Sharing faith close to home

LUBBOCK—Evangelism opportunities may not be right under every Christian’s nose, but they’re probably not much further than that—possibly even in the house next door.

In a state where about 11 million people indicate they have no connection with a church, Texas Baptist ministers indicate evangelism opportunities are abundant. If statistics prove true, odds are, a Christian has at least one neighbor who is not a Christ-follower.

Despite the reality that Texas is a mission field in need of people willing to share their faith, nationwide surveys repeatedly have reported fewer than 10 percent of Christians regularly share their faith. Some cite fear of rejection as the reason for not evangelizing. Others believe they don’t have enough knowledge to share their faith. Still others indicate they simply do not know any non-Christians.

Jim Brown, pastor of Monterrey Baptist Church in Lubbock, said Christians need to remember the Great Commission calls Christians to take the gospel to their neighbors, as well as to the ends of the earth.

“Right here before me is an opportunity Jesus is giving me to reach somebody,” Brown said. “You just have to look around your neighborhood. There are people everywhere.”

Students from the Baptist Student Ministry at Angelina College pray with a man during a mission trip to Galveston. (BGCT FILE PHOTO)

Monterrey Baptist Church has used an effort called “four by four” to refocus its local evangelism efforts. The campaign encourages Christians to identify four individuals or families in their social sphere who they believe do not attend church and write their names on a note card. Christians then are urged to pray for those people at least four times a week, invest in those people’s lives at least four times a year and invite them to at least four church opportunities a year.

The approach is simple, Brown said, but it’s been effective. The church baptized more people this year than last year, including some people who were directly influenced by the “four by four” effort. Adults are trying to share their faith. Students have connected with it, surveying their classmates and recognizing them as people with whom they can build a relationship.

“We’re just trying to change the DNA of our church, … the way our people think of the Great Commission,” Brown said. “We really want to make them more aware of the Great Commission. This seems to be a way that works.”

Perspective and purpose are keys for doing evangelism effectively, said Scott Willingham, local church evangelism director for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Christians need to be conscious of seeking opportunities to share their faith, he said.

As part of Project Jerusalem at First Baptist Church in Garland, members deliver packets of information about their church and New Testaments to about 400 homes near the downtown church campus.

“When we’re intentional about looking for something, we’re more likely to see it and take advantage of it,” Willingham said. “It’s true in many aspects of life, and it’s true in evangelism. If we’re purposeful about living our lives for Christ and seeking opportunities to share the gospel, we can more easily recognize the opportunities that God sends our way.”

God brought community residents to Primera Baptist Church in Mission when a few youth began attending Wednesday events. Eli Sanchez, then youth minister and current pastor of the church, noticed the young people were interested in skateboarding. His recognition of their interests changed the congregation forever.

“We really didn’t know anything about skateboarding,” Sanchez said. “That really wasn’t our model for church. But we began to change that.”

The church began constructing skateboard ramps for young people in the neighborhood. The youth in the church did much of the work, which encouraged them to take pride in the skate park they were building. It gave them ownership of it and encouraged them to invite their friends.

More and more youth came. Church members built relationships with the skateboarders and their parents, coupling skateboarding and efforts to share the gospel. The congregation built the only air-conditioned skate park in the Rio Grande Valley and held skateboarding competitions that included Christian testimonies and gospel presentations.

During a recent skateboarding competition that was part of ValleyReach—a Texas Baptist effort to share the gospel throughout the Valley before the BGCT annual meeting—10 young people made decisions for Christ and 15 others asked for prayer.

Christians need to remember the Great Commission calls Christians to take the gospel to their neighbors, as well as to the ends of the earth.

“Those skaters came for a reason and for a purpose,” Sanchez said. “They kicked it off. Those four turned into eight. Those turned into 20. In a year, we had 200.”

Bacon Heights Baptist Church in Lubbock is seeking to foster a similar connection with its community. For several years, the congregation planned to move south of the city and unintentionally became disconnected from the community around it. After a series of events delayed the move, the church sensed God’s calling to stay in its current location.

That meant the congregation needed to rededicate itself to its community, particularly within its ZIP code. For one year, church members prayer-walked every block of the area, asking God to guide them and lead them to a person of peace on each block.

Pastor Jerry Joplin encouraged church members in the ZIP code to lead the focused outreach, believing they would be the most effective missionaries there because they live there.

After a year of prayer, the congregation increased intentional efforts to build relationships with people in the area. It has engaged the three elementary schools, volunteering to feed teachers and paint walls.

The church still is early in its efforts to reconnect with the neighborhood, Joplin said. But the church is committed to making a difference for Christ in its ZIP code.

“We have turned the corner in having a passion and having compassion, seeing the fields are white for harvest,” Joplin said.

Willingham praised the way Brown, Sanchez and Joplin allowed God to guide them and their churches to see their neighbors as Christ does—people God loves and with whom he wants a relationship.

“A church that reaches out to its neighbors begins with leadership,” Willingham said. “It takes leadership like Jerry, it takes leadership like Eli, it takes leadership like Jim to help people, ministers who are committed to sharing the gospel. When God’s people are led to a biblical vision, they begin to live a biblical lifestyle that impacts that the lives of others.”