HTHSOE does not just train a few evangelists on a Monday night; we train the entire congregation to focus on winning souls. The church of Christ was created to be an army of soul winners that work together to achieve its mission.  Paul said, “The body is not one member, but many” (1 Corinthians 12:14).

The church is the most capable fighting force in the world.  We have the greatest leader who gave the perfect orders (Matthew 28:18). “Go ye” is not just “go me” but “go all.” Engaging members of the local church to provide contacts fulfills the strategy of Christ to call “many.” Each person in your pews knows dozens of lost people, but if these are not “called” they remain unharvested. Relying on one or two members for contacts is a losing strategy. Congregational evangelism gives you a huge playing field!

Further, for a person to turn down a single Christian is not hard but turning down an entire congregation is much more difficult. When a congregation puts its members to work sending Compassion Cards, they overwhelm a contact with the love.  This makes personal follow-up visits enjoyable and more productive. Just think of the difference between receiving one or two cards and receiving 20-30 cards in a week. We need our communities to see the love of Christ in action.

Every Christian needs to be personally invested in evangelism. Every Christian needs a purpose—a mission—training, and to be able to see tangible results. All evangelism should be personal, but when evangelism becomes congregational, we will reach our full potential. A winning army has each solider, from the cook to the pilot, working together to reach the objectives. Placing it on the back of your preacher, elders, or a select few does not create a functioning body. We must work together to reach the lost and bring glory to God through the church of Christ. “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).