Ideas For Evangelism - Way of Life Literature

IntroductionPastoral Leadership Is EssentialAn effective and fruitful evangelistic church outreachbegins with godly pastors who rise to the challenge oftraining, motivating, and leading the congregation tofulfill this essential responsibility before God.There is a saying that “everything rises and falls onleadership.” While we do not agree completely with that,for the simple reason that a lot also rises and falls on“followship,” we do agree that much rises and falls onleadership. Though God’s people are individuallyresponsible to obey His commands and to seek thesalvation of the lost, they are also likened to sheep; andsheep must have a shepherd. That is why God has givenpastors to the churches. It is why the apostles quicklyordained pastors in each church they started (Acts 14:23;Titus 1:5). It is a fact of history that the rise and fall ofchurches is largely determined by the character and zealof the leadership.The first key to evangelism in the congregation,therefore, lies with the church leaders. It is crucial thatthe pastors be godly men who are zealous for evangelismand world missions and that they promote this zeal to thecongregation, and that they frequently bring in other menwho can help stir up this zeal. The natural tendency is forChristians, through the normal business and cares of lifeand the natural tendency toward spiritual slothfulness, toturn inward and to lose their zeal to win the unsaved toChrist. There must, therefore, be a regular emphasis onthis urgent matter or it can quickly grow lukewarm.