HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

THE PRIMARY MISSION AND PURPOSE of the church of Christ is to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47). In the 1st century A.D. our brothers and sisters in Christ were able to get the whole gospel to the whole world in about 30 years (without cars, planes, phones, internet, etc., Acts 2:22-47; 20:27; Colossians 1:23). With the communication advancements of the 21st we should easily be able to get the whole gospel to the whole world in less than 30 years! THE PRIMARY METHOD is preaching, publicly and from house to house (Acts 20:20, “house-tohouse” is what we call “personal evangelism” where each Christian is doing his or her share in evangelism, causing growth of the body of Christ, Acts 8:3-4; Ephesians 4:11-16). Some of the ways we can accomplish this together is by you helping us maximize the various THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST efforts available, such as… 1. THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST website www.thegospelofchrist.com. For the last few years every country has had the ability and is presently accessing our website – but not every “creature” (soul) has accessed it yet. We encourage all our brothers and sisters in Christ to let as many people as you know at school, work, in your neighborhood, etc. about our website. Also, for those of you who use social media (such as, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Google+, etc.) and/or have email accounts, be sure to email, tweet, post, etc. our website and let everyone know how helpful our site is in spiritual growth and evangelism. 2. THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST free DVDs, CDs and downloads of our videos on Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/GospelOfChristMedia) and www.thegospelofchrist.com. For every member of the Lord’s church, we offer 5 DVDs and 10 CDs for free (we even package and ship them to you for free). We encourage every New Testament Christian to take advantage of this offer, listen to all the lessons, and use these lessons as seeds of the gospel. Hand our lessons out to others whom you would like to save through the gospel message contained in our media. We also broadcast these same lessons in the United States, Canada and parts of South America by way of TV and radio (and worldwide via the internet as already mentioned). If we have these broadcasts in your area (look under the “Broadcasts” tab on our website), use social media, church bulletins and websites, etc. to let lost souls know about these broadcasts. If we are not broadcasting in your area, check with your local TV or radio station (if you have any) and find out what it would cost (sometimes they offer free programming) to have our 30-minute programs broadcast on your station (then send us the station’s contact info and what you discussed with them to: [email protected]).

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST’s “How To” GUIDES. Go to our website, click on the “How-To Guides” to access: a. How to set up/conduct a TENT MEETING in your community b. How to START THE CHURCH OF CHRIST in your community c. How to DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM by setting up/conducting a DOOR CAMPAIGN and/or Conducting a personal HOME BIBLE STUDY using, for instance, our “Correspondence Course” under the “Study Aids” tab of our website. We will be glad to “coach” you as you get started on any and all of these wonderful efforts.

FORMING A PERSONAL EVANGELISM TEAM/DOOR CAMPAIGN THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST’s Guide on how to set up what we call your own “P.E.T.” Program (Personal Evangelism Team House-to-house program) is not designed to replace each member’s responsibility to share the gospel as they go about in their own sphere of influence every day; but it is designed to serve as a complement to what each member should already be doing as soul winners (Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” James 5:20, “…he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”). The PET program is more than just a once or twice a year effort (although you can use it as an occasional effort). Those who commit to participating on the “team” are doing so because they love the Lord, His church and lost souls. They are not interested in minimizing the importance of the members of the church who decide not to participate. At the same time, this program may serve as a motivation for new converts or members who otherwise have not been evangelizing to get involved in evangelism as they see their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ active in this work of ministry (1 Corinthians 11:1; Ephesians 4:11-16). It also may serve to demonstrate to the community that members of the church of Christ get out of their buildings and into their communities to, first and foremost, meet the spiritual needs of their community as well as, at times, help meet the physical needs. The team goes, putting its full trust in the power of the gospel (not one’s own ability) and the providence of God (Romans 1:16; Acts 8:3-4). SETTING UP THE “PET” PROGRAM/DOOR CAMPAIGN 1) Initial Materials (see samples after this outline; adjust amount of copies as needed) a) 100 Contact Cards b) 50 Work Report Sheets c) 300 pamphlets/tracts containing church’s info d) 200 “Sorry We Missed You” door hangers e) 30 Bibles (New King James, accurate and easy to read) f) 30 Bible Correspondence Courses

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

2)

3)

4)

5)

g) Use some type of contact manager software on your computer to record name, address, comments and date contacted of those who showed some type of interest h) Packets containing a certain amount of streets/houses to cover. Inside packet is: i) Pamphlets/Tracts ii) “Name of Street:____” sheets iii) Miniature maps (draw your own; show how to get to assigned street from the church building) iv) Door hangers i) Enlarged map of streets with goals marked Office Materials a) List with name, address, phone number (hereafter NAP) of shut-ins found b) List with NAP of those helped in a benevolent way c) List with NAP of those requesting a Bible Correspondence Course d) List with NAP of those who visited worship as a result of the campaign e) List with NAP of those baptized/restored as a result of the campaign f) List with NAP of total number of workers who participated in the campaign g) List with NAP of total times the team has come together to campaign Visitor(s) materials a) For 1st time visitors who attend worship as a result of the campaign, give them: i) Your church bulletin ii) Our DVD on “Soul Saving Lessons” iii) “Welcome/Thank You” letter from the elders and/or PET coordinator iv) For 2nd time visitors: A “Thank You” card, expressing thanks for the visits Follow Up a) Constantly go back and visit those who have expressed some interest. Invite them to worship and/or ask them for an in-home Bible study and/or enroll them in our “Correspondence Course” b) Houses where you have gone 3 times and no one is home (3 “NH”s), write a personal note letting them know you missed them several times and leave them an invite to the worship service and contact info and then do not go back any more c) For those who have visited the worship and/or engaged in a Bible study or Correspondence Course, have a Neighbor Appreciation meal for them Maintaining Team spirit a) Begin the day with evangelistic songs, prayer and word of encouragement before sending the team out by twos. Go over ideas on what to say at the door, etc. b) Lunch i) Different members volunteer to provide lunch

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

ii) The PET team eats lunch together as they share their day’s experience iii) End of day: Tally the results and give a final word of encouragement and prayer 6) Sample Schedule of a weekly (every Saturday) door campaign a) Devotional from 9:45-10 AM b) First session of work: 10 AM-Noon c) Team lunch: Noon-1 PM d) Second session of work: 1-3 PM 7) Give monthly report to the church 8) Technique (Train your PET team on the following) a) Decide what approach you wish to take. Examples: i) “Concerned about country” approach: “Hello, my name is ___ and this is ___ and we are from the ____ church of Christ. We are concerned about the decline of our country and the corruption of our youth and are out in our neighborhood trying to make a difference. One of the ways we are making a difference is by promoting home Bible studies in our community so that we can bring Christian values back. We you be interested in helping us make a difference? Would you be willing to study the Bible with us in your home? (if no, then ask: Would you be willing to participate in our free Bible Correspondence Course? ii) “Concerned about religious division” approach: “Hello, my name is….We are concerned about all the different divisions of people who claim to be Christian. We are trying to get back to the Bible and share with our neighbors God’s way of bringing everyone together into one true church where there are no denominations. Are you interested in knowing more about Biblical unity?... iii) “Good neighbor meeting needs” approach: “Hello, my name is….We are trying to be better neighbors by getting out into our community, getting to know our neighbors better, and learning of any spiritual and physical needs that some in our neighborhood may have. Are you concerned about the spiritual well-being of our community and country? Would you be willing…. 9) Emphasize to the team that they do not need to get discouraged or feel inadequate about their abilities, but simply trust in the power of the gospel and the providence of God (Acts 8:3-4; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5). 10) Go over Luke 10 (a Biblical example of a door campaign) a) Send two by two, verse 1 (reason: strength, encouragement, protection, mentoring where one speaks and the other is mostly a silent partner) b) Pray for more workers, verse 2 (because there are plenty of truth seekers, but not enough laborers to find/harvest them, Hebrews 11:6) c) Go, verse 3 (don’t wait for lost souls to come to you)

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

i) Meet physical and spiritual needs, verse 9 (if possible) ii) Do not spend too much time with the disinterested, verses 10-12 d) Realize few will make it to heaven; therefore, few will respond (Matthew 7:13-14) e) Realize God is the One who gets full credit/praise for the increase of those who are saved (1 Corinthians 3:6) f) Realize that success is not always measured. We are to plant and water the seed of the gospel. We cannot control the number of those who obey or reject it (1 Peter 3:20) g) Pray for wisdom in all you say and do (James 1:5) h) Set attainable goals that should easily be reached with a good work ethic in a reasonably short period of time i) If it is a long street with a lot of houses or if it is a lot of apartments, have a driver drop off one team at the beginning of the street and another team at the end of the street. If the street has houses spread far apart, have someone drive a team to the door, then pick them up when they are finished and take them to the next door, etc. 11) Focus on Biblical Objectives a) Plant and water the seed of the gospel (1 Corinthians 3:5-6) b) Go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) c) Preach Christ, His gospel and His kingdom (Acts 8:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:17, 23) d) Bring glory to Jesus and His church (1 Peter 4:10-11) 12) Examples of materials you can make/copy in preparation for the door campaign a) Contact Cards (make sure each team has at least 10-20 copies per session) Contact Form Name ___________________________________________ Dates contacted: ______________ Address _________________________________________ Dates contacted: ______________ Appraisal of the prospect (circle one): Very Good, Fair, Possible Interest Comments about the conversation (age, children, religion, what they said in conversation, etc.)

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

b) “Name of Street” Forms Name of Street: _____________________________ _____________________________ (Put several of these sheets on a clip board per team; silent partner will take notes while other talks)

Codes for this form: NI = Not Interested; NH = Not at home; AH = At Home House # Code Comments 1. ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________________________________________ 4. ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. ____________________________________________________________________________ Etc.

c) “Work Report” Forms Worker Report Form (each team fills this out after each session) Name of workers: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ # of houses covered ___ # of people at home ___ # of Bible studies conducted ___ # of Bible Correspondence Courses requested ___ # of New Contacts ___ # of Contacts re-contacted ___

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HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

d) “Coordinator Report” Form Coordinator Report Form (Whoever leads the door campaign tallies all the worker report forms after each session on this)

Date: _____

Session: ______

# of houses covered ___ # of people at home ___ # of Bible studies conducted ___ # of Bible Correspondence Courses requested ___ # of Contacts re-contacted (follow ups) ___ # of visitors at worship as a result of the campaign ___

# physically helped ___ # of baptisms ___ # of restorations ___ # of New Contacts ___ # of streets covered ___

Names of New Workers ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________

HOW TO PREPARE FOR/CONDUCT A HOME BIBLE STUDY 1. Preparing for the Personal Home Bible Study a. Having a personal Bible study with someone is not as difficult as you might think. b. The key is to (1) know the lesson you are going to use; (2) know the verses you are going to use and (3) stay on the lesson topic without veering off onto other topics. c. Download the first lesson on “Determining God’s Standard of Authority” from the “Correspondence Course” tab under “Study Aids” on our website. Read all the questions. Read all the verses. Write all the answers down (fill in the blanks). Go over all the questions and verses until you know them very well. d. Set up a one-hour Bible study with someone you are trying to reach with the gospel (you might even (1) get with a Christian at first and let them act like they are the nonChristian, and practice studying the Bible with him/her or (2) have someone else who is experienced to lead the first study so you can learn from them).

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

e. Choose a “silent” partner to go with you (always have another Christian with you on the study – for purposes of safety or as a witness or as one who catches things said or needs to help calm down possible distractions such as children or animals). They are called “silent” because they are not leading the study, but merely aiding or observing the study. f. Have several copies of the first lesson (one for you, one for your silent partner, and one or more for those studying with you. Sometimes there will be more than one person in the home who decides to join in on the study). g. Also, have several extra Bibles (New King James versions). It is good to have Bibles that have the same page numbers in case the one with whom you are studying has a hard time finding the passages. 2. Starting the Bible Study a. Have a prayer b. Have everyone place their lesson in front of them along with their Bible c. LESSON ONE: Determining God’s Standard of Authority i. The goal of this lesson is to get the lost soul to realize that in order for us to all speak the same things, especially in religious matters, we must all agree on the same standard (in other words, you and I can have a different opinion on how many inches the length of a given table is others in the room may tell you they are convinced it is “x” amount of inches, but until everyone agree that a tape measure is going to be the standard and that once the table is measured with that agreeable standard, you are going to have differing and contradictory views. Once the standard is established and agreed upon by all and once the measurement is given, then everyone will agree on the same answer). If after this lesson the lost soul does not agree that it is the New Testament that is our only standard and we must consult it alone (and not our thoughts or what the preacher says or what church doctrine teaches, or what the Old Testament says, etc.), then let them know that you have really enjoyed the study and appreciate them taking up their time with you, but you do not believe you can move forward to the next lesson until they willingly conclude and agree that they will abide by the book, chapter and verse authority of the New Testament, even if it goes against what he/she has always believed. ii. You read the first paragraph of lesson one and the directions. iii. Once you get to the “Challenge” part of lesson one, ask everyone to turn in their Bibles to 1 Corinthians 1:10 (if you have Bibles with the same page numbers, tell the non-Christian what the page number is; if not, turn to it in

HOW-TO GUIDE

HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

your Bible, then hand your Bible to the non-Christian and take their Bible so you can turn to the passage also). iv. Once everyone has this verse, have the person with whom you are studying read the passage out loud (if they say they are uncomfortable doing so, then you slowly read it and have your silent partner read it; usually it is much more effective when you have the non-Christian read the verses out loud). Then have the non-Christian read the question and have them verbally fill in the answers with what the verses say. Keep using this same method through the entire lesson (this causes the lost soul to face “head on” what the Bible says) v. If the non-Christian brings up another topic, tell them that they bring up a good question/topic and that you will be sure to write that question/topic down for another lesson (As long as the questions are on topic, your study will be productive. However, there is usually a tendency for them to say something like “What about instrumental music” or “Are you the ones who think you’re the only ones going to heaven.” Again, when it is off topic, tell them how important it is to stay on topic and that you will be glad to address these other issues on another lesson. Tell them that many of these questions will be answered in later lessons that you will be studying with them (if you do not do this, you will go around in circles and accomplish much of nothing; furthermore, the lost soul tends to do this so that they can avoid the truth they are reading with their “What ifs” or “Are you saying”. You keep telling them, “it is not what you and I think or say, but what the Bible says.” vi. Sometimes the lost soul will say something like, “There’s always going to be division; you are not going to be able to get 2 people to agree on much of nothing.” To which you reply, “Well, God is the One who made us; so what does He say in His word that He expects of us?” They will tend to want to bring their thoughts and feelings into the study and you must always encourage them to answer, “Yeah, but what does the Bible say? vii. In this lesson really emphasize that in order for us all to go to heaven and in order for all of us to agree on the same things, we must all believe and respect the fact that the New Testament is the one and only final authority. In fact, in order for us to maintain the unity of the Spirit and prepare ourselves for heaven, we must all meet the challenge of being diligent – doing whatever it takes – determined to arrive at the same truth. If they say, “We’ll never agree on this.” Tell them, “According to 1 Corinthians 1:10, we have to!” d. LESSON TWO: Sin

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HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

i. The goal of this lesson is to help the lost soul realize that if the New Testament clearly indicates a soul is lost, then whether that person feels like they are lost or not does not change the fact that Jesus, their Judge, says they are. Remember: if the person with whom you are studying does not ever realize they are lost (especially after lesson 5), there is no need in study further with them. ii. You especially want to put extra time into the section on “What Happens to Me When I Sin?” For instance, if the Bible says a non-Christian is classified as ungodly, whether the non-Christian feels he is or is not, does not change the fact that he is – and that he must do something about it. iii. Lost souls have a tendency to bring up the fact that there are a lot of hypocrite Christians and that they are better than most Christians who attend “church”. Agree with them and then say, “Yeah, but who are we to imitate? Who are we to please? If every Christian is not living the Christian life and you see that, does that excuse you from living the Christian life? Does that justify you choosing not to have any part of the Christian life?” This lesson teaches that all have sinned and; therefore, no one is any better than anyone else. However, those who follow Jesus and continue to faithfully do what He says, regardless of the behavior of hypocrites, will enter into heaven (Matthew 7:21). e. LESSON THREE: Jesus Christ, the Way i. The goal of this lesson is to prove that no one can save themselves from their sin by their own goodness (this does away with the hypocrite argument; because no matter how good a person is, he is never good enough to earn his salvation and wipe away his own sin) or by any other person, other than Jesus. ii. If the lost soul does not realize he is lost, he will never see the need for the Savior. Once he/she realizes he/she is lost, he will want to know about the only Way back to the Father. iii. In this lesson really emphasize and personalize the section on “What Did Jesus Do for Me?” iv. It is extremely important that you get the lost person to write down when and how they were “saved” after the end of this lesson (unless they admit they are lost). Get them to fill out and describe their “conversion” experience: “I, _____________________________________ (lost person’s name), was saved and became a Christian when I ____________________________________...”. It has been my experience that after the lost soul studies the rest of the lessons with you, they will

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HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

change their conversion story to include that they thought they were baptized for the remission of sins. So, when they first write down and describe their conversion experience – after they are finished – say something like, “OK, after you were saved, were you then baptized?” If they say yes, then ask, “How many days are weeks after you were baptized were you saved?” Be sure you have them write their answer down and you and the silent partner write their answer down as well and date it. You will most likely come back to this later. This will help the lost soul to remember and be most honest as they face the decision of whether or not to truly obey the gospel. f. LESSON FOUR: Jesus and His church i. The goal of this lesson is to help the lost soul realize that Jesus adds/translates those who are cleansed by His blood into His one true kingdom, the church of Christ. Jesus expects the saved citizens of His kingdom to not only be a part of His one true church, but to stay faithful to the one true church. ii. Especially emphasize the section of this lesson entitled, “I Must Be in Jesus’ Church/Kingdom to be Saved”. iii. When discussing Acts 20:28, conclude with the lost person that since the church was so important to Jesus that He died for/purchased it, we must also make it a priority in our lives by seeking it first according to Matthew 6:33. g. LESSON FIVE: What Must I Do to be Saved? i. The goal of this lesson is to teach the lost soul God’s plan of salvation (that is, how to come in contact with the blood of Jesus or how to obey the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8). ii. As you begin to teach what the New Testament says one must do, be sure to emphasize that each command by itself does not get one into the blood of Christ – it takes all of them. In other words, you cannot believe ONLY to be saved; you cannot confess ONLY to be saved; you cannot repent ONLY to be saved and you cannot be baptized ONLY to be saved. iii. Be sure to take your time on baptism. Make sure the lost soul thoroughly understands what baptism is, what it is for, and why they must be baptized (or re-baptized if they were baptized the wrong way or for the wrong reason. You cannot be taught wrong and baptized right) iv. If the lost soul changes his conversion story and said he was baptized for the remission of sins, take him back to lesson 3 where he wrote down his conversion experience before the Scriptures influenced his thinking. If he is still insistent that he was baptized for the remission of sins, have him call his preacher (or the one who preaches where he was baptized) and have him ask

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HOW TO DO PERSONAL EVANGELISM

why they baptized people and if it is for the remission of sins. The preacher(s) will say no and that will further settle the matter. v. If the lost soul says he/she is ready to be baptized, already have a place in mind where you are going to baptize him/her and go immediately to do so (regardless of what time it is). h. LESSON SIX: What Must I Do to Stay Saved? i. The goal of this lesson is to be able to go back to the lost soul for a final study to see if he/she has realized his/her need to obey the gospel. If he/she has, go ahead and take him/her to be baptized; otherwise either finish up this study or let the lost soul know that there is no need to go any further with the final lesson until he/she fully understands, agrees and is willing to obey what Jesus wants them to do. ii. Be sure to emphasize the importance of new converts remaining faithful in their attendance, way of life and work for the Lord and His church.

Always feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need help and would like for us to “coach” you on how to conduct these various methods of evangelism: email us at [email protected] or call at 580-798-7656.