“You are the Light of the World”

Chapter Six: Passive Evangelism

By Pastor Stephen Kurtzahn


During the past few weeks as we have been digesting the material in this evangelism training program entitled, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!, I'm sure you have asked yourself, "When will we start with the practical aspects of mission work?" Now that we have covered the materials which deal with the Biblical basis for witnessing, we can begin our study of "how" to do mission work. We divide this into two sections—passive evangelism and active evangelism.


•         Passive evangelism consists in what the congregation can do to make itself more visible in the community.


•         Active evangelism consists of what individuals can do personally to share their faith in Christ with others on a one-to-one basis.


Let People Know Where You Are


The first thing a church must do is to let people know it exists, and where it is located. In small towns this is not difficult, unless the church is on a small side street which does not have much traffic. In a large city, this task can prove to be much more difficult, no matter where the location of the building might be.


How does a congregation remedy such a situation? The first place to start is with the setting up of signs—one large attractive one in front of the church, and several directional signs on adjacent main streets.


When new businesses start up in a community, and they want to be known and recognized, they advertise—not only on billboards, but also on radio, television, in newspapers and on Internet websites. For many of us, the costs of TV are prohibitive, but radio can be used effectively if it is used properly. Sometimes radio stations offer free public service announcements for churches and other non-profit organizations. Some congregations have made good use of paid radio time by broadcasting 30 second devotions each morning.


Passive evangelism consists in what the congregation can do to make itself more visible in the community.


By far, the newspaper is the one media source used most by churches. Each week special stories are published on what the churches in the community are doing. On any Friday or Saturday, you can find a listing of churches in a special church directory section in most of our newspapers. But advertising in a newspaper can very often lose its effectiveness. An ad can get lost in a clutter of other ads. An ad might be placed with several other ads for Lutheran churches, again losing effectiveness.


Another method churches have used effectively is the sending out of a church information pamphlet to new residents in a community. Monthly listings of new residents can be purchased from a variety of sources. With this little attractive piece of paper, a church hopes to show people where it is located; but most important, it wants to get its message across. In producing a church information pamphlet, several things must be remembered—


1.       The wording must be brief and concise. People will not seriously look at something in their door or mailbox that cannot be glanced at and read in a few seconds.


2.       The pamphlet must be illustrated. Religious pictures also communicate a message, plus they attract attention.


3.       The pamphlet must be produced in a professional manner. Sloppy typing, typographical errors, etc., do not speak well of a group of believers entrusted with the Means of Grace. Besides, we don't want people turned off by such things before they even come and visit our services!


What We Have To Offer


People need to know what message a church has to proclaim, just as much as they need to know where it is located. This need can also be filled with the church information pamphlet. It can contain a simple Law and Gospel message, which relates the love of the Savior to fallen sinners who might otherwise never hear of Christ's forgiveness.


Follow Up


With the sending out of such materials, there hopefully will be many names crossing over the pastor's desk. But just one contact with such people is not enough. Follow up must be made and pursued. In order to do this, all names of new residents should be kept on file and up to date. After the first pamphlet is sent out, newsletters should be distributed on a regular basis. We hope such an effort will keep reminding people who we are, what we teach, and where we are located.


Our Goal


What do we hope to accomplish with all this work? When people, especially new residents, think of a Lutheran church, we want them to think of ours. When a problem or difficulty arises in their lives, we want them to know they can find comfort and guidance from God's Word here. If people desire a thoroughly Christian and Bible-centered education for their children, we want them to think of our Sunday School or our Lutheran elementary school. If someone is looking for our church on Sunday morning, we want them to know exactly where we are located.


Much More Work To Do


Through many different polls, surveys and questionnaires, it has been determined that only about ten percent of all new members first visit a church because of such efforts that we have mentioned above. This is a small figure indeed, but it is a start. And once Christians get serious about the organized evangelism efforts of their own congregation, they will be more encouraged and motivated to witness on their own.


Things to Do Before the Next Lesson


   

•      Continue to pray for your pastor, your congregation, your church body, and your own evangelism efforts.


•      At least once each week, beginning this week, give someone you know a copy of your church's information pamphlet. After the person has received it, pray that God the Holy Spirit will work in his or her heart by means of the Word of God which it contains.


•      If you speak to someone about your church, be sure to emphasize that it proclaims the Savior's love and forgiveness. Also be sure they know where your church is located, so they don't confuse your church with another.


•      Some other ideas —


a. Find out which radio stations in the area have free public service announcements for churches, and which stations have the lowest advertising rates.


b. Place posters in various locations for the church in your community.


c. Organize a day when many of your members will be able to go out and place pamphlets in various neighborhoods.





Note: This study was prepared by Pastor Steven Kurtzahn and was used at Zion Ev. Lutheran Church, Lawrenceville, Georgia by Pastor Nathanael Mayhew.

If you would like more information about this study,
please contact Pastor Mayhew