Church of Christ
Section one
This page explains the purpose of this blog.
The content details reasons why we need to do evangelism.
We have the group's mission and structure laid out.
Our group discussed and shared the attitudes of a Christlike soul winner.
We go over the "teaching others to teach" classes.
And outline event evangelism, (specifically campus and gym outreach)
One does not eat an elephant in one bite. Nor a Thanksgiving meal. Take your time, read a small section/watch a video a day or every other day, even once weekly. Go at your own pace. Try to focus on one bite at a time and digest the content.
As you slowly go through this content, try to apply what you read and watch.
You'll find that you will have grown as you eat what is before you one bite at a time.
Online training and group recording
This page will give avenues for application, study, and analysis through online training. We will also share recordings that can encourage, teach, and motivate the students and interested parties.
We will have evangelism videos to motivate, teach, and encourage. There will be "how to" group documents, to help educate. The group will share recorded data for review, reflection, and study.
Our Evangelism videos
The initial videos will detail the "whys," and the various important reasons for doing evangelism. This page will also further detail what this group is about. What to expect when signing up. Lastly, as the group begins to do training and outreach work, we will record and chronicle the evangelism activities being done. These recordings will serve as helpful teaching aids for the evangelism team as they do the work of sharing Jesus. The recordings can be motivational and encouraging as well for the evangelism group members. People from outside of our group will be able to learn from our recordings. And be uplifted by the training content.
01 Reasons why...
Why do we need to do evangelism? Here are some reasons...
Souls are going to Hell. The churches of Christ are dying across the US. We need leaders to step up and challenge kingdom culture to make evangelism part of the work of the Lord's people, as it once was.
O2 How to do evangelism...
We will detail the ways of doing evangelism within the group...
The goal is to get each person involved. How involved they get is up to them. But the goal is to make leaders within this group. And that means teachers, trainers, event organizers, etc.
The workshop classes, teaching classes, and evangelism activity events will initially, have the group leader heading it up, then each student, (if willing), will be given the support, and training to teach the group classes and organize an evangelism event.
With time, as new converts join our group and we have new COC members, those taught will be ready to fill leadership positions, in training new members within the group.
The following video content will also detail your options as members of this evangelism group.
Training evangelism blog
We detailed the goals for the year and highlighted the types of activities we will do. The material is fluid. The instructors may make changes as time passes and this work evolves or they may change the material as they see fit for other reasons.
The instructor's speech was about what the spirit of evangelism is about. We mentioned this work being about generational change. That each member needs to have the attitude of Jesus, in regards to this work.
Download speech (Word document or PDF)
What we talked about the dynamics of this work. The various training activities and evangelism themes we'll pursue to nurture the group and bring others to His kingdom.
Download the evangelism game plan template (Word document or PDF)
Evangelism tip:
To help prepare you for talking about the Bible with the lost, first begin, with talking with your Christian friends, family members, and church brethren, the more you do such activities the more natural it will become. And the easier the transition will be to casually ring up Jesus with those you know outside of the faith,
Our first evangelism meeting:
Instructors JP Flores and Joseph Sullivan
Timestamp of meeting December 5th 2023
We meet for the team to meet the instructors and get to know each group member. Our goals...
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Were to discover/ask each member to introduce themselves and to share their reasons for wanting to share Christ. And their goals for wanting to do evangelism. The instructor asked one of the team members to write these down/or record the group's responses. We asked the group these questions to tailor the group to meet their needs. And to use these goals from the group as our mission statements for our work. (We will repeat this process for when we have a new member) The written/or recorded words (of name and reasons/goals) will be summed up and rewritten on the computer in large, easy-to-read writing.
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Once done the mission statements are shared in a public way for the group to see. The document will be printed out on hard paper and placed where the members can see and be reminded of their commitments/goals/interests. This will also be shared on our online group forum at Slack.com. This is great for networking/coordinating activities and sharing news, (though the platform does take content down after 90 days, so if you want to preserve teaching materials for training others, sharing content on such platforms like a website, is also good. I use Wix. It's easy to use, just drag and drop pictures, etc.) I am using this webpage to share training materials with the team I am working with. But this content can also help others who are interested in evangelism work.
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The team prayer document will also be emailed to the students and they will be encouraged to pray for each team member's goals and reasons for doing evangelism. There is power in prayer. This activity also builds a sense of unity as a team. It embodies what a supportive group should be in spirit. And helps us support one another as a group of servants for Jesus.
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The importance of prayer: The greatest force in nature is God. In the work we do against hell, the world's tests and devil's schemes is found in faith and in prayer. Team assignment: Print out our group's prayer sheet. Place in a place where you can see it first thing in the morning, like a bathroom mirror, or bedroom bookcase, etc. Pray for our team's goals daily. The Christlike attitudes of a servant is found in prayer. Jesus regularly gave God His time to support others in prayer. Humble men and women lift others up. The best evangelists are those who build up the kingdom through prayer. And the more we give (spiritually), the more we receive, (spiritually). Mark 4:21-25 If you are not on the sheet, add your goals and dreams to it. Pray for your own visions and hopes for your desires of serving Jesus in soul saving. When you pray for others you will grow in faith and your team will grow in strength. When you pray for your own goals, they will grow deep roots. Your goals will become more crystallized, focused, and clear, as you work towards meeting your dreams. Prayer will bond us to each other, to the cause of soul saving, and give aid to our group as we do our Father's work.
Our training materials:
Our second evangelism meeting: First "teaching others to teach" class.
Instructors JP Flores and Joseph Sullivan
Timestamp of meeting December 12th 2023
JP Flores and myself (Joseph Sullivan) taught how to use the "One Shot: 3 Card Salvation Plan" teaching method. To learn more about how to teach this material, watch the video of our first "teaching others to teach" class. You can also learn about this material, and its benefits as well as access the file for free to download at this link.
These cards are also in Spanish. Click on the above link source to learn more.
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Second "teaching others to teach" class JP Flores shares his teaching style.
Instructors JP Flores and Joseph Sullivan
Timestamp of meeting December 14th 2023
JP Flores shares excellent training on doing studies with contacts. Learn how to teach, without using lesson material. Or a physical Bible. Watch the video and read the description below. To learn more about JP's excellent evangelism workshops, (besides what he is doing here) visit this link to watch his lessons/sermons.
JP Flores has studied with 1,000's of people. However, when asked "How many people have YOU saved?" he says zero. For this man, the power is in the Word and it's God who brings in the results. (1 Cor 3:6) This man has been doing evangelism for a few years, (yet through God's working and through having a crucified nature, to ego and self (Galatians 2:20) JP is one of the best evangelists I've come across. The Father has used him to add about 30 new souls to His kingdom within a year. I've worked with people from across the country and with folks who have been doing this work for 50 years. I've not found anyone who has the experience or knowledge that he does. What I am trying to say, is simply, to study the videos he's sharing. I learn each time I watch his evangelism training lessons. For Thursday night's class 12.14.23, JP shared his teaching styles. We've covered the importance of asking questions and getting the salvation story. We'll go deeper into non-Christian teaching formats in future classes.
In the first part of the video, JP shows how to get someone (who does not know the books of the Bible) to find a Bible passage, using a cell phone Bible app. I have used Bible reference cards within a Bible and Bible page numbers written in my lesson books. But this process is simpler and easier to use. As well as more versatile. For better detail and reflection. Watch the above video. It is meaty and worth mentally digesting. JP does a demo class on how he teaches non-Christians. We are role-played the "non-Christians."
Outline: of teaching format:
A. JP asks before the study, for the person to prepare for the class by reading an assigned passage 5 times. He says the Word of God is powerful, active, and alive. (Hebrews 4:12) The more they let a passage penetrate their hearts the better. Receiving God's message and rereading it is powerful. The student is investing in the process, physically, emotionally, and mentally. When people put something of themselves into a study, it gives them, he says a "feeling of ownership" that they are part of something. When people invest, they feel more connected to the process. When people invest, they feel more connected to the process. This is why using people in Bible class is also important. You will see in the video that his teaching format is very interpersonal and interactive.
B. Preparation work: Beforehand, JP picks a passage, and reads and rereads that passage. He gets to know that passage. He has ideas he wants to share in the beginning, middle, and end of the selected passage. He's gone over the passage enough and reviews the context of the beginning, middle, and end, enough to know it by route. The good part about this type of teaching, is the more you do it, the easier it gets in using a selected passage. Or in doing this teaching format, period.
C. This may seem hard, but I encourage you to try it out. Practice making a "lesson" using this format. And then practice on someone you know, a wife, family member, or close friend. You'll get into the groove of this, faster than you might think. To get dialogue it is good to read things in the Bible, and ask them questions, like what you JP doing. :) Questions are a great way to teach others and get interactions. This format JP shows is excellent. It is something to step into after one learns how to teach lesson book materials and gets comfortable with teaching Bible lesson book materials.
D. The teaching format in the video is easy to use. You have a student read a small section of the passage, a few verses, and you ask them questions about what they read. Then you have another student or the same student, depending on the size of the class, to read the following few verses and you repeat the process, you ask them what they read. You keep doing this till you reach the end of the passage you have selected to use for teaching. By asking them questions about what they are reading, you're doing what Jesus did to teach. Our Lord asked questions to get people to think to help lead them to an answer. You'll see this teaching style more within the video.
When people are not TOLD the answer but read the Bible and are asked Bible questions to get them thinking and to get them guided by that question to a Bible answer, they feel "an ownership" to that answer. Because it came from them. JP says. When it comes to Bible study, let the Bible teach them. This process is more automated. You're simply letting the student, read the Bible and you're getting them to respond to what they're reading with Bible questions.
Read the gospels, and reflect on how often Jesus asked questions or told a story in response to a question. Most of the time, this was our Lord's format for teaching. When you don't answer a question, but instead....you have them find the answer, you're helping them teach themselves and invest in the material, (the Word of God). Asking questions makes the students feel involved, valued, and a part of something. Inclusion creates such feelings. Lecturing does not. We want people to invest in the process. Talking at a person through lecturing is not as effective as talking to them by having a discussion. Questions help with creating a personal communicative dialogue. Questions, done with love, are personal, connective, relationship-building. In teaching any format, questions should be used to get the student to think and interact with the teacher/material. We'll get into that more in future "teaching others to teach" classes. As well as share other types of teaching formats.
I'll be adding more content and videos to the vendor
work training section in the next few weeks.
How to prepare for gym vendor work:
Note: this is for Crunch gym. But other gyms across the US country and even overseas may do simular activities.
The steps:
A. You go to a Crunch place and ask to be a vendor.
B. You give them your email and cell phone number
C. They contact you and share an email like the one below...
See the videos for more details.
I asked Kyle at Crunch to share info about this. See the video to your right to see what the manager says.
A special thank you to Kyle for letting me record this. The tips he gives are helpful for doing this work at Crunch.
See the pictures below to get an idea of how such events are set up.
Crunch promotes our website on their social media platforms and on their TVs. 500-800 people come in during their event days, (Veterna Day, Friendship Day, etc. ) They do events twice a month. The event parties begin at 5 PM and end at 8 PM. The vendors can work during these times.
Crunch has multiple gyms and vendors can set up at all the gyms they want to work at in the areas they pick. 11 gyms are in or near the Tampa Bay area. Each has 5-8 hundred visitors in the evenings during the Crunch event party events. If an evangelism group can get enough workers. A team leader and 1-2 people per location, to work for those 4 hours, then the reach can be considerable.
Now other gym formats in the US or globe may be different, but this gives you an idea of the benefits of gym vendor work. Team prep: the group members (who are interested) need to learn how to teach others. Certain members, when ready and trained can head up a vendor location. We'll get more into this in future posts/videos.
It's good to plan for where you want to meet by finding the locations near you. You can go online and find them on a search engine map. The below photo was on Google Maps.
Examples of secular vendors doing at Crunch promoting there stuff...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Benefits to doing this type of event: I've done campus work and street evangelism. This is kind of the same thing when we get foot traffic, we invite people we see/interact with to sign up for a Bible study. We can have a table at all their gyms. in this area and the surrounding area. As we grow we can expand to other gyms in the Tampa Bay and surrounding areas. Big opportunity. No Crunch Gymns do this, except in FL. They meet twice a month for such activities. 100's of people come through the door.
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Items you need for a vendor event:
Note: I will have these items ready to give to our group members before our first vendor events.
We'll get go over the following themes below in more detail within our evangelism classes. These materials can be used for gym vendor work, but they can also be used for campus, flea market, fairground, door knocking, etc. events as well.
Things to bring to an evangelism event:
A. Clipboards and pens for getting Bible study signatures.
And have printed/made sign-up sheets. Another design sheet. This one asks for sign-up time. People can give their preferred time if interested.
B. Small, light weight easy to carry with one hand, fold-up table.
C. Plastic sign holders. Some things to get people's attention. Here are signs (A. B.) I designed with Canva. They have redesigned templates with words and you can simply remove their words and add your own. I like simple signs. Like using the word "free" to draw people. Then when folks come to check out the free stuff, that's when I invite folks. We'll cover more ways in future posts. Feel free to download the sign templates and use them as you want.
D. The "free stuff." I have cards (A. B.) about our Bible study group, (if they want to learn more and sign up later for a study). I use Canva, they have card templates, all you do is fill in the words they have with your own. You can download the cards and have Staples print new cards out or you can easily design your own cards on Canva, (they also print) using our evangelism cards as a guide.
You can also download these cards (in PDF file or other formats) on Canva. A. B. Though you need to first sign up and make an account. It's free. Just click on the desired card above, "A." or "B." that you want to access, then once at Canva, click the "file" button or the "share" button to get the card, you will first be prompted to sign up for a free account.
For my evangelism team, I'll also have cards for you to use. But I encourage you, in the long run, to be as self-sufficient in this process as possible. We want you to be completely self-reliant in all areas, (as you progress over time).
E. I have spiritual books folks might like, like Muscle and Shovel. These books have grounded new converts and have saved souls. Also, Apologetic Press has an excellent study Bible called, "AP Defending the Faith Bible Personal-Carry." It details proof of God and soul-saving themes in its notes. If you buy in bulk you can get them for cheap. This is good for various outreach events, including campus work.
I also buy bulk packs of different WVBS DVDs. The DVDs range from things like science, the meaning of life, etc. The goal is to not convert them through these items, though such materials have saved souls. The goal is to pique their interest and get them to engage you. To come over and ask questions. Waving, smiling, and greeting people are other ways of getting people's attention. To get interactions requires being active, not passive. Sitting down is passive. And looking up at people is not a positive way to do social interactions.
F. I may bring a small Bible. If they have questions. Or use my Bible app. I normally encourage people to sign up for a Bible study if they have questions. But if they really want an answer then and don't want to study, I will have my Bible ready to help answer their questions.
No matter what words you use to start the conversation, the end goal is to ask them to “sign up for a Bible study.” This is more effective than having Bible discussions at the event or in passing out material. Though both aspects are important for building rapport and for getting conversations going. As well as for sharing valued truths. The end result and focus should still be focused on getting signatures for Bible studies.
The reason why: when you meet someone, who has signed up for a Bible class, you're in the (authority) role of a teacher and they're in the student role. This is more effective than in just having a two-way conversation on the street or on campus. Or at the gym as a vendor, etc.
Also, there are no social distractions common in doing infield work, when meeting for a study. I prefer studies with one or two other people. Meeting a contact for a study makes this possible. Group discussions however at an evangelism event, can turn into a debate sometimes if you're not careful. With other people watching and with those talking not having Bibles, this social dynamic can be counterproductive.
Although I do not discourage social interaction or Bible talks, or praying with someone, etc. (you wil find that people will ask to be prayed for). Such activities in these social settings can build strong connections among the participants and are still worthwhile if the interest is there. Yet for this outreach work, the main goal should be to get Bible study signatures. If people show an interest for having a Bible discussion, they can be asked, (after some social interplay and discussion) to sign up for a study, “to talk on this matter more.”
Our evangelism class will go over different vendor activities. But if you want to read ahead, which is encouraged, or if you're reading this and you're not part of this group, you can read the book "Making It Work: Three Proven Techniques for Evangelism." The book details everything you need to know for setting up vendor work in different locations, like colleges, and streets. The tips can be applied to all vendor activities.
Questions to ask once you have gotten the ball rolling with gym vendor work (at Crunch)
Crunch locations near or in the Tampa Bay area.
This is a template document designed for our group. I encourage our group to read it.
This document can also be used as a teaching aide for other interested groups.
It details how to set up an event once a group registers as vendors with Crunch.
Learn how to set up vendor work and get Bible study contacts. 📖
Timestamp of meeting January 11th 2024
Note: When I say (in the video to) focus on getting Bible study contacts through getting signatures, I want to emphasize why this is important. If you talk with someone about spiritual things or study with someone at the vendor location you're at, still once done, they leave. You probably won't see them again. Even if they are baptized or accept spiritual truths, if you don't get their contact info, you'll still have no way to follow through.
Talking to people about spiritual things is fine. it builds rapport. Though try to steer certain topics that deal with doctrine and hard ideas, to having folks sign up for Bible studies. For any discussion or interaction try to have the end conclude with an invite to sign up for a Bible study.
We want to get contact info so we can have future interactions with them. Having a 5-minute discussion about spiritual things (or praying with someone) and having them leave, means you won't see them again. We want to do future studies with those we interact with. So discussions are fine and praying with people is fine, but let the end result be inviting people to sign up for a Bible study.
Use common sense. Avoid arguments and hot topics. If things go in that direction, steer people to sign up for a Bible study. This is a public forum and people are watching. You can talk about spiritual things. But if they really want to deep dive into a Bible theme, invite them to sign up for a study or (if you have others helping you at the table) you can go to a private place with that person to sit down (open up Bibles) and study the Word. This can be done anywhere we work, like at Flea Markets, Colleges, Fairs, etc. But make sure you ALSO get their contact info. Again, talking with folks about spiritual things, or praying with folks is fine, but steer things to a Bible study sign-up.
Having a Bible study puts you in a position of authority as a teacher. Doing a study puts the emphasis on God's word, (its authority) instead of just having a verbal spiritual discussion with someone. Doing a Bible study is in a controlled environment, like a coffee shop or a home. And such studies can be in a welcoming environment as well. A home and cooked meal is hospitable and makes people feel like they belong and are valued. Studies can build bonds with the teachers and contacts. Having a spiritual discussion with someone and having the person walk away, ends the meeting. But getting contact info means you may have other opportunities to interact with that person. A Bible study allows you to share resources that can save a soul and ground a person.
The next vendor training classes will talk about...
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Ways to contact those who signed up and meet the contacts.
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How to get ready if/when contacts come to one's local congregation.
During these classes, we will also talk about gym locations, volunteering for our upcoming event, and volunteering to accompany those who do follow-up studies with contacts. When ready, people can also volunteer to teach as well.
This is not a race. This is a process. And you can move at your own pace. You can do as little or as much as you wish. These are just options you can consider choosing if wished.
Contacting those who signed up for a Bible study Class
Timestamp of meeting January 16th 2024
Our group discusses reaching contacts and meet-up locations for Bible studies. We also briefly discuss setting up a gym event and social interactions with those we meet at the gym.
Class highlights
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We practiced texting "contacts" by texting team members. The sign-up sheet for our group was used for the class to access phone numbers to text each other. A check mark was added next to a name that was going to be used by a group member.
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Our work area locations, (via printed document) are shared with the group, (name and address). Our team was encouraged in the class to look up areas near the gym for good meet-up spots for doing Bible studies.
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It was requested, to have local church addresses, to share with interested contacts, who ask about a meeting spot for worship. This is a good idea. For our local church area, where the gyms are at, I'll have a list of the congregations. If people are at a gym and have a membership at a local gym, they are likely able to visit a local church. But I'll also have resources for out-of-state and national churches. A special thank you for this good idea.
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The document can be downloaded for study and for use, for future events. You can access this page and download the document to your cell phone for easy access when interacting with contacts.
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Watch the video for more details and info on our class for gym evangelism. You might like to have a pen handy for taking notes. Regrettably, the text reading from our group was not all recorded. The cell phone died. But you heard the first person read and get the idea.
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After our events: Each team member is contacted by a team leader and is encouraged to text one of those who signed up for a Bible study. This helps teach and acclimate them to this process. See above video post on this page for ways of reaching others in texts.
Getting ready for church visitors
Timestamp of meeting January 23th 2024
The class discussed:
A. Having a plan of action
B. Greeting visitors
C. The importance of inclusion
D. Setting up Bible studies
E. The need for doing Hospitality
F. The attitudes of evangelism
G. And more.
A special thank you to JP Flores. The advice was excellent. This man is one of the best. The video is worth watching.
For more ideas, resources, and study material on this subject see the evangelism strategy page.
A special thank you!
We had a great turnout that night. I so appreciate all who are doing this evangelism work with me. I also value deeply the leaders who are helping me head up this work. JP shared that night, exceptional ideas for church growth. The church he's at has doubled in size in 2 years. That is in part due to the evangelism leadership JP is doing at his local congregation.
I also want to thank my mom, Jeanne Sullivan. She's been hosting our groups twice a week for the last few months. We've gone through many storms of late. And mom's facing many battles. Yet despite all that, she's taking time to support this work. Mom attended our first evangelism gym event and got two signatures (for Bible studies).
Our first evangelism vendor gym event:
Team leaders JP Flores, Daniel Lookadoo, and Joseph Sullivan
Timestamp of meeting January 30th 2024
We worked (by God's grace) 3 Crunch gym locations. Also, others outside of our group did this work in Land O Lakes and are planning on doing this work in Riverside. The night we worked was on Jan 30th from 5-8 PM. 100's of people visited the Crunch gyms It was the gym's corporate party event, where they have a theme (football, Halloween, Veterans Day, Valentine's Day, etc). and the staff dresses up accordingly.
During this time, vendors can set up and share their content and products. We reached many people. Each team shared Bible-related materials and sowed seeds upon the soils. (Luke 8:1-15) We got discussions going and passed out soul-saving books and DVDs and our contact info. Prayers were said. Signatures were gotten for studies.
And Crunch took pictures of vendors to share on social media at some locations as well.
People saw what NT Christians are supposed to be like. They saw love and compassion. They saw people sharing Jesus. We practiced the Great Commission.
That in itself is a win.
Daniel Lookadoo headed up Crunch at Hillsborough with some fantastic folks.
Here is the Crunch video recording.
Joseph Sullivan headed up Crunch at Carrolwood with some a great team.
Here is the Crunch video recording.
Thoughts about doing vendor gym evangelism
Note: When I talk about invites: the stats are not written in stone. 20 invites are the maximum invites for a result. They are ceiling numbers. A person can invite someone and the 3rd person says yes, etc.
A special thank you to those who did this work
You came out and shared Jesus. You took time to go to our group activities, like prep class and evangelism study groups. You could have done a thousand things. But you loved Jesus and the lost enough to sacrifice your time and energy for our Father and for His Son. You make this group what it is. Thank you for all you're doing. Also thank you to those who headed this work up and who are teaching in our group. You all are precious and valued.
It's about the Word:
It's not about perfection: The goal is to share the Word. The goal is not to captivate others with charisma, eloquence, or power. You can watch me, the guy heading the class up, (Joseph Sullivan). I'm not any of these things.
Yet God has used me and has saved souls. The Word is what saves. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
For it is the gospel that saved. Not man. Romans 1:16
Now, there is nothing wrong with being like (eloquent) Apollos. Acts 18:24-28
And wanting to improve as a teacher.
There is nothing wrong with speaking with charisma, power, and eloquence. But the emphasis and belief in soul saving needs to be on the Word. And our attitude needs to reflect that. It's the Word that saves, we are just His vessels. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
Anyone can teach. If I can do it. Anyone can. And if God can use me to bring people into His kingdom, He can use anyone. When we take the emphasis off of ourselves, to instead place it on the Word, and strive to honor God in how we teach His truth, that is when we have real growth taking place and that is when God truly will work within us.
I want to share this truth. For too many saints think they have to have perfect knowledge or be a master teacher to share the gospel. I am none of these things. And souls have been saved through God working in me. If we simply want to share Jesus and seek ways of doing that, that is what matters. That is how people hear His precious message.
I want to thank my mom, Jeanne Sullivan for recording, this video. She had just gotten over the flu and was weak and tired Yet mom helped. She's an amazing servant in her love for Jesus.
I also want to thank those who taught that night. They did a fantastic job! In truth and in spirit, they taught the Word, as our Lord taught.
Our third "teaching others to teach" class.
Instructors JP Flores and Joseph Sullivan
Timestamp of meeting December 19th 2023
Part 2: of evangelism group training class on learning how to teach the "One Shot: 3 Card Salvation Plan" teaching method.
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During this class, the student practiced teaching the soul-saving curriculum. We are doing this to prepare the class members to teach non-Christians and new converts. They did an excellent job!
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The more the students practice on each other the more skilled, comfortable, and experienced they will become as teachers. The teachers did a great job. And my mom recorded the class, so those who could not make it, during this busy holiday week, could watch and learn from this class.
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We want to record all our classes for this purpose. As well as take pictures of our events and baptisms to help remind us of our work. Such pictures can motivate, encourage, and give context to our past outreach activities.
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As the class progresses as teachers, once they feel ready, they can join a teacher to help them/watch them learn. Or begin teaching themselves and one of the team leaders will go with them to support them.
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One tip to focus on is to ask "What does the Bible say?"When they ask a Bible question, take the emphasis off of you. "Say that's a good question, what does the Bible say?" And have them turn to a Bible passage that answers that question. When you do this you put the emphasis on God and His Word and off of yourself. You don't want the student to think that's the teacher's opinion. But that the details they learn are coming from the Bible's authority/God alone.
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Watch the video to get more ideas on the teaching process.
My personal teaching format:
This is a good guidepost to use till one develops their teaching style and personality. This is a basic format that enables the students to actively participate and places the work on the student, and less on the teacher. The more a teacher uses a student the more spiritually invested they become. Also, this teaching format places less emphasis on the teacher, and more emphasis on the Word, when this format is used. Lecturing and spending most of the time, talking does not give the students a chance to interact and participate, (which is the best way to learn.) This format gets the students involved. You can download my (Joseph Sullivan's) personal teaching format in PDF here. For teaching tips see our "teaching" evangelism page.
Evangelism is about attitude
Evangelism is about Christ. Philippians 2:1–8
When we empty ourselves and let Him work I'm us, God is exalted. JP preached a sermon on this attitude. When we crucify our lives and let the fruits of the Spirit work within us, the enemy is weakened and the power and purpose of our Father grows stronger in us.
This sermon is about the gospel. Before we preach the gospel we must first be the gospel. If compassion, love, selfless interest, serving others, and esteeming others above self is dead within us and self is prominent, our lifes message will be in conflict with our spoken message.
This sermon is about having an attitude of Christ. And though it's not specifically about evangelism. The themes do apply.
Measure expectations
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Remember it is a Process
Who here went to one college class and got their diploma the next day?
Who here asked someone out on a date and got married the next day?
Who here dieted and worked out, to lose weight and achieved their goal weight the next day?
These may sound like silly questions, don't they? To receive a diploma, you got to attend the college classes, you have to study, etc. You have put in the time, to get your degree. If you got a bad grade after your first semester, do you throw up your hands and say, "college does not work!" Of course not. College requires consistent and determined work to get the end result...that being a diploma.
To get married and have a family, you have to get into a relationship, and before that, you have to ask people out, right? If a person asked someone they liked, out on a date and were told "no," does that mean dating does not work? Of course not, to get where you want to go, you have to keep doing the process. You have to give time (and emotional investment) to this desired work, to get the desired result.
If you went on a diet and went to the gym, then on the following day, when upon the on the scale....to weigh the body, would you get upset... that your body weight goals had not been achieved? Of course not. Weight loss is a process. No one should say, "dieting and exercise do not work!" Like in anything in life, consistency and deliberate long-term actions, are what make a difference.
This can be applied to anything. Think of examples. Nothing worth having tends to happen overnight. If a person wants a job, a family, friends, a skillset, a car, a home, etc. then certain things need to be done, as part of the process, for the desired end result to take place.
So why is it, that I have heard people say, "we went door-knocking for one hour out of the year and no one was baptized, evangelism does not work!" If a person only does door knocking once in a year, at the 12th hr before a gospel meeting, and is expecting results, they are not applying the same measuring lines onto evangelism, as they are applying on their own personal secular goals.
Evangelism, like in anything else in life is a process. It requires time, energy, work to get the desired results. Expecting microwave results is not realistic
Evangelism, like in anything else in life is a process. It requires time, energy, and work to get the desired results. Yes, sometimes lightning hits, (results come) when one event is done. But usually, it requires consistent investment and regular action, (like in anything else) to get a result. Going to the gym every blue moon, doing college a handful of times a year, trying to win someone's heart, 3-5 times annually, and expecting minimal effort to lead to lasting results is not realistic We know in parenting, exercise, education, work, and relationship, there is a lifestyle commitment required of regular investment of time, energy and patience for the results to come.
EVANGELISM is no different. Did Jesus sit and do carpentry and wait for a special time to share the gospel a few times a year?
Did the Apostles/disciples when given the Great Commission, set aside some days annually to share the Word with the lost?
Did the Christians in Acts sit and ignore the lost, except when some church event took place a handful of times a year?
Of course not! They followed, faithfully God's command to share the message of salvation. We don't steal some of the time, we don't honor our Father and Mother some of the time, a Bible command is meant to be followed ALL OF THE TIME. The command to do evangelism is no different. People of compassion can not but act. Jude 23
Jesus, the Apostles, and the disciples were rejected. Not all the places they went to and the people they talked to had success. But what caused them to succeed? They were consistently investing into the process of regularly following God's command of sharing the Word. To succeed, we need to follow the Bible's pattern of evangelism. Read the gospels, read the attitudes of Jesus. Read the methods of Jesus and read the frequency of the work of Christ. Follow the lifestyle examples of our Lord and you will be His disciple/follower in truth and in spirit.
Now there is nothing wrong with doing events or having a church focus on such activities. But we need to understand that NT evangelism is about making soul-winning a part of one's regular life. And not only just doing outreach a few events a year. When you invest minimal effort and time you tend to get minimal results If 5 percent of the year is focused on soul winning, then expect the harvest to be in line with that lack luster investment.
I'm a big fan of lifestyle/friendship evangelism. We will cover that in section two. I am also a big fan of event evangelism. We covered that on this page. But to generate results, events need to be done regularly and slowly increased over time to make such work more apart of one's life.
Pictures of campus evangelism at USF College
Campus Evangelism
Our group went out Wednesday (27th) to the USF college campus. Our evangelism event was focused on reaching college students. USF (University of South Florida) has a vendor event called Bulls Market on Wednesday from 9 AM- 2 PM. Address directions: Go to Marshal Student Center. Marshal Student Center address: 4202 E Fowler Ave, Tampa, FL 33620
We got some good discussions going, passed out soul-saving materials, prayed over people and got contacts. I talked with a young catholic for an hour. It was an encouraging experience.
Doing such work requires regular events in order to get contacts and generate Bible studies. But campus work, if you consistently do the work, does work. The less religious presence on campus the better. If a college has 12 different Bible study organizations, you'll find the work will be longer for results, than if the college has 2 Bible study groups.
A special thank you to Susan Stoa, Sara Delgado, Daniel Lookadoo, and Jeanne Sullivan for sharing Jesus with me yesterday at USF Bulls Market. The great commission was followed. God was exalted. The seed was sown. You all were lights upon a hilltop and the world saw. My mom took the pictures of us doing this work and of those at the booth. Mr. Lucky the puppy (mom's service dog) did evangelism too. College students came over to pet him and that led to conversations and invites/materials given. God bless the people who bless the kingdom, by choosing to be a worker for the Lord.
Approaching people and locations:
Besides campus evangelism vendor work, a person can just go to campuses. They can also find parks, walkways, festivals, fairs,etc. where you can approach people. I encourage you to read my book on street evangelism. Once you have a good location and have the materials do the following steps.
While working with preachers and their wives, (doing an evangelism event in San Bernardino, CA) I saw and heard a lot of useful approaches.
Bobbi-Jo Triplett, in order to see if someone is interested in a discussion simply asks “Do you want a Bible study with me?”
Make it personal, always have "with me," in the invite, so it’s not just a "no" but a rejection. People are less likely to say "no," if you make it connective and personal.
Ricky Shanks greets people "as if they are his long lost best friend" when doing evangelism work.
Another person, Preacher Dana Wistler, asks "Can I have 30 seconds" or "A few moments of your time?"
Royce Bell with handout Bible in hand asks a person "Do you read your Bible?" And from whatever they say in response, Royce offers them a Bible in discussion and uses this as a means to start talking about the Word.
Video: How to register at our local college USF.
For more details concerning campus work and ways of setting up a college event, get the book I wrote "Making It Work: Three Proven Techniques for Evangelism."
Evangelism thoughts: Campus work, friendship evangelism and the 4 "Ps."☝️🙏
I'm grateful to be able to be doing evangelism with some fantastic folks. 💚🔥📖💯