Archive for the 'Great Commission/Evangelism' Category
What Happened to Evangelism in the Southern Baptist Convention
What happened to evangelism in the Southern Baptist Convention? It was our commitment to evangelism in the past that set us apart from all other denominations. The events and experiences churches offered to their community were done with the specific intent of winning others to faith in Christ.
What happened? Where did this go?
Waking Up To Reality
I do realize that all of our 51,094 churches and congregations do not complete and report the Annual Church Profile. However, of the churches who did report, in the church year from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014 the number of baptisms was lower than it was in the year of 1948. This is deplorable!
The U.S. population in 1948 was 146 million in comparison to 317 million in 2014. Therefore, with thousands of more Southern Baptist churches with millions of more members, along with having 171 million more Americans to reach today, we are reaching and baptizing less people than we did in 1948.
We need to wake up to reality. We need spiritual revival in the Church and spiritual awakening in America.
I Can Remember When
I can remember when some of my seminary classes were filled with exciting challenges about reaching people for Christ.
I can remember when my seminary evangelism classes equipped me in how to lead an evangelistic church that had a strategy to reach your town or city for Christ.
I can remember some of my seminary classes built within me a deep belief of how God wanted to work in our day, just as He did in and through the revivals and awakenings of the past generations.
I can remember when there was a proven record of evangelism regarding pastors and evangelists who were invited to bring the keynote message in the local association, or speak at an evangelism conference of a state convention, or preach the national pastors’ conference of the Southern Baptist Convention or preach at the Southern Baptist Convention. The only pastors considered led a strong evangelistic church and had a reputation for baptizing great numbers of people for Christ in proportion to their community and their opportunity.
I can remember when nominations for offices of any kind in Southern Baptist life were not even considered if you were not a part of a strongly evangelistic church.
Is it still like this today? I really cannot answer all of these questions, but I can surely answer some of them.
Quite honestly, I am not impressed by how many books a pastor sells, how many twitter followers he may have, at how many conferences he speaks, how great of a preacher he is, or how much his church does around the world if he pastors or is associated with a church that has a lame commitment to evangelizing and baptizing lost people and reaching his own community with the gospel of Christ.
Could It Be
Could it be that we have scrutinized the evangelism of others so much that we have cut the heart of evangelism out of our pastors and churches? Could it be that we so fear what others think about the ways we reach others because we fear being misunderstood, we have ceased talking about evangelism with our pastors and churches? Could it be everything else in our convention is more important than evangelism?
Could it be that we recognize and reward many others things before we ever recognize evangelism through our churches?
I pray not, but could it be?
What Our Southern Baptist Convention Can Do
The 42 state conventions and 12 national entities of our Southern Baptist Convention can hold up high the banner for evangelizing lost people and baptizing new believers. Within their assigned roles, they have the influence to help our churches by elevating evangelism to unprecedented levels.
We need them to elevate evangelism before our churches through conferences, conversations, and strategies they implement.
We need to begin to celebrate, again, pastors and churches that are reaching and baptizing great numbers of people in proportion to their opportunity afforded to them. We need to celebrate them in relationship to the size of their community and what has been entrusted to them by the Lord.
What Our Pastors And Churches Can Do
The real issues of evangelism lie with our pastors and churches. It is on us, not our Southern Baptist structure, regardless of how they could be or should be assisting and helping our churches.
Therefore, pastors and churches, please consider these things to see more people reached for Christ and baptized by your church:
- Through each event or experience you offer as a church, regardless of the audience, strategically use it for evangelism.
- Preach each message and plan each service with the eventual goal of calling people to follow Jesus Christ.
- Offer a public invitation weekly. If not a “walk down front” invitation, use other ways to call people to follow Jesus weekly.
- Highlight baptisms in your worship services weekly.
- Creatively offer ways for people to begin to follow Christ; we did this recently and 74 people came to Christ and are being baptized as a result of a unique Sunday morning emphasis.
- Add outreach events or experiences to your church calendar that are solely committed to reaching people with the gospel.
- Renew your commitment to develop, equip, and empower people to share their faith with lost people regularly.
- Create a specific strategy to reach your community or city with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let’s not be paralyzed. By no means do I believe I have all the answers, but I do know…
It begins with us. It begins with our churches.
Do something. Do more than you are doing now. Take a risk.
Return to the importance of reaching and baptizing people.
Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches and congregations nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
WOODLAWN, THE MOVIE, IS A GREAT TOOL OF EVANGELISM FOR YOUR CHURCH
This coming Friday, the movie WOODLAWN will be released nationwide. The Erwin Brothers, Jon and Andy, present this dynamic film. They are the filmmaking team behind movies like October Baby and Mom’s Night Out. Film speaks the language of our generation, and WOODLAWN does so profoundly.
WOODLAWN is based on a true story about a school in Birmingham, Alabama, named Woodlawn. WOODLAWN is a moving and inspirational new film based on the true story of how love and unity overcame hate and division in early 1970s Birmingham, Alabama. The Woodlawn Colonels football team was a microcosm of the problems at the school and in the city, which erupted in cross burnings and riots. Then God showed up, almost the entire team came to Christ, and everything changed.
The Greatest Christian Film
One week ago, my wife and I went to a premiere of this movie in Dallas at Prestonwood Baptist Church. She stated, “This is the greatest Christian film I have ever seen other than the Passion of the Christ.” There is nothing cheesy about this movie. It exhibits high quality, state of the art acting, producing, and filming.
If you have not seen the trailer of this movie, please take time to watch it now.
This is Our Time
Jon has become a very good friend. He heard about my passion for and vision to see another Great Awakening in America. Our hearts are united in knowing this is our time to see the next Great Awakening in our nation.
Rent Theaters, Fill Them, and Extend an Opportunity
I want to encourage each pastor and Christian leader to rent theaters and fill them with people of all ages to watch this movie. Encourage them to bring friends that are regular church attenders and those who have never attended a church before. Once the movie concludes, offer an opportunity for people to follow Jesus Christ. Here are a few examples of response from early previews:
MEMPHIS, TN: 125 kids, half of those attending, made decisions for Christ after watching WOODLAWN at an FCA event.
“When I came up to close the night and give an invitation, we had at least half of the crowd stand and pray to receive Christ. It was the single biggest group and single biggest group of commitments I’ve ever seen at our WT FCA.” – Pat Ford, FCA Coach and Chaplain
HUNTSVILLE, AL: A dark theater was FILLED with the light of Christ…
“After it was over, the coach gave me an opportunity to share the Gospel and I don’t know how many of the kids got saved, it was amazing the number of kids that professed Christ tonight. The theater was completely dark, they would never turn the lights on, but WOW, the light of Christ was shining bright.” – Ken Burnett, FCA Huntsville
LOS ANGELES, CA: Football teams are being sponsored to see the movie. THEN this happened… “The theater manager saw what we were doing and offered 100 additional seats ON HIM. He said, “I don’t believe in God, but I believe in what you are doing.” Tommy Draffen (FCA leader) witnessed to him right there and invited him to the movie event on the 17th.” – Kevin Downes – Producer / Woodlawn
WOODLAWN has the potential to become a tool for you to use for personal and mass evangelism. Additionally, it could serve as a catalyst for a major movement of God in a school, team, workplace, family, or a ministry.
Cross Church is renting multiple theaters. Our desire
is to fill the theaters with all ages and we will extend
opportunities for people to come to Christ. Find a way
to use this movie as a tool for evangelism.
NATIONWIDE SIMULCAST ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14
On Wednesday, October 14, you can participate in a free online event, a nationwide simulcast called UNIFY. Take the time now to register here and plan to participate. I look forward to participating with Jack Graham, Greg Laurie, Tony Evans, and Tony Perkins. The simulcast will subsequently air multiple times on TBN. Check your local listings or visit www.woodlawnmovie.com for details.
I Believe in This Movie
I believe in this movie. Its message is so on target for America today. It can impact our generation. God can use it to call thousands into a saving relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ. Flood the theaters beginning Friday and keep flooding them over the next several weeks. Encourage people to attend. Rent theaters. Extend opportunities for people to follow Jesus. Let the movement begin.
This is Our Time,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 51,094 churches and congregations nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.