evangelism

3 REPLICATING HABITS OF SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY PASTORS

To replicate means “to make a copy of; to reproduce.” When used in the context of the Christian mission, replication carries with it the expectation of making disciples.

This is the fourth and final article in a series about the habits of spiritually healthy pastors. In the previous articles, I addressed the worship habits, learning habits, and serving habits of spiritually healthy pastors.

When we worship, learn, serve, and replicate, we embrace the mission of Christ to become his followers in action and attitude. 

While worshiping, learning, and serving should be personal habits and community experiences, we must guard against them becoming merely church activities. We have plenty of church activities. 

What we need more than activity is to make sure we’re replicating the life of Jesus into another person. The following three habits build discipleship into our daily decision-making. 

HABIT #1: SHARE THE GOSPEL PERSONALLY. 

No doubt, most of us share the gospel regularly in our preaching. We must do this. In fact, during these days of streaming church services, we may be communicating the gospel to more people than would ever visit our church. 

But public preaching doesn’t take the place of personal witnessing. Paul instructed Timothy, “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). Personal evangelism is work, but it’s a necessary habit for the pastor/church leader. 

Opportunities and relationships are the keys to sharing the gospel regularly. As pastors, we need to create opportunities for witnessing by getting into our communities and around unbelievers. 

Volunteering at local ministries and non-profits, coaching a kids’ sports team, and contacting visitors to your church will provide numerous opportunities for sharing the gospel. 

When those opportunities arise, we must be willing to engage the work of building relationships and continuing gospel conversations. 

A husband and wife who became followers of Jesus last year in our community did so after several years of relationship and numerous gospel conversations. 

These days of social distancing provide obstacles to face-to-face witnessing, but also many opportunities. 

In just the last three weeks, I’ve had several gospel conversations with those in and around my church who needed counseling, support, and ministry. 

Simply put, we as pastors need to look to include the gospel in as many conversations as we can. 

HABIT #2: INVOLVE OTHERS IN YOUR MISSION CONSISTENTLY. 

In Acts 11:25-26, Barnabas sought out Saul (the Apostle Paul) and brought him to Antioch to help him teach the young church there. Barnabas realized the job in front of him was bigger than he could handle on his own. 

We need to be big enough to admit we’re not big enough on our own. For us to fulfill the mandate of making disciples, we can’t go at it alone. 

Whether we have a church staff or we’re the entire staff, we must engage in the regular habit of involving others in our ministries. 

None of us are irreplaceable, and none of us are permanent. 

By involving others in our mission and ministries, we can replicate the life of Jesus and the ministry of the church in the lives of others who’ll carry on making disciples even when we’re no longer around. 

Practically, this means sharing responsibilities and inviting people to do ministry alongside you. 

HABIT #3: EQUIP OTHERS TO SUCCEED YOU SIGNIFICANTLY. 

Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 is to make disciples. He expected His followers to lead others to follow Him. 

Jesus’ method of disciple-making wasn’t large events. It wasn’t come and see worship experiences. It wasn’t seminars and leadership conferences. It wasn’t even miracles. 

Jesus’ method was the training of the apostles who’d preach and teach the gospel and disciple others. 

Friends, we’re the product of Jesus’ method. Jesus spent only three years in personal ministry but has had an impact for 2,000 years through His disciples. 

The beauty of Jesus’ method is that it’s reproducible. There’s coming a day when you won’t be the pastor, staff member, or disciple-maker at your church. Have you prepared for someone to succeed you? 

Even if you don’t train your successor per se, when we equip and disciple others, we embrace Jesus’ method. 

If you know of ways pastors and churches are embracing the challenges of social distancing and continuing to make disciples, I’d love to hear about them.

Originally published at here Lifeway Facts and Trends.

Are you evangelistic?

Have you ever had news so good to share you couldn’t wait to tell someone? We tend to be wiling to share news about pregnancies or weddings or promotions very easily. But do you share the best news of all? Are you evangelistic? Do you regularly put yourself in situations where you can share your faith personally?

In the New Testament, especially the book of Acts, the early believers are consistently, regularly, faithfully sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Privately, publicly, personally and powerfully they shared the good news with sinners. Philip, one of the church’s first deacons provides a great model for being evangelistic in Acts 8. Philip offers five imperatives that will help us be more effective and intentional evangelists.

  1. Be Obedient. Philip had been preaching in a revival setting in Samaria, but God sent him to the desert. Philip obeyed. His obedience led to an opportunity to share the gospel with an Ethiopian eunuch. Sometimes you may be frustrated with your situation and location. But be obedient. Maybe God has you right where you are just because he wants you to share the good news with someone.
  2. Be Attentive. Philip noticed the eunuch and ran to speak to him. I think sometimes we fail to share the gospel simply because we are so busy with our own stuff. Look for a person to talk with. Pay attention to the waiter or waitress at the restaurant or the homeless person on the street corner. Being attentive to our surroundings and to others will afford us opportunities to share the good new
  3. Be Inquisitive. Philip’s first words to the eunuch were in the form of a question, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” It can be challenging and intimidating to know how to share your faith with someone. But when you are not sure what to say, ask a question. Being inquisitive allows you to genuinely be interested in other people and move the conversation toward spiritual things.
  4. Be Prepared. Philip connected the reading in Isaiah 53 to Jesus himself. If you know Jesus as your Lord, then you know enough to share the gospel. Would you consider standing in a pulpit to preach with no preparation? I would hope not. Your greatest evangelistic preparation comes from your daily walk with Jesus Christ and meditating and memorizing Scripture.
  5. Be Available. Philip was not only ready to share, but even baptized the Ethiopian right there. This imperative should also be an overarching theme of our lives. Are you available to share Christ and make disciples or are you too busy doing other church things? There is little more important in our lives than sharing Christ with others and leading them to follow Jesus. We must be available.

It is so easy to be distracted and hampered by good things from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. But when we look at the story of the early church, the gospel was not hampered. They shared over and over again because they were ready to share. Are you?