REACHING THE LOST – STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
Evangelistic success is not found in the baptistery but in the contacts made by the membership. If we have no contacts, we have no evangelism. Understanding the type of contacts you will encounter will provide a strategic advantage moving forward. Not everyone is in the same place spiritually. Contacts range from hot to cold on the evangelistic scale and should be treated accordingly. The following is a breakdown using three biblical terms.
Cold contacts are the most difficult to reach. These are composed of the unchurched and are at times unreachable. They are not sitting in your pews nor are not likely to visit. They are known to God but unknown to the members of the local church. They usually cannot be reached without considerable outreach. House to House/Heart to Heart, Gospel Broadcasting Network, and radio programs might touch them, but most need someone to knock on their door before they can be reached. Bringing these contacts to Christ takes time since we have to build relationships from the ground up. They are important to God because He sent His Son to die for them, so we must take time to reach them.
Warm contacts are those we know, but they are not in our pews. These are friends, neighbors, and co-workers with whom we share moments of life, but they are lost. Since a relationship is already present, all they may need is an open-window moment of compassion and love. Most of the contacts a congregation makes come from this category. They are ripe for compassion cards, personal invitations, community outreach, and congregational activities. Some of these contacts can even be engaged with the backdoor Bible study method.
Hot contacts are already sitting in your pews. Some may have been sitting there for years, and they are ripe for evangelism. These contacts do not require you to knock on a door, hand out a flyer, or send a special invitation because they have already come to you. Visitors who walk in through our doors randomly, family members who sit next to believing parents/spouses, and friends who reach out for spiritual guidance are all contacts. They are almost asking you for a Bible study, and in some cases, they do ask. In these instances, all you need is a simple transition and a ready method like Back to the Bible in hand to bring them to Calvary.
It will take many contacts to get a few conversions (Matthew 22:14). Understanding where contacts are located will help you turn a few of them into Bible studies. We should always look for them and be aware of where they might be located. We must come to a point when we no longer see plumbers, electricians, waitresses, and lawn care workers. Instead, we must see potential contacts who need to be prospected.
Whether they are hot, warm, or cold prospects, we must work to bring them to Calvary.
|
Recent Comments