March 24, 1999
FAITH gaining converts
among Lone Star churches
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___MAUD--Pastor Timothy Brown at First Baptist Church in Maud has a problem with FAITH.
___His members are so excited about it, there sometimes are more people wanting to make evangelistic visits than there are prospects in the Northeast Texas town of 1,000.
___"The first week our people go out to visit, they are usually nervous. The second week, they can't wait to go out," he said.
___And since the church started the weekly process of prospect discovery, evangelistic visitation, ministry, discipleship and assimilation into ongoing small- group Bible study, the congregation has outgrown its worship and Sunday school facilities.
___"Our growth is outpacing our building," Brown said.
___FAITH is a new strategy introduced last year by the Southern Baptist Convention's LifeWay Christian Resources and North American Mission Board. The acronym stands for five key words in a presentation of the Christian plan of salvation: forgiveness, available, impossible, turn and heaven.
___In Texas, the evangelism division and Sunday school/discipleship division of the Baptist General Convention of Texas are working together to promote the strategy.
___About 50 adults at First Baptist Church have been in-volved. They meet at the church on Sunday afternoons before going into the community in three-person teams, grouped by Sunday school classes.
___Using prospect lists developed from special activities at the church, participants visit door-to-door.
___They ask each person they visit, "In your personal opinion, what does it take for a person to go to heaven?"
___If the answer offered is anything other than repenting of sin, asking God's forgiveness and trusting in Jesus and his grace, the visitors share a simple gospel presentation.
___Members of First Baptist Church in Maud have made about 230 visits since last September. At least 36 people have made professions of faith in Christ as a direct result.
___First Baptist Church has baptized 28 people since September, most of them converted through FAITH visits.
___"We've experienced growth in every area--Sunday school, worship attendance, baptisms, offerings," Brown said. "Those who are in it have grown tremendously. We've seen people completely change."Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!