Presbyterian,Mennonite, or some other mainlineChristian group.

The problem was, though, that theChristian message was losing impact onsociety because the church became soconsumed with itself. We lost our concernfor our primary purpose and allowed our-selves to be distracted.

Now America is different. Islam is thefastest growing religion in several

American cities. Hinduism is being taughtin our schools and exercise centers.There is no standard of rightand wrong—everything is“relative” now. Secular thought isrespected; religious thought is scorned.Humanism is the state-sponsored religion,and those who challenge it are ridiculed.

In some Christian circles believers don’t

even accept the fact that America haschanged. In fact, many times we actuallyuse our churches to protect a culture thatis long gone. Rather thanrethinking our methods andchallenging our own effec-tiveness, we try to escaperesponsibility for the eternaldamnation of those in our

community by blamingothers for our own spiritualineffectiveness.

But we Christians no longer have theluxury of spending time talking about thedifferences between us. We are losing ourcities. We just haven’t realized it yetbecause our church buildings are stillstanding, and we are so busy doing goodthings. But being busy has nothing to dowith whether or not we have any impacton our cities.

Several times every week I have to askmyself: Is what I’m doing really somethingthat will make a difference in someone

2 t h e E n v o y

A Timeless Message continued from page 1

else’s destiny? Does it pass the “whocares” test? Does it promote Christ and HisWord in our community? Will it help thenon-Christians in the community under-stand the message of Christ?

It doesn’t matter how great my program,church, or actions are in comparison tothose of any other Christian. My mission is

to communicate a timeless message in achanging culture.

The Cultural WallMost non-Christians aren’t listening toChristian radio stations or watchingChristian television programs. They don’tunderstand Christian jargon, and theydon’t care about most Christian squabbles.There’s a cultural wallbetween “us” and “them.”

I believe we Christians oftenfail to communicate to non-Christians because we arebroadcasting on a differentchannel. Non-Christians do, however,know when they are hurting and needhelp.

We recently invited an evangelist namedDave Roever to speak at our church. Davehad fought in the Vietnam War and nearlydied when a grenade exploded in hishand. He was horribly burned, and his

face had to be almost completely recon-structed. Dave tells people about theabsolutes—that Jesus helps you livethrough the circumstances of life.

We decided to use radio advertising toannounce that Dave was coming. Wecould have produced an ad just forChristian stations that talked about what a

great speaker he was and how he hadspoken at many other huge gatherings ofChristians. But instead we produced an adthat would also work on secular radio sta-tions that played country and western,oldies, or rock. It told about Dave, but,more importantly, it described how hismessage could help hurting people.

As a result, people in the secular worldcould hear about Dave Roever and asktheir Christian co-workers about him. TheChristian audience would still have anopportunity to hear about the meetingwhen the ad was played on the Christianradio station. But their attendance wouldbe a by-product of reaching the secularcommunity.

When Dave Roever spoke, the atmospherewas electric because there were so manypeople attending who did not usuallyattend church. Christians were excitedbecause their non-Christian friends camewith them. And, as you might imagine, the

response at the end of Dave’s talk wasoverwhelming. Why? Because the culturalwall had been breached. The specialspeaker had a practical appeal to non-Christians, and Christians could capitalizeon the opportunity to reach their friendsbecause the message was placed withinthe secular world.

Advertising on a secular station costs morebecause it reaches more people, but that’sthe point—to reach people, especiallythose who aren’t saved. I think advertisingwithin the Christian community has itsplace, but I don’t think it should be theprimary way we reach new people for ourchurches. An ad on the religion page willhelp a few people who are looking forspecial events or would like to find a newchurch home, but it doesn’t make much ofa dent in our primary purpose.

We Christians have built a cultural wall thatnon-Christians don’t understand, so weneed to overcome it as often as possible. V

Ted Haggard is Senior Pastor of New LifeChurch in Colorado Springs, CO. Thisarticle is excerpted with permission fromPrimary Purpose: Making It Hard forPeople to Go to Hell from Your City(Creation House, 1996).

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A Timeless Message continued from page 2

placed “hospitable” in the center of the list(1 Timothy 3:2). The Greek word for“hospitable” is philoxenos, which means a“friend of strangers.” It would appear thata leader in Jesus’ church must be a friendof strangers. This sure places Mom’sadvice in a different light!

We live in a society increasingly darkenedby isolation and loneliness. People areafraid to take risks. They keep to them-selves. They look away when someoneasks for help. We, on the other hand, willshine like beacons on a hill (Matthew5:16) as we listen to the Holy Spirit andlove the strangers around us by initiating

conversations wherever we go. It isokay to talk to strangers! Hopefullythese tips will help you to engage in

meaningful Kingdom conversa-tions.

1. A cheerful attitude. Jesus was immensely popularwith the crowds. As Mark12:37 tells us, “The large

crowd listened to him withdelight” (NIV). Clearly, Jesus’attitude didn’t turn people off.

Of course, not everyone receivedJesus’ words well, but we never

get a hint that Jesus’ attitude wasthe cause of people rejecting Hismessage. In the same way, we must

pray that God will give usan attitude of

cheerfulques-tioningwhenweinteract

It’s Okay to Talk toStrangers

by Steve MorganVanguard Partner Church Pastor

“Don’t talk to strangers!”How many times did we hear these wordsof warning from our mothers as we weregrowing up? Understandably so, withnews reports of kidnappings and killings,and the lost faces that look out at us fromthe sides of milk cartons.

However, as I have studied the Scriptures,I have come to the conclusion that Mom’sadvice may actually be different from whatthe Lord encourages. When the ApostlePaul wrote Timothy about the charactertraits that define a Christian leader, he

4 t h e E n v o y

with others, rather than a defensive orcombative tone.

2. Encouraging words.Jesus liked to encourage the people withwhom He conversed. “You have answeredcorrectly!” He told an expert in the Law,who had expressed a good answer (Luke10:28). When talking with nonbelievers,never miss an opportunity to tell them youagree with them, or that they have given athoughtful answer. If you get a chance todeliver a sincere compliment, take it!

3. Speak the truth in love. Once when Jesus was sitting by a well, Hequietly asked a woman to go find her hus-band. When she replied with the half-truththat she didn’t have a husband, Jesusresponded with a gentle clarification (John4:17-18). Jesus began and ended by kindlytelling the woman where she was right,yet He still uncovered the complete truthshe had tried to conceal. Practice the artof correcting false ideas in a way that

expresses kindness. We can’t be soloving that we let error passas truth. On the other hand, we mustnot be so impatient to correct error thatothers lose sight of our love as we insiston the truth.

4. Other viewpoints are valuable. Our Lord loved to ask questions, even inresponse to questions. To one man whoasked about the greatest commandment,Jesus responded with two questions of Hisown. “What is written in the Law? How doyou read it?” (Luke 10:26). Sincerequestions draw people out.As you make inquiry into another’s heart,you will find yourself enjoying the thingsthat people say. We can all learn from oneanother.

5. Be alert to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work among thestrangers who surround us every day. Ifwe want to follow Christ’s example, weneed to scan our own crowds, lookingcarefully for people who are hungry tomeet Jesus. To hurting and lonelystrangers, the warmth of a cheerful con-versation mixed with love is often all that

is needed to bring salvation home tothem.

Isn’t it clear? Jesus wantsto strike up conversationswith strangers. The way He doesthat is through us! We are now His eyes,His smile, and His mouth. We must bealert for His leading…anytime, anywhere.

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a cellphone store trying to reconcile a mistakein a bill. The young man on the other sideof the counter was an early twenty-some-thing who was obviously flustered by myrequest for help. It turns out that a womanhad just left the store who had spent tenminutes berating and belittling himbecause he could not supply the answersshe was looking for. I pulled up a stool,assured him that I was in no hurry andthat I was sure he could help me. Thekindness of my demeanor eventuallyopened up an opportunity to share thegospel with this young man as he waitedon the phone for a customer service rep-resentative.

The Holy Spirit’s command in Hebrews13:2 rings true across the centuries andacross all cultures: “Do not forget toentertain strangers” (NIV). V

Steve Morgan serves as Senior Pastor ofNew Life Christian Fellowship at GreatBridge, Chesapeake, Virginia.

t h e E n v o y 5

It’s Okay to Talk to Stangers continued from page 4

If you were to ask any Christ-fol-lower how important evangelismis, you would hear a resoundingresponse of “very important!”When you ask pastors how impor-

tant evangelism is, the heart cry is evenmore passionate. In fact, when Win Arnsurveyed 1,000 churches asking, “Whydoes the church exist?” 90% of pastorssaid the purpose was to win the world forChrist. Churches spend thousands of dol-lars each year on evangelism efforts. I amgrateful that there is such a passion for thelost within the body of Christ and espe-cially among those who lead.

Unfortunately, money and passion aren’tenough. A few years ago I began won-dering why so few churches are actuallysuccessful at bringing in the harvest.Didn’t Jesus say, “The fields are white untoharvest” (Luke 10:2)?

Consider these facts:• The average church in America baptizes

only one person a year.• 195 million Americans will not be

attending church this Sunday.• Protestant denominations have recently

experienced a decrease of 9.5%, whilethe population has increased by 11.4%.

• 4,000 churches close their doors eachyear, while only 1,500 are started.

• North America is the only continentwhere Christianity is not growing.

I could keep going, but my purpose is notto depress anyone. Actually, when I readthese facts I’m inspired because Jesus said,“The fields are white unto harvest.”Nowhere in the world is that more truethan on the North American continent.People are spiritually hungrylike never before—they arestarving for authenticChristianity that helps themsee there is more to lifethan trying to make it to thenext paycheck.

A few years ago, a mid-thirties momwalked into our church service with herlive-in boyfriend. It was apparent that shehadn’t had the easiest life, but she wassearching. Her boyfriend’s only previousexperience with church was going withhis grandmother to hear a sermon called“How Hot Is Hell?”

They had been invitedto New Hope,

so theydecided to

give itatry.

Peoplegreeted them

as they came in, themusic was alive and inviting,

the drama and laughter engagedtheir emotions, and the messages

spoke right to their hearts about real-life

Crossing CulturalBarriers in Our OwnSociety

by Keith SpurginVanguard Partner Church Pastor

6 t h e E n v o y

challenges. They both worked long hoursduring the week, so our hour-long servicehelped them make the transition toweekly church attendance. In addition,people seemed genuinely glad to seethem each week. What they didn’t realizewas that the Holy Spirit was using allthese elements to break down their oldparadigms so that He could draw them toHimself.

Three years later that couple is married,flowing in the gifts and fruit of the HolySpirit, and leading others to Jesus. Thehusband is leading our Recovery Ministryand the wife is coaching three of ourHome Team Leaders whom she multipliedout of her Home Team.

Let me give you another story. About sixmonths, ago a mom and her 20-somethingdaughter showed up at New Hope one

morning to check out a new series theyhad read about called, “The LoveConnection.” Some of the message titlesfor that series were, “Finding Mr. Right,”“Building a Home That Lasts,” and “TheMost Controversial Room In The House.”The mom hadn’t been in church in fortyyears; her daughter had minimal churchexperience. Within six months they hadboth given their hearts to Jesus and werebaptized. They now serve as ushers onSunday mornings, and the daughter isusing her creativity as part of our Sundaymorning Theme Team, creating art workand decorations to go along with the mes-sage for that week.

These are great stories, but if you haveany experience at all you know that theydidn’t happen in a vacuum. They hap-pened because some people made somelife-impacting decisions to follow hard

after God’s heart for the harvest and allowthe Holy Spirit to work through them.Those people comprise a wonderfulfamily of believers called New HopeChristian Church in Wylie, Texas. Whatmakes it all work and the Spirit flow isthat we have an elder team that has beenliterally willing to lay down life and careerfor the vision. They are willing to dowhatever it takes to fulfill Christ’s missionthrough His church. They have invested inthe leaders of this body a heart for Godthat is awe-inspiring.

What if you could have a church full ofpeople who need and want Jesus? Let meask three questions that should help youdecide if that’s what you really want andwhether you are willing to pay the priceto make it happen.

Do I really believe that the primary mis-sion of the church is to reach a dyingworld? If you don’t believe that, then readno further. If reaching the world is not theprime directive, everything else will get in

the way. In Matthew 4:19 the firstthing Jesus said to his disciples

was, “Come, follow me, and Iwill make you fishers of men.”

Clearly our first priority mustbe our relationship with Jesus.Out of that relationship should

flow such a passion andheart cry for the lost thatwe are willing to lay down

our lives to see them come toknow Him. Which leads to

the second question…

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Cultural Barriers continued from page 6

Am I willing to sacrifice my personalagenda to fulfill this mission? This is noteasy to answer. I’ll never forget watchingSaving Private Ryan. In the movie, a groupof men is assigned the task of risking theirlives for the sake of one soldier whosebrothers had already been killed in thewar. They discussed among themselvesthe validity of sacrificing eight lives for thesake of just one. What a powerful illustra-tion of the Church’s dilemma. Are wewilling to sacrifice some ofour traditions, practices,and preferences so that justone could come to knowJesus? Or is church reallyabout what we want? Are wewilling to give up some of our time incorporate worship so that a spiritualseeker can stay connected to what theHoly Spirit is doing? This is where therubber meets the road. Why wouldanyone limit the work of the Holy Spirit?You might be saying, “Is that what itmeans to be target-sensitive? No thanks.”

Of course we don’t want to limit the HolySpirit, but He is calling us to be mission-aries to a post-Christian culture. When yousend a missionary to another country youexpect three things.

1. Learn the language.

2. Become culturally sensitive. If you’veever been on a short-term missions tripyou were taught to be aware of the cul-ture. You learned the dos and don’ts ofoperating in that culture so that you couldavoid unnecessarily closing people’s heartsand minds to your message. Yet in ourpost-Christian culture, that is exactly whatmost churches do on Sunday mornings inthe name of not grieving the Holy Spirit.

What is God’s heart? He runs to theprodigal! The son at home cries out,“What about me?” And God’s heart says,“Everything I have is yours; you’ve beenwith me always.” Jesus said the shepherdwould leave the 99 to find the one.Everything about God’s heart caters to thelost, the broken, the dying, the widow, thepoor.

3. Love the people. This should be nat-ural for people filled with the Holy Spirit.

Do we know for whom weare fishing? 89% of church mem-bers say that the purpose of the church isto take care of them and their family’sneeds. If we are our own target, thenclearly the fishing is easy. Just do every-thing that you like. But if you are fishingfor others, then you had better changeyour bait.

To be effective in evangelism you don’thave to change everything you are doing.There are a few simple things that willmake a huge difference. Here are somesuggestions:

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to show youwho His target is for your church. Ibelieve the Spirit is very focused on thepeople He is trying to reach—the problemis that too often we aren’t. Church mem-bers and pastors often want to do thingsthey like so they can feel good on Sundaymornings, but often those aren’t the thingsthat reach the Holy Spirit’s target.

2. Try a little creativity…a little goes along way. Just the titles of messages canhelp. Use songs that relate to the message.Pull your staff together to pray and talkabout the series you are doing and ask the

Holy Spirit for a theme that relates topeople’s everyday lives. Ask some of yourcreative people to do some artwork thatconnects. Use a film clip to introduce amessage. We have become a visual cul-ture; you will be amazed how this openspeople hearts and minds.

3. Drop some of your Christianese ordenominational lingo. I love the factthat Jesus talked about “regular stuff” likeseed, wheat, wind, water, soil, and money.He regularly used real life illustrations thatpeople could relate to. I don’t remember atime when Jesus gave the originalmeaning of a word. Not that we shouldn’t,but some pastors spend so much time set-ting up the message that they miss thepoint…and the point is application to reallife.

We have the most important message inthe universe. Shouldn’t we be doingeverything we can to present it in a waythat speaks the language of the people?Jesus did. Shouldn’t we be doing every-thing we can to connect our culture toHim? Shouldn’t we be doing everythingwe can to be authentic followers of Jesusso that people see Him through us?

Imagine a Sunday morning very soonwhen hardened sinners melt to tearsunder the conviction of the Holy Spirit,new believers lift their hands in worshipto God, and seasoned followers of Christare passionate about sharing Him withthose they meet. V

Keith Spurgin is Senior Pastor of NewHope Christian Church in Wylie, Texas.50% of New Hope's members wereunchurched before joining.

Cultural Barriers continued from page 6

stayingconnected

8 t h e E n v o y

If there is a church seemingly onevery street corner, why are wenot affecting our cities? God’sWord clearly tells us in Habakkuk2:14, “The earth will be filled with

the knowledge of the glory of the Lord asthe waters cover the sea.” That means wewill see a day when the knowledge ofGod fills every area of society; we will seea day in which the glory of God willcover every home and every family.Anyone can look around their city andrealize that there are major segments ofour society lacking the knowledge of God.That means we have our work cut out forus! As long as there are broken homes,drug addicted teenagers, dysfunctionalfamilies, and oppressed communities wehave work to do. When you were saved,you did not join a country club—youjoined the army of the living God! The

Church was not placed in the world tolook pretty but to change and impact it forthe glory of God. God has called us tomake a difference— will we respond?

Spiritual GroundAs the Church, God has called us to takespiritual ground in our cities. Joshua 1:3declares, “I will give you every placewhere you set your foot.” As a church orministry, you are called by God to takespiritual ground in your city or area ofinfluence. Our schools don’t belong to thedevil; our families don’t belong to thedevil—they belong to God. And God hascalled us to go into these areas of dark-ness to take that ground for the Kingdom.You have not been placed on this earth oron your job or in your school merely toexist, but to excel. If you’re justexisting, you are not taking

t h e E n v o y 9

Taking Ground forthe Kingdom

by Paul WondracekVanguard Associate Member

any ground. Understand that we arecalled to bring the Gospel into every areaof society. Claim your school, your family,and your workplace for Jesus. As youbegin to pray, God will begin to give youthat ground and open up opportunities foryou to bring in the Kingdom.

The problem lies in the fact that mostChristians take ground for a season, butend up giving that ground back to theenemy. Once you take ground for theKingdom you must guard what God has given you. For instance, onceyou begin a ministry in a certain area,things may get tough for a while, and youmay even experience some attack. If yougive up, if you quit, yougive back thegroundyou

havetaken up tothat point. Churchesthat start evangelism programs and thenstop for whatever reason immediately givethat ground up. Young people can beginto gain spiritual ground in schools bybeing Christian witnesses, however oncethey backslide and begin to compromisetheir Christian walk they begin to giveground back to the enemy. I refuse togive up any more ground. If you’re notactively involved in evangelism or out-reach—in whatever form that might be—you are merely existing. It’s time to takesome ground!

Targeting TeensTeenagers are the most easily shaped andinfluenced people of our society—andthey comprise the target group in which Ibelieve you will see the most fruit in your

evangelistic efforts. Look at businesses andmarketing companies—they continue tofocus on teenagers.

The devil is going after this generationwith reckless abandon. MTV’s CEOwas quoted as saying, “Weno longer influence a gener-ation—we own it.” If the world isinvesting everything into reaching a gener-ation, why is the church giving it leftovers?Eighty percent of Christians come to Christbefore the age of eighteen; that should tellus where we need to focus our evangel-istic efforts.

If you want to reach families, reach theteenagers that they struggle with day after

day. God is about to release a move ofHis Spirit and a wave of revival

among this generation likethe world has never seen.

I don’t mean we aregoing to get some

great music or thatyouth will gathertogether for con-certs nationwide.Those things are

great, but that’s notrevival! No—

teenagers are going tobegin to get saved,

healed, and delivered bythe power of Jesus name!

They will be committed fol-lowers of Christ—not fans, followers.

Escaping Your ComfortZoneIt’s time for churches toquit babysitting teenagersand start going after them.Satan has always tried to kill a generationbefore it reaches maturity; that is why healways goes after the young ones. He triedit with Moses, and then with Jesus, andnow in our generation. He wants to killthe seeds of revival, which are our youngpeople.

The reason most ministries don’t targetteenagers is because that particular area ofministry requires the most change on thepart of its leaders. You might have tochange your music, and you might haveto change what you wear, but it’s allworth it when teenagers begin to get on

fire for Jesus. You’ll begin to see familiestransformed and churches grow like neverbefore. God is getting ready to give us anew wineskin for reaching this generationwith the Gospel of Jesus!

We Need BaitJesus said that He would make us fishersof men. If you’re going to catch teenagers,then you need to use the right bait.Four white walls and aFisher-Price microphone willnot do the job.

Teenagers love food, sports, and livemusic. You have to turn your youth groupinto a gathering place for all types ofteenagers. Bait the hook with free pizza,skate ramps, basketball goals, and videogames. When you get them there, teachthem how to party for Jesus with dynamicpraise and worship. If the world can partyfor nothing, why can’t we party for theKing of Kings? Teens have a choice: either go to the partytheir friends from school are throwing, orgo to your youth meeting. Give them areason to bring their friends. Give away askateboard, or some CDs. Be creative, bedifferent, and make it fun. Then give themthe uncompromised Gospel of Jesus.Preach it with passion—that’s what teenswant, passion! You can’t expect your kidsto be on fire for God if you’re not. Theyneed to see an example of a sold outbeliever. You give it to them!

They may not come for the Word at first,but they will come to skate with friendsand eat free pizza. Eventually, the freefood won’t mean as much as praising Godand hearing His Word. It is then theleader’s job to see the ones with thestrongest commitment and develop amethod to take them deeper into thethings of God. But you have to get theteens there before you can win them.The youth GROUP wineskinis an old wineskin; we needa new wineskin of youthministry, youth CHURCH. Weneed to love the next generation’s revival!V

Paul Wondracek directs Destiny OutreachCenter, an ministry to inner city youth, inCary, NC.

10 t h e E n v o y

Taking Ground for the Kingdom continued from page 9

Ipastor in the middle of the EasternShore region, including parts ofMaryland, all of Delaware, and theouter peninsula of Virginia. Justrecently, over 200 churches came

together to sponsor the largest evangelisticcrusade this area has ever known, to myknowledge. There were hundreds uponhundreds of volunteers, months of plan-ning, and a budget in excess of $25,000.The event culminated in seven nights ofoutreach in the form of traditional cru-sades, with a giant tent, concert, andChristian celebrity speakers. There was anexpectancy that upwards of two thousandpeople would come to Christ. A surprisewas in store for all involved. To my uttershock, only sixty-nine people made first-time commitments to Christ! There werean additional two hundred or so recom-mitments. Heaven is rejoicing over thesesouls, and so am I (Luke 15:17); butshould it take months uponmonths, 200 churches, hun-dreds of volunteers, and$25,000 to win 69 people toChrist? Something doesn’t compute. Itjust doesn’t work like it used to. AlthoughI believe this type of outreach has itsplace, especially coupled with Spirit-filled

ministry, I don’t see its effectiveness at thispresent time in America and the West.

The ProblemTraditional methods of winning souls inAmerica and the West are becoming lessand less effective. Crusades, conferences,and seminars seem to work best at mobi-lizing people who have already caught thefire of God’s burden for souls. For a cru-sade to work, hundreds of Christians needto personally take the unchurched withthem to the meetings. This is no longerproving to be an effective way to sweepcommunities in America. Even some of the“greats,” such as Greg Laurie (www.har-vest.org) and Steve Hill (www.stevehill.org)are ending much of their arena-type min-istry and taking meetings into smaller the-atres and church auditoriums. The reason?I believe that the ineffectiveness of oldevangelism styles is the result of a hugelack of Christians who burn with the fire ofGod’s burden for souls. Too many justdon’t feel the urgency or motivation tobring people to Christ. Your church maybe filled with believers who need only aspark to light the Holy Spirit’s fire forevangelism, but until this happens, theunchurched won’t come in.

t h e E n v o y 11

Grass Roots RevivalA Strategy to Launch My Church to Witness for Christ

by Nathan Sanders

The problem just keeps getting more des-perate. Mainstream people today arebecoming more and more distant from theChurch. They are totally out of touch withGod and with the congregations in theircommunities.

The need lies not in more big crusades, ormore evangelism conferences. At this timein our culture, more of these just producemore of the same—little connection to thelost. The need is to impartGod’s burden and vision forsouls to individual people inour churches, and then tomobilize them to reach theircircles of influence. I have aplan for this, but let me first explainwhere it comes from.

The PrivilegeThere is a newer Christian couple in ourchurch that has lived in this area all oftheir lives. They seem to know everyone.Whenever I go anywhere with the guy,our conversations are continually inter-rupted by greetings, waves, and commentsto people he knows, and few of them areborn-again. It’s very humorous to me, butit also speaks loudly about the place ofopportunity and privilege church membershave over and above most church leaders.Just as many mainstream people are out oftouch with my church, as the pastor of thechurch (and consequently the CEO, per-sonnel manager, marketing guru, andother unseen titles), I am largely out oftouch with their world. But the people inmy church are not. They are privileged tointeract with the unchurched day afterday, and many of their best friends do notknow Jesus. This presents the most instantopportunity for ministry, and it happensevery day, all over my community, and itdoesn’t cost anything nor require the sig-nature of 200 pastors.

Their privilege is my opportunity. As apastor, those people in my congregationwho are in touch with sinners give me(and more importantly, God Himself) theconnection to get the love of Christ wherethey will hear it. The key lies within rela-tionships with sinners. Look at the modelthat Jesus provided:

“While Jesus was having dinner atMatthew’s house, many tax collectors and

‘sinners’ came and ate with him and hisdisciples. When the Pharisees saw this, theyasked his disciples, ‘Why does your teachereat with tax collectors and “sinners”?’ Butgo and learn what this means: ‘I desiremercy, not sacrifice. For I have not cometo call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:10 NIV).

“The Son of Man came eating anddrinking, and they say, ‘Here is a gluttonand a drunkard, a friend of tax collectorsand “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved rightby her actions” (Matthew 11:19 NIV).

Fellow leaders, the example is clear. Jesuswas visibly a friend of sinners, and notashamed of it, even though it gave Him abad reputation with religious leaders. Theplan God has given me will only work ifthere exists friendship with sinners both inmy life and in the lives of those whoattend my church.

The PropositionI am preparing to bring to my leadershipteam a grass roots campaign to see thelost won through our church. I see theplan as two-fold: 1) to visibly be a friendof sinners myself; and 2) to impart God’spassion and vision for souls into the livesof couples/individuals, one at a timethrough my involvement and that of keyleaders in our church. The “one at a time”is key, allowing personal impartation andattention to take place. In a larger church,more leaders would be required to help.

The Plan1. Personal relationships with the lost:I will be a friend of sinners, to keep intouch with lost people and allow God touse me, to be an example, and to keepsharp in evangelism and methods of soul-winning that work.Example: The other day I was bass fishingin a local pond that is frequented by thefew people who have discovered it. (Iwould rather fish for sport, especially bass,than do any other sport in the world.)Along comes a classic outdoorsman intoview— a sinner, bad language, and anendless flow of cigarettes. Within minutes,because of our shared passion for fishing,I was able to strike up a conversation withhim. I knew that telling him I was a pastorwould create walls, so I avoided dis-

cussing my career for a while. After a fewminutes of talking and casting, we werefriends. He invited me to come out andfish with him in his bass boat. I wasthrilled. Two weeks later he and I wentout in his boat, had a blast catching toomany to count, and chatting the wholetime. It was clear to me thatGod had given me this rela-tionship not to enjoy fishing,but to use my enjoyment offishing for evangelism. I amprayerfully and carefully seeking to do so.I want to seek out on-purpose relation-ships with people who need Christthrough the bridge of shared interests.

2. Personal impartation to Christiancouples/individuals: I endeavor to makeroom for the Holy Spirit to ignite flames ofevangelism in people’s hearts by invitingmyself (and/or key leaders, elders, etc.)into their homes for impartation and mobi-lization. In such a meeting, I will shareScripture regarding evangelism, share atestimony, and communicate to them theirresponsibility and privilege as believers tobe God’s arm of salvation to the lost. In amoment of prayer, I will ask them to con-sider the top three or so people Godwould have them befriend and ministry to.I’ll then make suggestions on how toreach out without scaring people or beingtoo rushed to “get them to go to church.”Such examples are meals and get-togethers, leisure activities, phone calls,offers for prayer or spiritual help, privateintercession for them, and eventual invita-tion to church or home group.

I have been involved personally in evan-gelism for the last nine years. It beganwhen a leader started speaking into mylife on a personal basis, encouraging mein evangelism and inspiring me to believeGod for great things. Within two years Iwas leading a team of evangelists on auniversity campus. Personal impartation, agrass roots approach, is more time con-suming and draining, but I believe it’s aninvestment with the potential for a greatreturn. V

Nathan Sanders pastors His LighthouseFellowship Church in Federalsburg, MD.

12 t h e E n v o y

Grass Roots Revival continued from page 11

community-specific needs.

The Albemarle Resource Center (ARC) wasborn out of our desire to see the cycle ofpoverty reversed by meeting both thephysical and spiritual needs of the localcommunity. However, the idea of servingothers “with no strings attached” was notinitially appealing to those of us raised inthe traditional church environment. Howcould helping people whoselives were most often com-plicated by their sinfulchoices, without immedi-ately addressing thosechoices, be responsibleChristianity?

Helping the poor and servingothers—both are ministriesone expects to find associ-ated with the traditionalChristian church. The Word

of God is clear in Isaiah 58:6-7, “Is not thisthe fast that I have chosen?…Is it not toshare your food with the hungry….” Sothe idea of beginning a community out-reach center in a city where “one in fivelive below the poverty level” (USA Today,1997) seemed only logical. When we cameto Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in 1996,we knew that in order for the church togrow by the conversion of new believersrather than church transfers, we wouldhave to develop ministries that targeted

No StringsAttached?

by Phil DowdyVanguard Partner Church Pastor

Joanne ArizagaVanguard Associate Member

t h e E n v o y 13

Many times we tend to over-complicatethe Gospel, which causes the message toget lost in the details. We found that tryingto disciple non-Christians before they areconverted sends the wrong message.People think that Christianity is the per-formance of certain activities, rather thanseeing it as a relationship with Christ.They also become discouraged becauseuntil true transformation takes place, theydo not have access to the power neededto gain victory over sin.

With a sincere desire to truly affect ourcommunity, we began to simplify ourapproach to sharing God’s love. Weplaced our trust in the belief that God isoverseeing the process of evangelism ineach person’s life, and decided to serveeveryone who came to the ARC with nostrings attached, allowing simple acts ofkindness to soften their hearts. This meantbeing content to plant seeds, water seedsalready planted by others, and in somecases, praying with those ready to make adecision for Christ.

We were also challenged by a fresh look

at the parable of “The Sheep and TheGoats” found in Matthew 25. After theMaster addresses the sheep on His right,He says in verse 40: “I’m telling you thesolemn truth; Whenever you did one ofthese things to someone overlooked orignored, that was me—you did it to me”(The Message). If the defining characteris-tics of the sheep were that they fed andcared for the “overlooked” and the“ignored,” we definitely wanted to identifyourselves with these activities. In a regionplagued by poverty, and a burgeoningmigrant worker population, a recentdemographic study revealed thatPasquotank County is 45% above thenational average for single female headsof household. This harvest field offersinnumerable opportunities to reach out tothe overlooked and ignored.

As we continue to do humble acts ofservice for members of our community wefind ourselves in touch with people’s realneeds and pains, which has proven usworthy of their trust. This foundation oftrust, combined with more traditionalapproaches of evangelism, has begun to

bear fruit.

The congregation of New Life FamilyCenter has embraced this heart attitude ofserving as well, with over 60% of thechurch membership volunteering at theARC weekly. The center’s volunteer staff isalso unique in that it represents the net-working of four area churches.

Currently, ARC offers assistance with food,clothing, personal hygiene items, house-hold-cleaning supplies, and prayer coun-seling to more then 300 households permonth. All services are offered at no costto the recipients.

In an age where the world judgeschurches as irrelevant and out of touch,this foundation of serving has enabled usto demonstrate God’s unconditional lovein a true and tangible way. V

Phil Dowdy and Joanne Arizaga are SeniorPastor and Executive Pastor, respectively,of New Life Family Center in ElizabethCity, NC.

14 t h e E n v o y

No Strings Attached continued from page 13

realneed

While The Play has been instrumental inhundreds of people coming to the Lordthrough its annual productions, Marie’svision goes way beyond the VirginiaBeach area. Cast and crewmembers trainin cross-cultural ministry, and travel toselect international partnering churches orministries where they present a culturallyadapted version of The Play production in

the language of the people as an evangel-istic outreach. Scripts and soundtrackshave been produced in Arabic, Spanish,Nepali, Turkish, and Russian. The ministrytrains and mobilizes teams internationallyand operates a full-time office inKathmandu, Nepal, whose focus is to trainand equip teams in each of the fiveregions of Nepal.

The excellence and integrity of TMCJInternational’s ministry has also had aunique impact on believers and theirability to reach out using their gifts. Marieexplains it this way:

“In the Christian commu-nity, I have found that many

While many believersstruggle with how toshare the Gospel withintheir communities inrelevant ways, Marie

Umidi has met the challenge in grand pro-portions by channeling her passions andgiftings into the development of a uniqueministry.

The Man Called JesusInternational Productions Inc.(TMCJ International) is a non-profit, Virginia Beach-based min-istry that trains, equips, andmobilizes believers to use the arts,including music, dance, drama,pageantry, and mime to preachthe Gospel. Its flagship productionentitled The Play is a Broadway-style passion play production thathas been seen annually in VirginiaBeach for the past eighteen years.Featuring a volunteer cast andcrew of 500 people from 35 localchurches, the production highlights col-orful, first century period costumes, spe-cial effects, authentic sets, and liveanimals. In addition, professional balletand folk style choreography as well asclassical, contemporary, and Hebrew stylemusic are incorporated throughout.

A music major in college, Marie has had alife-long love of the theater arts. When shewas saved, she transferred that love intothe local church as a means of evan-gelism. The Lord led her to write thescript for The Play in 1983, and over theyears it has evolved into a full-time min-istry whose members have become afamily to one another.

Marie’s pastor and husband, Joseph Umidi,has always been her greatest supporterand empowerer. His encouragement andsupport enabled her to channel her pas-sions in a big way. He recognized early intheir marriage and ministry together thatthe gift God put in Marie for the arts wasunder-used, and he encouraged her torelease it, test it, and prove it in the con-text of the local church. When others askher today how to get started in their ownministries, she gives them the same advice.

‘artsy’ people feel their giftsare overlooked or not under-stood. Sometimes it’s a personality orcharacter issue, but many times there aresimply not enough wineskins to accom-modate their giftings. Our ministry releasesthese believers to use their giftings in thecontext of evangelism. The impact hasbeen extremely rewarding and, in almost

twenty years of ministry, I can stillsay that the best part for me isseeing them marvel that God canuse their love of the arts to reachthe lost.“In the secular community of ourculture, I have found thatmost people have anexpectation that, whenit comes to the arts,the Church will beunprofessional andirrelevant at best. Forthat reason, it’s very important tome that we present our ministry—

which is the preaching of the Gospel—with the highest standard of artisticintegrity we are capable of. The impact isthat in our community we have raised thestandard; and because of it, people arehearing the Gospel, getting saved, andtheir lives are being transformed throughthe arts.

“Music and dance and drama are universallanguages, and we contextualize the pres-entation of the Gospel using these artforms. Internationally, our ministry focuseson the 10/40 window regions of theworld—the least evangelized and thepoorest of the poor. In these remote areas,the Church has virtually no visibility outsideits own ranks, but we are seeing the sameresults as here at home. Christians arereleased to express and prove their giftings,they are being empowered to preach theGospel, and people are getting saved.

“Being a member of Vanguard has enabledme to broaden my perspective, gain lead-ership skills, be challenged to higher stan-dards in my personal and professional life,and meet some very special people Iknow will be life-long friends, mentors, orcoaches, and fellow laborers in the Kingdom—I love it!!” V

t h e E n v o y 15

Member Spotlight:Marie Umidi

We know that a healthy, growing,biblical, New Testament churchmust be evangelistic in both

vision and action. This year over 2.5 millionpeople will die in America and researchsuggests that over 1 million of those peoplewho die do not know Jesus as Lord andSavior. We must realize just how imperativeit is to use every available resource to sharethe real truth about life death, sin andgrace with everybody we know.

Many churches across the nation todayrealize this, and have been mightily usedby God in this time of great harvest forHis kingdom. Of the most successful evan-gelistic churches in the nation, there aresix traits they all shared. These traits are

definitely worth our attention as we seekto make every church the evangelisticbase it is called to be.1. The weekend services are central

to winning souls. Believers invitenon-believers, and the pastors clearlyview the services as the focal point ofthe church’s evangelistic activities.

2. The ministry focus of the congrega-tion is constantly directed to localoutreach. There is an intentional,concerted and consistent effort to keepthe congregation focused on andinvolved in evangelistic activity.

3. The church uses events to reachpeople. Most of these churches uti-lized several events each year to attractthe nonbeliever. These events are in

addition to the ongoing ministries atthe church whose thrust is primarilyevangelistic.

4. To foster effective evangelism,these churches study what otherchurches are doing and adopt andadapt liberally. Be innovative andcreative! Be bold!

5. Evangelistic churches rely uponthe people to do evangelism, butthey also allocate an aboveaverage amount of money for evan-gelistic activity. 10-20 percent of theannual revenues of these were usedfor community evangelism as opposedto less than 2% by the typicalAmerican Protestant church.

6. These churches are unique in theirevangelistic structures, systemsand strategies, and they do notseek to copy any other church. Thepastors and evangelism directors ofthese congregations were generallyunaware of other churches that wereinvolved in unique, impressive cutting-edge evangelism. V

Excerpted from Evangelism That Works,How to Reach Changing Generations Withthe Unchanging Gospel, by George Barna,Regal Books, 1995.

16 t h e E n v o y

CommonCharacteristics ofEvangelistic Churches

As we seek to spread the love of Jesus tothose around us, let us be on guardagainst the following stumbling blocks toour evangelistic efforts:• The absence of vision for church-based

evangelism;• The lack of church-wide ownership of

evangelism as a core value and activity;• The absence of church-wide prayer for

evangelistic efforts;• A lack of significant relationships with

nonbelievers;• An attitude of disinterest in non-

Christians;• The goal of facilitating decisions rather

than conversions;• Too much reliance upon the pastor to

make evangelism happen;• Not strong enough leadership by the

pastor in evangelism;• The absence of a strategic plan for out-

reach;• No accountability for reaching evangel-

istic goals and standards;• The inability to change from existing

methods to more effective methods;• Poor quality ministry activities;• Having only one entry point for non-

believers;• Inadequate training of evangelizers;• Allocating responsibility without giving

authority;• Failure to celebrate stellar efforts, obe-

dience to God’s call and His blessings;• Division among churches. V

Excerpted from Evangelism That Works,How to Reach Changing Generations Withthe Unchanging Gospel, by George Barna,Regal Books, 1995.

Factors That May Hinder A ChurchesEvangelistic Efforts

I was recently privi-leged toattend aleadership net-work eventfocusing on innova-tion. Author and con-sultant MargaretWheatley, speaking tothe Innovation Networkconference, September 22,in Minneapolis, said fear andthe lack of time for criticalthinking are blocking innovation in

today’sculture.

“Theprob-

lems weface today are

far beyond ourcapacity to solvethem with oldways of thinking.Innovation

requires thinking andthinking requires time,” said

Wheatley.

“Fear and lack of time bring out the worstin people, not the best, and certainly notour creativity. I see a huge reversal backinto command and control because peopleare feeling that things are out of control.”

The most critical issue is the increasingspeed of everything. “We have created anew measurement that speed equals pro-ductivity, and that’s not right. Computershave changed the nature of time and ourrelationships. You can’t operate in thiskind of connected world withoutthinking...so our task is to create the con-ditions that bring out people’s ability tothink.” Those conditions must includemeaningful work filled with purpose andsimple processes rather than overly com-plex ones. “The age old process is conver-sation. The Army, for example, after everystructured event, discusses what theylearned. It is not a debriefing...they simplyask three questions and expect to get dif-ferent responses. What just happened?Why do you think it happened? What canwe learn from this?”

For more info on Wheatley, go tohttp://www.margaretwheatley.com ORhttp://www.enn0.com/i.cfm?DID=221121&UID=45554921&MID=261120 V

The Lilly Endowment is the most signifi-cant funder of religious practices andresearch in the United States. One of theirprograms is concerned with the vitality ofworship in local congregations, and overthe next three years they will offer grantsfrom $5,000 to $15,000 to individuals orteams who are directly related to the wor-ship life of a congregation. The program isbeing administered by the Calvin Instituteof Christian Worship. For more details, goto http://www.calvin.edu/worship/wrgp/ORhttp://www.enn0.com/i.cfm?DID=221122&UID=45554921&MID=261120 On another Lilly front, it seemed likeeveryone we talked to last spring was inthe process of preparing their applicationfor the Lilly Endowment PastoralExcellence Grant Program. The winnerswere announced last month and the rangeof awards is quite diverse. To read a syn-

Fear and Lack ofCritical Thinking areBlocks to Innovation

Vanguard Ministries Recommends:LILLY FOUNDATION

opsis of the winning proposals, go tohttp://www.pastoralexcellence.org/ ORhttp://www.enn0.com/i.cfm?DID=221123&UID=45554921&MID=261120

The results of the 2000 Glenmary study onchurches and religious bodies wasreleased in September. Funded by Lilly,the study examines shifts and trends inreligious life of the U.S. in relationship tothe Census taken at the beginning of eachdecade. For more info, go tohttp://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/findings.htm ORhttp://www.enn0.com/i.cfm?DID=221124&UID=45554921&MID=261120 )

There are also foundation funds availablefor formal sabbaticals for ministers whohave a MDiv degree (their stipulation, notours). You may request an applicationfrom the Lilly Foundation. V

Thoughts, Recommendations, Nuts and Bolts:from Bobby Hill and Vanguard Ministries

t h e E n v o y 17

by Steve Morgan

Conversation Starters1. First, introduce yourself; this soundssimple, but it is something that most of usforget. This is usually the easiest andfastest way to get a conversation started.

2. Most people are bored by listening tosomeone else’s life story, but enjoy tellingtheir own. Ask questions that show youare genuinely interested. This will alsohelp focus your attention on the otherperson instead of yourself

3. Asking where someone else is from isan effective and non-intrusive way oflearning more about the other person’shistory and culture.

4. Ask, “So, do you like what you do for aliving, or is it just a living?” The answerwill tell you a little more about the per-sonality of the person. Avoid starting aconversation by asking someone what heor she actually does for a living—it maylook like you’re just interested in howmuch money they make.

5. Say the first thing that comes to mind(without being offensive) when you’retalking to someone. This can be a memo-rable and funny way to start a conversa-tion.

Example: I was in a slowly moving line atWal-Mart. The man in front of me had abag of fried chicken. After several minutesof that chicken smell filling my nostrils, Iblurted out, “If this line doesn‘t getmoving, I’m gonna have to ask you for apiece of that chicken.” The ice was brokenin a way I never imagined. Before we left

the store, I was praying for his wife whohad lost her job of thirty years!

6. Everyone likes compliments! The nexttime you notice something about someonewhom you’d like to start a conversationwith, mention it! Say, “Hey, I like yourtie!” or “Great haircut!” You’ll get that

person’s immediate attention and they’llbe eager to hear what you have to saynext!

Starter TipPlay a game with yourself! Pretend thatyou’ve known this new person forever—you are long lost friends and you can’t

wait to hear what’s been happening in hisor her life. Pretending to be confident andcomfortable, will help the other personfeel the same way. Eventually the confi-dence and comfort will really develop. Heor she will probably end up saying,“You’re really easy to talk to,” or “I feellike I’ve known you forever.”

Conversation Keepers1. Listen to everything the other personhas to say—it is new information and tellsyou about the other person and what heor she likes. If you listen long enough,you will understand how to communicatebetter. She may say, “The last person I metat a party just kept talking and talkingabout himself the whole night!” Obviously,the best way to communicate with her isto ask questions about herself and listen.Try to really hear what the other personhas to say and do not become overly pre-occupied with what you are going to saynext.

2. People like to feel understood; sharingyour common experiences will help othersto feel this way. If the person you aretalking with says, “I just got back fromHawaii” and you’ve been there before,you can say something like, “I’ve beenthere, too, isn’t it a beautiful place tovisit?” Always be brief and positive insharing your common experiences andavoid complaining.

3. If you don’t have much in common(let’s say you’ve never been to Hawaii),quickly scan the room for someonenearby who does have more in commonwith the person you are speaking to. Youcan say something like, “Hey, Terry, wewere just talking about Hawaiian vaca-tions. Come over here and tell us aboutthe time that you went!” This includessomeone else in your discussion and youcan let the others carry the conversationfor a little while.

4. Repeat or paraphrase the last thing thatthe other person said. It’s a really simpleway to keep your conversation going!

5. If the person you are talking to doesnot know what to say and you are at aloss for words, too, imagine what it musthave been like to be in his or her situa-tion. You might say something like, “Thatmust have been a really relaxing vaca-tion.” The other person will usually agree

18 t h e E n v o y

Steps to EffectiveKingdomConversations:How to Talk to Strangers

or disagree and explain the reasons why.Again, all you have to do is listen!

Keeper TipAsk open-ended questions—ones thatrequire more than a “yes” or “no”response. For example, you might ask,“What did you like best about Hawaii?”instead of “Did you like Hawaii?”

6. Another way to keep a conversationgoing is to simply say, “Really? Tell meabout it!” This will sound completely nat-ural and very sincere.

7. Make positive observations. If she sayssomething pleasant you can say, “That’sgreat!” Or if he says something humorous,you can say, “That’s so funny!” Avoid neg-ative judgments or criticisms.

8. Be aware of your body language whenyou are talking to the other person. Besure to smile and nod “yes” a few times.This tells the other person that he or shehas your undivided attention and is wel-come to continue talking. Avoid disinter-ested body language (like looking aroundthe room) or defensive body language(such as crossing your arms across yourchest) that tells the other person youwould like to end your conversation.

ConversationTransitions—Transitions you can use toturn a conversation to spiri-tual things:1. People invest time and energy intodeveloping their careers, their bodies, andrelationships, but often neglect the spiri-tual dimension of their lives. How do youactively pursue spiritual growth?2. Do you think much about spiritualthings? (This usually leads to conversationabout what “spiritual” means—i.e. religionvs. relationship.)3. How has this experience affected theway you look at God?4. Where would you say you are in yourspiritual pilgrimage?5. What is your concept of God? Do youview Him positively or negatively?6. Do you find that faith and spiritualvalues play a role in your (work) (day)

(marriage) (perspective on life)?7. If you could be sure there is a God,would you want to know Him? Or if youcould know God personally, would youwant to?8. Most people in America say theybelieve in God. What does believing inGod mean to you?9. If you were to die tonight are you sureyou’d go to heaven? Has anyone everexplained how you can know for sure?10. Can I pray for you?

Transition TipThese questions can be used when yousense that the Holy Spirit is opening amoment of transition to spiritual things.Don’t treat them as a mechanical for-mula... put them in your own words anduse a question that flows with the conver-sation.

Remember: Love and respect must seasonevery conversation, or the person will feellike prey for the gospel trophy case!

I Peter 3:15 — “Always be prepared togive an answer to everyone who asks youto give the reason for the hope that youhave. But do this with gentleness andrespect.”

We are not so much looking down tosave, but looking up to serve!

ConversationStoppers1. When you end a conversation, look theother person directly in the eye, smile,give him or her a firm handshake, andsay, “Good-bye.” This is a polite way totell the other person that your conversa-tion is officially over and it prevents anawkward moment when neither of youknows what to do when you are throughtalking.

Stopper TipTry to end every conversation by saying,“It was a pleasure talking with you.” Thisis a polite way to end a conversation, andalso a way to avoid awkward moments ofadmitting that you can’t rememberwhether you have actually met or spokento this other person before. V

MentoringSmall GroupLeadersIt’s recruiting time at our church.Because of growth, job transfers, andnormal turnover, we’re looking for alarger-than-usual crop of folks to stepup and consider (or re-consider) servingin or training for small group leader-ship.To help them buy into a more realistic(and, we believe, more biblical) smallgroup leader job description, we’vecome up with a helpful acronym toguide our small group leader mentoringprocess.

It’s S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D (imagine that!).We say a small group leader is, in sim-plest terms, a shepherd, meaning he orshe…

Seeks to know and please God, and doHis will in every area of life.

Has a heart for people and a desire tosee lives changed.

Ensures that his/her group is guided byand rooted in God’s Word.

Prays faithfully for group members andthe group process.

Helps group members discover and usetheir God-given abilities.

Encourages his/her group to reach out(in ministry to others).

Recognizes God-given limitations anddoes not allow what he/she cannot dointerfere with what he/she can do.

Develops (with elder, staff, and coachhelp!) new shepherds.

In short, we mentor our potential andcurrent small group leaders to be shep-herds, nothing more. In the purestsense, that just means normal folks whogenuinely love God and want to seeothers love Him, too. Remember, thiswon’t happen inadvertently. We mustbe intentional and proactive. If we don’tplan to grow, we might as well prepareto die. V

t h e E n v o y 19

The late Dr. Donald McGavran,founder of the Church GrowthMovement, was continuallyembarrassing his liberaldenomination by his evangel-

istic passion. Political maneuvering at thetop levels had McGavran relocated to theremote bush of India to minimize hisexposure. It was there, in reflection andresearch, that he wrote his ground-breaking, The Bridges of God, proving thatthe gospel has always ignited peoplemovements for Christ when it traveledalong existing social networks. This bookbirthed in church leaders worldwide anew mindset that healthy churches aregrowing churches.

Continual surveys reinforce his founda-tional work by the consistent response ofeight out of ten people today to this ques-tion: "How many of you in this roomcame to Christ primarily through the lifeand witness of someone in your relationalsphere; i.e., common kinship, neighbor-hood, workplace, or interest?" Furtherresearch revealed another aspect: 70% ofthose who come to Christ without this

"bridge" are not discipled or assimilatedinto a local church.

McGavran’s research uncovered one of themajor barriers to high-impact, culture-pen-etrating, church-assimilating evangelism.

BARRIER #1: Unequal emphasis on boththe verbalization and the incarnation ofthe gospel.

Lost people in our social networks need a"show and tell" approach to the Kingdomof God that enables sincere pilgrims tocombine the Jesus method of "Come andsee," "Come and follow," "Come and die"in the process of becoming fully devotedfollowers of Christ. This is why Jesusemphasized that God speaks to the lost instereo by sowing the "seed" that is theboth the Word of God (Matthew 13:20)and also our very lives (Matthew 13:38).

When Jesus sent out the first evangelismteams in Luke 10:5-9, He established abarrier-busting principle: "No one willreceive Christ through you who will notreceive you first." In other words,those who relate to you,who respond to you sociallyand authentically, will beopen to you spiritually. (Luke10:16)

Several years ago Dr. Ralph Neighbourasked me to map out all of the bars inVirginia Beach in preparation for his firstYear of Transition conference at RegentUniversity. He shocked the 130 pastors inattendance by requiring them to visit oneof these bars—a first time experience formost of them. Teams of two went to thesame bar every night for eight days to "bereal, not religious" with the patrons.Without any alcoholic purchases, eachteam reported major bridge-building con-nections with "the regulars" that resultedin dozens coming to a culminating harvestevent with a Christian athlete in a secularsetting. Many others expressed a desire tobe introduced to a local pastor when theseconference attendees had to return home.

I was impressed with the two miracles that

20 t h e E n v o y

Removing EvangelismBarriers

Joseph UmidVanguard Apostolic Team

“…Prepare the wayfor the people…Take

out the stones…”Isaiah 62:10

happened before my eyes that week.Several people gave their lives to Christ,and several pastors were willing to givetheir lives (time) to the lost upon returningto their churches.

It is this second miracle that is lackingtoday: the barrier-blasting, mountain-moving, double-portion anointing ofemphasizing both the verbalization andthe incarnation of the good news!

BARRIER #2: Unawareness of religious atti-tudes that hinder our approach to the lost.

"Us against them"Looking at those who do not follow Christas "the enemy" instead of as "victims ofthe enemy" is a common trap in religiouscircles. Because we have minimized thedemonic in our post-modern mentality, weblame others for the biblical reality that"the god of this world has blinded them"to the verbalization and incarnation of thegospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

Until we have penetratinglyasked, sensitively listened,and thoroughly heard thestory of someone’s life, wehave no idea of how far theyhave already come. Manipulativemonologues only tell a generic story,while compassionate dialogues revealGod’s story already at work in others.Though the ground at the foot of the crossis level for everyone, many have had toclimb mountains of adversity just to standthere.

When prostitutes were rejecting attemptsto hear the gospel in major Asian cities,the team members went back and didtheir homework. They discovered thatmany of these girls had left their villagesto come to the cities to get work for theirparents, but were enslaved by those whohad falsely promoted themselves as legiti-mate businesses. Yes, they were sinners—but they had also been deeply sinnedagainst. That one awareness led to an atti-tude change in the Christian workers thatresulted in waves of these women comingto Christ in city after city in Asia.

"Holier than thou"Many church communities suffer from a

low-grade fever of judgmentalism toward

outsiders. Any grouping of people willtend to develop a worldview that creates avalue system with a religious structure thatthen teaches people how to "act."Acceptance and significance are given tothose who act "properly" while rejectionand judgment are given to others.

Jason could almost predict how peoplewould respond to him. He gave up goingto church meetings where he never feltcelebrated but rather barely tolerated. Itwasn’t until he felt included in the eatingand joking in the home meeting that helet his barriers down because he felt theirattitude barrier had been let down.

One of the most powerful aspects of thehouse church movement is that peoplecan feel included as part of a familydynamic rather than excluded becausethey don’t know how to fit into the eti-quette of our meetings. The emerging roleof the family in discipleship evangelismwill outpace our programs and meetingsas an inclusive, "one of us" attitude ignitesthe show and tell approach to theKingdom of God. The front line of effec-tive evangelism today is healthy homesthat offer radical, Kingdom hospitality.

"Come versus Go""Sure, we are committed to reachingothers. If they are really serious aboutfinding God, we will welcome them to ourchurch." This one statement defines a coreattitude of many in our plateauedchurches. In essence, it describes a con-clave or even a Christian ghetto mentalitythat is hunkering down from the inroadsof the evil empire that is threatening tooverwhelm us.

Unfortunately, this perspective is modeledby busy leaders who never have the timeto spend with others outside the Christianbubble that we have built around us.Rarely do our members hear our stories ofhow we have ventured into the "lostworld" to discover how receptive peopleare to our kindness, servanthood, andgodly pursuit.

So how do we change such an embeddedchurch culture and remove this attitudebarrier?

First, talk to people about why they don’t

come to our meetings. Many of us will beshocked to discover that people are reallyintimidated—almost as if they had to enterthe turf of the IRS office to respond to anaudit! People have filled in their imagina-tion blanks with incredible perspectives asto who we are and what we do together.

Second, start visiting our own members ontheir work-world turf. Until we get on-site,we will not have full insight into thecommon ground that people experiencedaily. Ministry to our businessmen andwomen, educators, workers, etc. in theirspecific context will help us recognize thecultural language and issues that theymust address to be welcomed andreceived by their colleagues. The more wehelp them prosper in their world, themore we will help them build bridges tothe "other worlds" around them.

It is not "If we build it(better meetings), they willcome" but "If we go andbuild them, God will come"!

God’s strategy to break down every atti-tude barrier to evangelism is prayer; thekind of prayer that prays for everyone byname and by need (1 Timothy 2:1-2), inevery secular context (1 Timothy 2:8), andin every position of influence (1 Timothy2:2). The Spirit of God knows our defaultposition if we don’t pray: "wrath," ("us vs.them," judgmentalism) and "doubting"(come vs. go,1 Timothy 2:8). If we don’twin the battle of praying for the lost wewill succumb to preying on the lost by anattitude that will shut the door of opportu-nity to the Kingdom of God for them.

As we prepare the way for the coming ofthe Lord we are building a highway withbridges for people to travel into His grace.Now is the time to remove the stones thatwill cause them to stumble. If we removethese barriers they can run back to theFather who is waiting with their robe andring. V

Dr. Umidi is a professor in the School ofDivinity at Regent University and SeniorDirector of New Life Christian Fellowship,Chesapeake, VA. He is also the founderand president of TransformationalLeadership Coaching.

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Removing Evangelism Barriers continued from page 20