Evangelism Handbook

From the time Michael Jordan hit the game winner in the 1982 national championship until now, I have been a huge UNC basketball fan. Living near the campus and attending games there over the past decade and a half have only made being a fan sweeter. After Dean Smith retired in 1998 and Bill Guthridge coached the team effectively for three years, Matt Doherty became head coach in 2000. Doherty played with Jordan in that ’82 championship. His second season was the worst in decades at Carolina, posting an 8–20 record—ending a thirty-one-year streak of 20 or more wins. After a 17–15 season the next year, Doherty was replaced by Roy Williams. In two years Williams led the team to the national championship and back to the national prowess they had known. My point? Leadership matters, whether in sports, business, or in a local church.

I have argued in this book that the world has been and will be changed more by movements than institutions. The movement of God we call the church has experienced an ebb and flow from effectiveness and great impact to mediocrity and ineffectiveness throughout her history. When we think of those times when the church moved to greatness evangelistically, theologically, or culturally, we think of men of God who were great leaders: Peter, John, and Paul; Augustine and Chrysostom; Luther and Calvin; Grebel and Manz; Wesley and Whitefield; Edwards and Tennent; Spurgeon and Moody; the list could go on at great length. By greatness I do not mean the simplistic way we measure greatness in the church today, by the three B’s: Buildings, Bodies, and Budgets (or in my context as a Baptist: Buildings, Baptisms, and Budgets). Such an institutional measuring stick fails to see the greater impact of movements. No, when the church has moved forward for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel, she has influenced entire cultures to change. Her influence has gone far beyond the confines of church buildings or church parishes.

The Western church has a great need for leaders who will advance the church from the malaise of mediocrity to great impact once again. We have some excellent leaders; we certainly need more. Leadership has become a topic of great interest among evangelicals. Multitudes of books, seminars, and lectures have been prepared on the subject. Entire cottage industries have sprung up to approach the subject. Leadership gurus have emerged in the church and the corporate world (sadly, often the two have no distinctions from each other). I began this chapter with a quote from a book dealing with businesses because it actually goes against the grain of conventional wisdom on leadership and has discovered principles consistent with Scripture. More about that in what follows.

God has hardwired humanity to need leaders. You see this in every sphere of human life. How many times have we seen a terrible sports team suddenly turn things around or a business move into profitability or a church go from stagnation to vibrancy because of one simple factor: a change in leadership. If you are a leader, whether in a staff position at a church or as a layleader, parachurch leader, or any other position where you have influence over others, learning to be a better leader matters.

Those who intentionally lead them to both a burden for unbelievers and effectiveness in telling the good news lead evangelistic churches. Churches that will move from conventional to missional and become increasingly effective in reaching the unchurched around them will do so in no small part because of leadership.

This book has been written for students, ministers, and laity—in fact, any believer who seeks to learn more about evangelism. Let me say a specific word to the reader who is a pastor: unless the pastor leads the church in its evangelistic fervor, the church’s commitment will soon wane.

Philips Brooks was right when he said, “If God called you to preach, don’t stop to be a king.” On the other hand, Spurgeon was correct in admonishing if you can do anything besides preach, by all means do it. The call to be a pastor of a local church is indeed a high calling. The need of our day is for pastors who lead their churches in evangelism.

Paul used three words interchangeably to refer to the office of pastor. Poimen, or “pastor,” denotes shepherding a flock. Hence, pastors are to feed, protect, and nurture a congregation. The word translated “bishop” or “overseer” is episkopos. The pastor is the leader of the church. Jesus is the sovereign head, but the pastor is the human leader. Finally, a pastor is a presbuteros, an “elder,” or a mature example to the flock.

Unfortunately, some people have unrealistic expectations of pastors, thinking they should have a big “S” on their shirts. Note the following description of a “perfect” pastor:

He preaches exactly 20 minutes and then sits down. He condemns sin but never hurts anyone’s feelings. He works from 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. in every type of work from preaching to custodial service. He makes $60 per week, wears good clothes, buys good books regularly, has a nice family, drives a good car and gives $30 per week to the church. He also stands ready to contribute to every good work that comes along. He is 26 years old and has been preaching for 30 years. He is tall and short, thin and heavy-set, handsome. He has one brown eye and one blue; hair parted in the middle, left side dark and straight; the right, brown and wavy. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with older folks. He spends all his time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work. He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched, and is never out of the office.²

If I have learned anything about ministry and evangelism over the years, it is this: almost everything rises or falls with leadership. In the Bible, when God began to do a work, he set aside someone as the anointed leader—a person who understood humility and submission to God but was also bold and courageous.

The writer of Hebrews admonished, “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. . . . Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb 13:7,17). Paul told the Ephesian church that God gifted leaders to equip the church for ministry (Eph 4:11–16).

In his last letter, Paul gave Timothy sound advice concerning leadership. In 2 Tim 2:1–15 we can glean principles for leading in evangelism. Following a word of exhortation in verse 1, Paul outlined to Timothy how to multiply leadership and thus the ministry. He followed the exhortation with three analogies for sound leaders, concluding with a testimony concerning his own example and recognition of the faithfulness of God. The inspired words of Paul provide the perfect framework for developing principles of effective leadership.

Paul exhorted Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 2:1). Timothy faced an awesome task, but one the Lord himself had ordained. Timothy was probably insecure about the task before him. He was neither the first nor the last church leader to struggle with such emotions. If God has called you, He will sustain you. It is far less about your ability and far more about His call.

One of the attributes of effective pastors whom I have admired is their ability to rest in the call of God on their lives. Adrian Rogers tells the story about when he was first called to ministry. He began to think, God, you can’t call somebody like me. I’ll never be of any use to you. Why would you call someone like me? He genuinely struggled with his call.

One night he went out into a football field to spend time with God. And he said, “God, unless you fill me with your Spirit and your power, you’ll never use me; I’ll never be of any use to you.” He got on his knees before God. He felt he could not get low enough, so he laid down on the ground to humble himself before God, begging God to use him, to fill him, to empower him. He still didn’t feel low enough, so he dug a hole and put his nose in it, getting as low as he could to the ground. God will never use us unless we realize that we are nothing apart from Him.

As a leader, you must recognize that you will take abuse by virtue of your position. In his first pastorate, John Morgan was berated weekly by a lady in his church. After one occasion when she ripped the young pastor unmercifully, John and his wife retreated to their seminary housing. John’s dad, himself a pastor, called that evening. John poured out his broken heart. The elder pastor gave sage advice to his son: “John, when you hang up, get a quiet place to pray. Then thank the Lord for the opportunity to preach. Thank God that you made it home tonight. Then thank God that you are not married to that woman!”

If God has called you to be a leader, you should be yourself. Don’t copy others. Be strong in the grace of God. While in Houston, I observed closely the ministries of John Bisagno, pastor of First Baptist Church, Houston, and Ed Young, pastor of Second Baptist Church in that great city. These men led two of the strongest churches in America, and they are only a few miles apart. But their leadership styles are dramatically different. Be yourself.

The church that John MacArthur serves grew through verse-by-verse preaching. Chuck Swindoll did the same with warmth and humor. Ed Young has grown a church reaching upwardly mobile Houstonians. Get to know who you are in Christ, like who you are, and be who you are.

“Great men lead people,” Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ said, “but greater men train leaders.” Paul sounded this advice to Timothy when he declared, “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). While serving in Indiana, I saw firsthand the reality that the greatest barrier to overcome in church growth is the 200 mark in attendance. A primary reason for this is that, when a church grows to this size, a pastor must train leaders or employ more staff to facilitate further growth. The training of leaders has received too little attention. Paul mentored Timothy, and Timothy mentored others.

How did Jesus lead others? He taught the multitudes. He sent out 70 to preach. But He called 12 to walk with Him, live with Him, learn from Him. Then He especially poured His life into three—Peter, James and John. Did the church erupt and spread through the multitude He taught? No, some of those He taught yelled “crucify!” before His death. He poured His life into a few. And today you read this book because of their impact.

Mentoring is very popular today, and that is good. Two kinds of mentoring develop leaders: formal and informal. The formal style generally follows the example of Jesus and His disciples. A pastor or leader will gather regularly with a small group for teaching and accountability. When I was in college, a man took two other students and me through intensive discipleship, Scripture memory, and witnessing. This was an invaluable experience to me. I know pastors who effectively mentor key laymen; others mentor young men who have surrendered to vocational ministry. I spend specific, consistent time with certain students, particularly doctoral students, in a mentoring relationship.

Informal mentoring looks for opportunities to mentor on a more short-term or casual basis. We should not underestimate the teachable moments that arise spontaneously. Taking laity or students with you to conferences can be life changing. I hardly ever go anywhere by myself. I love to take students (I love to make them drive!) and talk about ministry as we travel. Such informal mentoring has proven to be a great augment to my classroom teaching.

Let me say a word to young ministers and in particular seminarians who may be reading this book. If you would long to be mentored or discipled by a more mature believer or be in a small group, be teachable. Most young ministers are; most are like sponges hungering to learn. But some, especially those who are obviously gifted and/or have had success early in ministry, fall into the trap of thinking they are God’s gift to the ministry. I have seen a few so arrogant in their views they will not listen to instruction or corrections. And rarely do those last an entire life of ministry. Of all the traits you can cultivate, being teachable may be the best.

There is also great value in peer mentoring. The greatest thing that ever happened to me in my seminary experience was the development of a mentoring friendship with four other men during our doctoral work. The five of us and our wives get together annually each summer, and we keep up through phone calls and letters during the year. These men, though my age, are my heroes, and they provoke me to good works.

Mentoring in evangelism is vital. As evangelism director in Indiana, I worked with a young man who was attempting to plant a church. He felt unprepared to witness and had become discouraged. I began to spend time with him and put him in contact with others who could encourage him. He attended an evangelism conference in Atlanta, where he stayed in the home of a soul-winning layperson, a member of the First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia. He also received special evangelism training in Indiana. As a result, he began winning people to Christ. After a year of effective witnessing, his mission church led the state in baptisms by ratio! I often take my students with me to share Christ as well.

The philosopher Aristotle, in his Nichomachean Ethics, described three kinds of friendships: (1) friendship of utility, based on usefulness derived from your association; (2) friendship of pleasure, based on pleasure in each other’s company; and (3) friendship of virtue, derived from mutual admiration. Perhaps mentoring is best done when all three of these elements exist and when it is founded on biblical teaching.

Paul also told Timothy to be like a soldier (2 Tim 2:3–4). A soldier understands the importance of serving others, both his commander and his country. Rather than leading in an autocratic matter, the servant-leader is the biblical model. Jesus said we are to be ministers or servants. He declared, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). The word “serve” means “to heal broken bones.” It also means to “furnish a house.”

Hear the sage wisdom of pastor John Morgan, who planted the Sagemont Church in Houston from a handful of people and watched it grow to a megachurch over 40 years: “I lead by example. If we need satellite parking, I park the farthest away. When we eat, I never go first. Be low key. People call me ‘Brother John.’ If you have to tell people you are the pastor, that you answer only to God, and that God speaks to you, you are headed for trouble.”

To demonstrate a servant heart, Morgan did the following: “We have Wednesday night suppers. I began bussing the tables, then some staff helped me. I didn’t tell the deacons. After a year, the deacons joined in. Some members have tears in their eyes; they don’t want me to do it!”

Being a servant means being human, being transparent. There is a difference between vision and ambition. Ambition’s goal leans toward self-fulfillment, self-recognition, and self-gratification. Vision regards something we receive from God, not what we dream on our own. I often ask my students to identify the vision God has given them. Billy Graham has never strayed from God’s vision for his life. Neither should we.

Fenton Moorhead, my former pastor, said, “We must admit our mistakes. If you make a mistake in public, apologize in public.” He adds: “The little things are important. A nine-year-old wrote me, telling me she enjoyed the sermon, and made comments. I called her and gave her guidance. Her mom was thrilled that I called.”

A principle of leadership: the leader must be able to handle power well. Lord Acton’s dictum was, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Heed his warning. John Bisagno says, “You should never use all the power and the authority you have as a leader. As a leader, take more blame than you deserve and give more praise than is deserved—not in a manipulative kind of way but in a spirit of humility.”

Demonstrate a servant attitude in the way you talk about God and other people. Rick Warren says there is nothing spectacular about a pastor who says, “I love to preach.” What is much more significant, Warren argues, is the pastor who says, “I love my people.” Your respect, your awe, your wonder that God has called you will say much to those who follow you. John Bisagno says, “Leadership must be granted by the people and earned by you.”

In Jim Collins’ book Good to Great he studied companies that featured a dramatic and sustained turnaround. He found principles consistent with Scripture. For instance, he described what he called a Level Five (L5) leader as the most effective. What are the primary traits of a L5 leader? One trait is an unwavering commitment to the company. The other, which was surprising to his research team, was the remarkable modesty and humility of the leaders of great companies compared to those whose companies exhibited mediocrity, as these quotes demonstrate:

In contrast to the very I-centric leaders of the comparison leaders, we were struck by how the good-to-great leaders didn’t talk about themselves. . . . When pressed to talk about themselves, they’d say things like, “I hope I’m not sounding like a big shot.” . . . Those who worked or wrote about the good-to-great leaders continually used words like quiet, humble, modest, reserved, shy, gracious, mild-mannered, self-effacing, understated, did not believe his own clippings; and so forth. . . . The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedestal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly normal people quietly producing extraordinary results.³

Sounds like a pretty good description of the leadership style of Moses or David or Paul, or for that matter our Lord Himself. In a day when CEO-driven, self-promoting pastoral models that imply one must be a Type A, ADHD, overly aggressive type who has mastered all the leadership principles of the gurus of our time, we need more men of God who walk and lead in humility.

Too many leaders in ministry have become so accustomed to the “profession” of ministry that they have forgotten the purpose of the ministry they lead. Humility helps us to avoid such an attitude. A notorious British criminal stood condemned to die. The morning of his execution the prisoner observed the minister as he walked beside him to the gallows, reading Bible verses without emotion. Stunned the chaplain seemed so unmoved by the circumstances of the day, he said to the preacher, “Sir, if I believed what you and the church say you believe, even if England was covered with glass from coast to coast, . . . I would walk over it—if need be on my hands and knees—and think it worthwhile, just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that.”⁴

Paul’s second analogy is that of an athlete competing for a crown (see 2 Tim 2:5). Observe the commitment of Olympic gold medalists—the sacrifices they endure for a temporal crown. Why the years of training for a few moments of glory? They have a passion, a vision for the prize. No coach has ever told his team, “Our goal is to lose every game by an embarrassing margin.” We play sports to win. We compete in athletics to do our best. While ministry should not be a competition, we ought to have the drive of an Olympic athlete in our passion to honor Christ!

Inside the heart of every person is a desire to make an impact. God has given each Christian a vision that he or she must fulfill. Your role as a leader is to help others catch the vision that God has for their lives. No one is less motivated than a person who is called upon to fulfill the goals of another person. But a visionary leader sees the potential in others that they do not see in themselves. Goethe said, “Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he already were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.”

Who knows but that you may have a missionary under your influence. A great pastor. A businessman whose success will mean millions of dollars contributed to the cause of Christ. Many are not involved in evangelism because they have no idea of the impact they can make. Leaders need to provide vision and hope to the people of God.

Athletes push themselves and often take risks. Leaders must constantly push those they lead to avoid complacency. Pastor Mark Driscoll observed, “I’ve learned that sometimes the most important thing a leader can do is to create strategic chaos that forces people to pull together and forces on an urgent need, therefore subtly getting rid of . . . complaints in a subversive way.”⁵ Keeping people focused on the mission helps to lower the impact of those who hinder the mission.

People instinctively want a challenge, to be a part of something bigger than they are. The institutional church typically does this by mammoth building projects requiring some level of sacrificial giving, and much more rarely by pushing people to sacrifice their time and energy to reach people unlike themselves.

Notice Paul’s analogy of a faithful farmer (see 2 Tim. 2:6). A farmer works the ground, believing the harvest will come. The doubting farmer will give up on the harvest at the first sign of drought.

I love these words of Aristotle: “That which we learn with delight we never forget.” Expectant, excited, encouraging leadership is found in most evangelistic churches. Take a moment and think of the one person who most influenced you in your walk with Christ. It was probably his or her encouragement that made the greatest impact. Faith is contagious. If you are an encourager, those whom you lead will grow in their own sense of expectancy. An optimistic leader, driven by faith in God, moves forward in confidence in God’s desire to bless a church that pleases him. Such a leader does not jump on the bandwagon of every fad that comes along. An expectant leader’s faith is in God, not his own ability, so he is not tossed to and fro by the latest craze.

We can have confidence in the gospel. We can expect God to honor a faithful church. Paul said that we should know the times, which means literally an intimate understanding of the society in which we minister (Rom 13:11). Cultures change, demanding innovative, contextualized approaches to reach lost people. But our understanding of culture should lead us to address societal needs with a Christ-centered solution, not a culture-driven approach (Rom 13:12–13).

Paul offered himself as an example (see 2 Tim 2:7–14). In verse 14, Paul summarized the previous verses by commanding Timothy to remind those whom he led of such vital truths. One of the most significant things a leader can do is to define what is real, what is truth, to those whom he leads. People with Type-A, extroverted, charismatic personalities lead more easily as a rule, but leadership must be founded on the timeless principles of Scripture, not the force of one’s personality.

Leadership is defining reality. Our understanding of reality comes from God’s Word. Defining reality means confronting people who refuse to follow. It means standing firm in the face of the skeptical, the apathetic, or the indifferent. It means recognizing that wolves will come into your church in sheep’s clothing, and you as the leader must constantly focus on the mission at hand. The epitaph on a hypochondriac’s tombstone read, “I told you I was sick.” You will constantly have to choose the hill on which you are willing to die. Some leaders lose their authority to lead by becoming involved in secondary decisions in the church. A great leader does not become a micromanager but instead keeps his attention on the core values that matter, not unlike the apostles who kept their attention on “the ministry of the Word and prayer.”

For what reason would you surrender your ministry? If a church’s actions mitigate against evangelism, will you give in or defend the gospel? While many pastors lose their ministries for bad reasons, some things are worse than losing your job. One is losing your convictions. We need leaders who will declare boldly the unsearchable treasures of Christ from a heart of love and without fear of the consequences.

Leadership is influence. Throughout his epistles the apostle Paul held himself up as an example. You must have integrity, conviction, and character. Without this, those whom you lead will recognize the emergence of the “Barney Fife” syndrome in your life. Remember Barney from the Andy Griffith Show? He carried a gun, but it had no bullets. Having a badge without bullets is like being in a leadership position with no respect. If you have to tell people you are the leader, you are not the leader!

If your present ministry is just a stepping-stone for your ambition for the future, people will figure that out. More importantly, God has already figured it out. But if you demonstrate a genuine love for God and a love for the people to whom you minister, more than a few will follow you. Love everyone, but move with the movers. Over time, they will follow. Your burden for lost people will become their burden.

I learned this in Indiana. When I went there—first as associate, then as evangelism director—I knew I was getting in over my head. So I asked two people for advice: Carlos McLeod, evangelism director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas; and Malcolm McDow, my professor at seminary.

Both gave me great advice. They told me that I should not go to the churches in Indiana promoting my programs or plans. They advised me to preach the Word of God and let the people sense my passion for Christ and the gospel. When the people sensed my love for God and a desire to help the churches rather than convincing them to use my programs, they would follow my leadership.

These leaders were exactly right. I knew little about Indiana and less about denominational leadership. But the Lord gave me a great burden for the lost people and the churches in Indiana, and he honored my ministry there more than I could have asked or dreamed.

Pastors often complain about the seven words that kill churches: “We’ve never done it that way before.” It is difficult to get people to change. But if we are to lead people to be open to change, we must demonstrate that we are open to change. Model the truth that change is normal, not the enemy. If you love contemporary worship but are in a traditional church, you will have to change as much as the people at first, meeting them where they are. Are you as excited about changing yourself as you are about changing others?

As a church grows, leadership styles change. Leading a church of 100 people is different from leading a congregation of 300, 500, or 1,000. Many pastors never lead a church beyond 200 people in attendance, not because there are no more people to reach, but because the pastor must change his style of leadership. He must relinquish responsibilities (read “power”) to laypeople and eventually to other staff. He must move from being a shepherd to serving as a rancher.

“No Christian leader is the person of God that our Lord wants him to be unless day after day the consuming desire of his heart is that people come to Christ.”⁶ These words from Wesley Duewel demonstrate the importance of linking leadership in ministry to evangelism. As a leader, ask yourself: Are those I am leading more excited about evangelism because of my leadership? Are they more effective in sharing their faith? A person who thinks he is leading when no one is following is only taking a walk.

The central issue of getting people involved in witnessing is leadership. Let me give you a sad example of this. I participated in a witnessing effort in a church in the Southwest. The young pastor was obviously nervous about door-to-door evangelism. He read the passage about Jesus sending out the 70 where Jesus said, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash” (Luke 10:18). Commenting on this statement, he said, “Some people interpret this to mean that the witness was so powerful that it caused Satan to fall.” (By the way, that’s the way most interpret it.) He went on to say, “That’s not how I interpret it.” He spent about five minutes explaining that Satan was going to give everyone a hard time, people would not be interested, and so on. That’s the most blatant example of defeatism I’ve ever experienced. By the time he finished his explanation, I was so discouraged I almost didn’t want to go out witnessing.

This young man didn’t like to go out and witness. It was uncomfortable for him. Pastors can hold their people back. Soul-winning pastors beget soul-winning churches. Here are some ways you can encourage your people to get into the fields.

Try this in your church or class: Ask how many people have ever had a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness knock on their door. Usually, it is 90 percent or more. Then ask how many have ever had anyone approach them to share Christ. Usually the number is more like 10 percent. This is a striking reminder that we have been too reluctant to lead people to share Christ with others.