Soul-Winning Commitment Day Every Believer Sharing Implementation Guide Soul-Winning Commitment Day
Introduction How Soul-Winning Commitment Day Can Help Your Church As a pastor or church leader, you may be wondering how Soul-Winning Commitment Day can help your church in its mission to reach your world for Christ. Let me suggest several ways that Soul-Winning Commitment Day can benefit your church: It can provide your church with a strategic focus. It is important for every local church to have a central focus. This central focus defines a church s primary activity and purpose. It can aid your church in the evaluation of existing evangelistic activities and programs. With the Soul-Winning Commitment Day materials, your church leaders will be encouraged to evaluate existing programs and activities in light of this central focus. Are there any programs or activities that need to be enhanced or refocused? Are there activities that need a fresh infusion of intentional evangelism? It can assist your church in planning and implementing an intentional evangelism strategy. Soul-Winning Commitment Day material always contains recommendations and guidelines to help you plan and implement an intentional evangelism strategy. It can train and mobilize your people to share Christ. One of the most important possessions a believer has is his or her personal story or testimony. It is the story of how Christ has changed his or her life. The Soul-Winning Commitment Day materials contain valuable information to teach your members how to share Christ with others. Soul-Winning Commitment Day can help your church grow. When people tell others about Christ, lives are changed and the kingdom of God increases. And finally, Soul-Winning Commitment Day can unite your church with other Southern Baptist churches across North America who see the Great Commission as an awesome responsibility and a great privilege. There is something special when an entire organization unites toward accomplishing a specific purpose. Plan now to join hands with other Southern Baptists in North America to reach the world for Christ.
Soul-Winning Commitment Day Implementation Guide On the SBC calendar of key denominational emphases, Soul-Winning Commitment Day is set for the first Sunday of October. This year it falls on October 3. However, you can plan such an emphasis on any day of the year. The materials in this guide are undated. The theme for 2010 is Every Believer Sharing. This is connected to one of the four biblical markers of the Across North America initiative, to share Christ with everyone in North America by the year 2020. The vision of this initiative is to inspire and encourage Southern Baptists to fulfill the Great Commission in North America by the year 2020. This initiative guides churches to build their ministries around four biblical markers: Praying, Equipping, Sowing, and Harvesting. This year s Soul-Winning Commitment Day focuses on Equipping and Sowing. In this Implementation Guide, information will be given to help you have a successful Soul-Winning Commitment Day. It is important to make your emphasis as simple as possible. The 2010 materials contain several individual pieces. All the materials are available online at www.thebigday.org. Materials include: Basic Implementation Guide Two-month Planning Calendar Sermon outlines and videos Posters Sunday School/small group lessons Order of Worship suggestions Dramas Commitment Card ideas Personal evangelism training methods How to use social media in evangelism Follow-up ideas and suggestions Soul-Winning Commitment Day for children Evangelism Surveys Links and resources
Soul-Winning Commitment Day Quick Start Guide There are seven very simple steps in planning your Soul-Winning Commitment Day. It is best to begin several weeks out in your preparation process. 1. Review the Implementation Guide Determine what you will need. You do not have to use all of the materials in this guide. Only use the ones you feel will best meet your church s needs and your expectations. 2. Select a date If you are not going to do your Soul-Winning Commitment Day on October 3, choose a day that you can focus or evangelism and lead your church to make a commitment to become involved. 3. Determine the type(s) of evangelistic commitment you want to present to your church There are several sample types of commitments in this guide. Additionally, review the Evangelism Ideas on Limited Budget and Resources for other suggestions on activities and events that your church can do found on thebigday.org. Design and print out commitment cards that you will use. Determine the best way to distribute them. 4. Order material Witnessing booklets, such as the Eternal Life tract or Your Life, a New Beginning, from the North American Mission Board provide a simple way for believers to share Christ. An overview on how to use a witnessing booklet is available under the Resource tab. 5. Promote your Soul-Winning Commitment Day Print and display the posters throughout your facility. Put announcements in your bulletins, church newsletters and mail-outs. Promote it from the pulpit. Provide announcements for your Sunday School/ small group classes. 6. Plan your service Seek to inspire your church family through music, message, and drama, to see themselves as personally on mission to share the love of Christ with others. Orders of worship ideas, dramas, and links to evangelistic sermons are in this guide. Use them or adjust them to fit your particular need or style of worship. Be creative and make your Big Day special! Lead your church in a time of commitment by using the commitment card you have printed outlining options they can take to become a part of Every Believer Sharing. A card can be a separate handout or printed in the order of worship. The cards can be returned to the altar, put in a special chest, or collected by the ushers during a commitment time at the end of the service.
Soul-Winning Commitment Day Quick Start Guide (continued) 7. Have your Soul-Winning Day! Prior to the service, have a time of prayer with your staff. Insure that everything is ready. Conclude the service with an invitation to receive Christ and for your church members to make commitments to be a part of Every Believer Sharing. If you would like a much more detailed calendar with suggest dates to follow with many more options to include, review and follow the Two-Month Planning Calendar. You can also go to www.gpsplan-it.com for an online planning and project management tool. Select Soul-Winning Commitment Day in the drop-down event window.
Two-month Planning Calendar Congratulations on leading your church in evangelism. May God bless you in your efforts to reach your world for Christ. In this section, information will be given to help you have a successful Soul-Winning Commitment Day. It is important to make your emphasis as simple as possible. Pastor, begin your planning with a time of personal prayer. Ask God to give you a fresh passion for evangelism and his leadership in preparing for your Soul-Winning Commitment Day. It is always best to give yourself enough time to plan. Two months out is advised to begin praying and preparing for your Soul-Winning Commitment Day. A key component in preparation for Soul-Winning Commitment Day is evaluation. Like a GPS, knowing where you are is a key step in determining the best way to get to your destination. Under the Resources tab of www.thebigday.org site, you will find two evaluation forms. Before you begin your Soul-Winning Commitment Day planning, use these forms to determine the level of evangelistic passion in your church. These evaluations can assist you to discover areas of weakness and ways to strengthen your church in planning evangelistic strategies and activities to reach your community. Church Member Survey This survey can be used to determine what level of participation and commitment that your members have in the areas of personal witnessing, prayer, and evangelistic events. Understanding these three things can assist you to plan future trainings and events. Pastor s Church Evangelism Survey This survey can assist you in discovering what areas of evangelistic activities and ministries that should be included in part of your overall evangelism strategy. It can also assist you in evaluating your own current level of evangelistic activity and passion. Without your personal evangelistic passion, little will be accomplished in reaching your community for Christ.
Two-month Planning Calendar (continued) August Review this Soul-Winning Commitment Day implementation guide. Begin a season of concentrated prayer about God s leadership in planning your special day. Discuss your plans with your staff and/or key leaders and enlist their help and support. Select the date for your Soul-Winning Commitment Day. On the SBC calendar, it is scheduled for the first Sunday of October. However, feel free to select any time in the year that fits your needs. May sure that no other calendar dates or plans fall on the day you have selected. Select a key person to assist you in accomplishing the details of Soul-Winning Commitment Day, such as promotion, ordering materials, etc. Determine a time and a process you will train your members to share their faith. Excellent resources such as the One-Hour and One-Day Witnessing Workshops are available under the Resources tab on thebigday.org. Order any witnessing booklets that you may use in trainings. Witnessing booklets, such as the Eternal Life tract or Your Life, a New Beginning, provide a simple way for believers to share Christ. An overview on how to use a witnessing booklet is available on the www.bigday.org site. If you use the optional Sunday School/small group lesson, print and give to your Sunday School/small group teachers. Lead them in a time of preparation and an overview of the lesson. Make plans with them to replace this lesson for the regular one that falls on Soul-Winning Commitment Day. If you are going to do a High Attendance Day in your Sunday School/small group ministry, use the High Attendance Day Planning Calendar. Click the Resource tab to download this guide. Determine the level and type of commitment you want to encourage your members to select. Use the Commitment Card ideas and determine how you would like to distribute them. September Begin to promote Soul-Winning Commitment Day in all your church publications. Make announcements from the pulpit and in Sunday School/small group Bible studies. Print the posters and place them in prominent places throughout your facilities. Place an order for witnessing booklets. These booklets may be ordered by calling: (866) 407-NAMB (6262) Meet with your music or worship leader to discuss the order of the service. Under the Resource tab at thebigday.org site are two orders of worship along with dramas that you can use. If you are going to use a drama, enlist actors and give to them the drama script. Begin your sermon preparation. Several excellent evangelism sermon outlines from key pastors and videos are found on www.gps2020.net. Meet with Sunday School/small group leaders and assist them in lesson planning and to answer questions.
Two-month Planning Calendar (continued) Two Weeks Out Continue praying for and promoting your Soul-Winning Commitment Day. Review the previous steps and make sure that all of the logistics and details are in order. Meet will all key leaders to review Soul-Winning Commitment Days tasks and responsibilities. Soul-Winning Commitment Day Make sure any last minute details are carried out before the launch. Meet with staff and key leaders in a time of prayer before the worship service. One of the primary purposes of Soul-Winning Commitment Day is to encourage your members to get involved in some type of evangelistic activity(s). On the next page are several ideas.
Commitment Card Ideas Soul-Winning Commitment Day is for your church members to make a commitment to do some type of evangelistic activity during the month of October (or other time of the year that you choose). Listed below are several commitments that you can challenge your members to take. Prepare a card with the types of commitments you choose. Be specific and challenging. Be specific. Set a goal as to how many times and for how long you will challenge your members to perform their commitment(s). It is best to include both simple commitments and more advanced ones. One of the most important commitments you can challenge your church to take is to sign up for an evangelism training class. Under the Resources tab of www.thebigday.org site, several different witness training suggestions are given. During the month of October, I will: (Suggested commitments can include) 1. Take an evangelism training class (set a date for the training) 2. Use the 3-1-6 Prayer Card and pray for three lost persons (these cards can be ordered from the North American Mission Board.) 3. Invite someone to church/special event 4. Do an act of kindness (give some examples) 5. Pass out tracts or witnessing booklets (determine how many and how often) 6. Go out on church visitation each week (determine how many times and how often) 7. Share my testimony (determine how many times) 8. I will develop and use social media 9. Become an ERC Telephone Counselor (to find out how to use the Evangelism Response Center, go to www.erconline.net).
Sunday School/Small Group Bible Study: Your Personal Story/Testimony Purpose of Lesson: This guide is for the purpose of preparing older children through adult Sunday school members to prepare their personal story/testimony. Preparation: Make sure you have prepared your personal testimony prior to teaching this lesson and be ready to share it with your class. Copy enough of the Personal Testimony Worksheets for each of your class members. Say: In today s lesson, we will be learning how to develop and share our personal story/testimony with someone who needs Jesus. God can use our personal testimonies to reach others for Christ. Every one of us who is a follower of Jesus has a story to tell. Your story will include three parts: 1. My life before I made a commitment to follow Jesus. 2. How I came to know Jesus personally. 3. My life since I came to know Jesus personally. Begin to think about your personal encounter with Jesus, specifically, your life before you came to Christ. Also, begin to think about someone that you know who needs Jesus. It may be a friend, a family member, or a neighbor. Teacher, share your personal story/testimony with the class as an example. Say: The first part of our personal story/testimony is: My life before I made a commitment to follow Jesus. Think about what your life was like before you came to Christ. Remember your feelings such as emptiness, loneliness, lack of purpose, and how you discovered you needed a change in your life. As we think about this part of our story/testimony, keep in mind the following important considerations:
Sunday School/Small Group Bible Study: Your Personal Story/Testimony (continued) 1. If you know Jesus, you have a story to tell. 2. Your story is unique. 3. It is not debatable, it happened to you. 4. It is powerful; it can change lives for eternity. If you accepted Christ at a very young age, you may have had a defining moment, when you became aware of what your relationship to Jesus meant and the commitment you had made. Someone who became a Christian at an early age could describe how their lives would have been different without such a relationship with Jesus. Take time to allow each of your class members to write this first part. Before concluding this first part: Have a volunteer to briefly describe his or her life before a commitment was made to follow Jesus. Say: The second part your testimony is: How I came to know Jesus personally. This is where we communicate our salvation experience. Think back to how you came to know Jesus as your personal Savior. Was it in a church service? Did a friend lead you to Christ? Where did it happen? This part of our story/testimony should be brief and to the point. List some of the places where class members were when they accepted Christ and the person who shared with them. Take time to allow each of your class members to write this second part. Before concluding this second part: Ask a volunteer to briefly describe how he or she came to faith in Christ. Ask for another volunteer to share parts one and two of their story/testimony.
Sunday School/Small Group Bible Study: Your Personal Story/Testimony (continued) Say: The third part of our personal story/testimony is: My life since I came to know Jesus personally. This is where we communicate how our lives are different because we made a commitment to follow Jesus. Think about your salvation experience and how your life is different as a result of having trusted Jesus as your Savior. Some of you may indicate in this section how you have experienced peace, love, acceptance, and/or purpose. Remember, it is your story and He is your Savior! What has He done in your life? List some of their responses on the board. Take time to allow each of your class members to write this third part. Before concluding this lesson: Ask for a volunteer to share part one, part two and part three of their personal story/testimony. Ask for another volunteer to share part one, part two, and part three of their personal story/testimony. Encourage your class to continue to pray for the person(s) they know who needs Jesus. Encourage the class to make to share their testimony with them or another lost person. Close in prayer.
Personal Story/Testimony Worksheet 1. My life before I made a commitment to follow Jesus: 2. How I came to know Jesus personally: 3. My life since I came to know Jesus personally:
Follow-up Following up with new believers is one of the most important aspects of the entire evangelism process. An effective follow-up process is not completed until the new believer has been taught to study God s word, to pray, to live the Christian life, and to walk with Christ. New believers are called babes in Christ. The needs of the new Christian are many and the responsibility of follow-up takes time and effort. Preparation Evaluate how you are doing in the area of follow-up. Do you have an ongoing visitation program? Do you have a process to track the results of visitation? Mobilization & Training An effective follow-up strategy will seek to provide realistic opportunities for church member involvement. It will seek to mobilize and train an army of believers in the local church to provide what is necessary for followup activities. Process This process should include both the immediate follow-up of a new believer at the moment the conversion and an ongoing process of assimilation into the life and ministry of the local church. Two excellent follow-up are listed below. Personal Commitment Guide The Personal Commitment Guide is a powerful help in counseling people who are interested in making a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior or who are unsure about aspects of their Christian walk. The fold-out pamphlet covers the areas of salvation, baptism, church membership, assurance of salvation, rededication and Christian vocations. Questions are answered with Scripture references and focus on God s purpose, our needs, God s provision, our response, and ultimately, our commitment to Christ. Beginning Steps This resource provides seven simple lessons to discover the truths of scripture and assists the believer in developing a personal quiet time. It is an excellent resource to be used in one-on-one discipleship or a new Christian s class where believers can study the Bible, ask questions and build relationships as a bridge to joining a Sunday School/small group class. The resources can be ordered from the North American Mission Board by calling (866) 407-NAMB (6262).
Follow-up (continued) New believers have many immediate needs. They need to: Read and study the Bible Grow in their faith Learn to pray Get involved in a ministry Join the church/sunday School Make Christian friends Have the assurance of their salvation Be baptized Have their questions answered None of these will occur unless there is a specific, intentional and strategic follow plan. Your basic follow-up process needs to include these specific actions: In home visit The best way to begin the follow-up process with a new believer is through an in-home visit. This should be done within in the first 48 hours. Anytime someone is led to Christ, it is important to insure that all contact information is recorded correctly. This information should be entered into a database and routed to an appropriate age-graded Sunday school/small group class for follow-up. As you visit, seek to build a relationship and invite the new believer to your class/ small group. If someone else in the home needs Christ, look for opportunities to share the gospel. Deliver follow-up materials During the visit, make sure that the new believer has a Bible and a copy of some very simple bible studies or Sunday school/small group booklet. Beginning Steps is an excellent resource available from the North American Mission Board. Assign the new Christian to a mentor, preferably in your Sunday school/small group. This person should contact the new believer each week to answer questions and give spiritual support. Phone call from Pastor Receiving a personal phone call or contact from the pastor is very special. This should be done during the first week.
Follow-up (continued) Continued contacts from Sunday school/small group class It is important for new Christians to build relationships with other believers. Continue to make consistent contacts through encouraging phone calls, sending postcards, writing letters, sending emails or simple notes from an appropriate age-graded small group. Continue to make contact and encourage the new believer to get involved in a Sunday school class/small group. Invite the new believer to lunch or dinner for fellowship.