EFFECTIVE

EVANGELISM
AND
DEVELOPMENT
INTER-AMERICAN DIVISION
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2017
Effective evangelism is God’s idea, vision, mission, and strategy
to serve a lost world and win humanity back to Himself.

It is mirrored in the first evangelistic appeal ever made on earth

(Genesis 3:9): “[Adam,] Where are you?” A holy God seeking the
sinner. He removed their fig leaves (3:7) and provided them with
covering (3:21).

It is reflected in the call and development of Abraham and his

descendants and their commissioning for evangelistic service to the
world. (Genesis 12:1-3, Isaiah 43:10)
It was for this reason Christ came “to seek and to save the
lost” inside and out of church. (Luke 19:10)
He called, developed, and equipped ignorant, unlearned,
and unlettered disciples to give leadership to and
participate in the advancement of His mission to serve the
lost.
We are heirs and successors of the Patriarchs, Prophets,
Disciples, and Apostles; their mission is transmitted to us.
We are the last runners in this God-ordained relay,
commissioned to carrying the evangelistic baton to the
finish line - in a blaze of glory - regardless of obstacles and
challenges.
 “CONTEMPORARY EVANGELISM FOR THE 21ST
CENTURY”
BY: DR. CARLTON P BYRD
“The gospel commission of Jesus Christ makes evangelism
the primary function and duty of the Church.”
THE STRUCTURE MUST SERVE THE MISSION

Definition
(Noun) “The arrangement of and relation between the parts
or elements of something complex.” It’s the way in which
the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized.
(Verb) “To construct or arrange according to a plan; give a
pattern or organization to.”
Since the Mission of the SDA Church is the fulfillment of
the gospel commission, the Church, in all its divisions’
organization, institutions, and entities must intentionally
facilitate the mission.

E.G. White
“The Church is God’s appointed agency for the Salvation
of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to
carry the gospel to the world.”
(AA Ch.1, par.1; 9.1)
Brad Cauley (2016): “Steps To A Vibrant Church: A Turnaround
Guide for Churches in a Plateau or Decline” (Step 4)

Make Evangelism the Number One (#1) priority in the church:

a) The finances of the Church should match The Mission so that

the mission of Christ advances. (30% of budget)
b) Every program, ministry, function etc needs to be re-evaluated
based on its effectiveness in evangelism. Every department must
be evangelistic.
c) For every ministry the question must be “How will this help us
win the lost (and nurture them for the Kingdom).”
PROCESS LEADING TO A QUALITATIVE AND
QUANTITATIVE GROWTH

Effective evangelism is a process and not an event. It has

many parts that must be carefully, prayerfully, patiently,
passionately, and purposefully carried out.
B. B. Braham: “A Practical Guide To Evangelism: How To Win and
Keep New Members,” Ch.7, p.92:
“Evangelism is not an activity or an event. It is a lifestyle of the
Church that is lived by its members…The evangelistic cycle in the
local church should include spiritual renewal and empowerment for
discipleship.” (Recruitment and training, revival and inspiration,
community outreach, reaping, celebration and nurturing)

This speaks to the need for careful, thorough preparation of the

church (those participating in evangelism) and the territory (the
place and people to be evangelized).
Jesus spent quality time teaching, training, and providing
mentorship in advancing The Mission with His disciples.

Luke 10:1-2: He ordained 70 and send them two by two

into the place where He would afterwards go to preach.

Brian Tracy’s Six P formula: “Proper Prior Planning

Prevents Poor Performance.” (Braham ch.7)
EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM AND DEVELOPMENT
REQUIRES EMPOWERED AND EMPOWERING
PASSIONATE, VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
Effective evangelism is God’s idea. It is a spiritual but
holistic mission that must be spirit-empowered and spirit-
directed.

Christian A Schwartz, 1998: “The ABC’s of Natural Church

Development”
“What do growing churches really do differently?” (Scope of
Research: 5 Continents, 32 Countries, 1000 churches, 4.2 million
responses)
The Eight Quality Characteristics of a Growing Church
1. Empowering Leadership - Providing direction and inspirational
motivation
2. Gift-oriented Ministry - A role for each to fulfill
3. Passionate Spirituality - The essential ingredient
4. Functional Structures - Structure must serve the mission
5. Inspiring Worship Services - Separate the vertical from the horizontal
6. Holistic Small Groups - Saving fellowship mission centered
7. Need-oriented Evangelism - Christ method
8. Loving Relationships - Relational evangelism decreases the attrition rate
EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM AND DEVELOPMENT
REQUIRES INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP AT ALL LEVELS

John C. Maxwell: “15 Invaluable Laws of Growth”

Growth does not just happen. We must be intentional about it.
1. We must be intentional in being faithful to the Gospel
Commission and to Scripture.
2. We must be intentional in the Spiritual Preparation and
Nurturing of the Church, enlisting total membership
participation in the mission.
3. We must be intentional in not changing the content but
packaging the Gospel to respond to the needs and issues
of a post-modern world.
4. We must be intentional in using modern technology and
social media platforms for advancing the mission.
CARLTON BYRD (2009): “CONTEMPORARY
EVANGELISM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY,” P. 74-
75

“If Ellen White’s call to modernize our methods and go

into our cities with our distinct message was imminent in
her era, underscoring the biblical mandate to evangelize,
one can only presume that the intensity and necessity of
this call is even greater today.”
“We must then reach individuals with evangelistic methods
and ministries that appeal to our post-modern context. This
does not suggest that we are to compromise biblical
doctrine, but this does advocate the necessity of change
and to become sensitive to the needs and wants of the
society in which we live.”
E.G. WHITE: “EDUCATION,” 78.3

“He who seeks to transform humanity must himself

understand humanity.”
YON PAULIEN (2008):
“EVERLASTING GOSPEL, EVER-CHANGING WORLD
INTRODUCING JESUS TO A SKEPTICAL GENERATION”

• “The only way to counter the pluralism of society is with

the pluralism of the Holy Spirit, an explosion of all kinds
of outreach ministries empowered by the Spirit.”
THE ROLE OF THE WORKPLACE

• “One of the best places to implement secular outreach is

the workplace…many opportunities are lost because the
outreach possibilities of the workplace are either misused
or go unnoticed.”
 EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM REQUIRES A
SURRENDERED SUBMISSIVE,
LEARNING/TEACHABLE SPIRIT

1. We must surrender to Christ and the Holy Spirit

2. We must be submissive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance as
He combines revelation with relevance
3. We must have a teachable spirit - willing to learn
• Effective evangelism is today and was exhibited in the
life and ministry of Christ and the Early Church.
• Effective evangelism is best practiced when changes in
membership behavior are brought about by the
transformation of the Holy Spirit.
• A church transformed by the Spirit can only intentionally
exhibit the best practices in soul winning and nurture as
demonstrated in the book of Acts.
 ALL HIS BIDDINGS ARE ENABLINGS

God empowers the called – He is calling you to do a new thing.