Four Kinds of Evangelism

                                            Mother Teresa the Children's Evangelist

It was a great insight to have Ralph Winter from the US Center for World Mission to come to our church for a missions conference. Ralph and Roberta served in Latin America for years, reared children there and developed a fantastic Mission Training Organization. He came back to the States to Fuller Seminary and then established the US Center. They were great innovators and entrepreneurs.

Ralph taught us about the four types of Evangelism/Missions.
1. E0-Winning people from the church to Christ. There are many more converts from within the church than outside the church. The min Evangelists are Parents, Sunday School Teachers, Youth Leaders, Deacons, Elders, and Pastors.

Back in 2000 I was consulting with a large church in our area. I taught on this very concept to alert the Elders to the importance of "INWARD Evangelism". The stats are old but the trends are the same.

Look at your church and fill in the specific Evangelistic efforts under each age group. For example, E/0 efforts to children would look at the specific "in-reach" activities designed to lead our own children, youth and adults to faith in Christ. E/0 looks at those ministries/programs that are "outreach" to children, youth and adults that are in our cultural group who do not know Christ as Savior.

Approximately 17 million people become church members each year through conversion.

1.      About 7 million leave the church annually.(How can we slow this exodus?)

2.     This is a net of 10 million new believers added to the roles of churches annually

B.  Some 53 million children are born into Christian families each year. A huge number, three times the number won to Christ from outside the church.

1.      About 21 million church members die annually.

2.      This is a net gain of 32 million people in the church, if the children are converted.

3.       When added to the 10 million new members, there is a grand total of 42 million people added each year to the global church.

C.  This makes a growth rate of  approximately 115,000 people coming into the various churches of Christ each day, 365 days per year.

              1. 27,400 people each day are new converts

2.  87,700 are babies born each day to believers.

D. Therefore, "in-reach" evangelism-E/0-is critical to successful evangelism and missions. 

Go through the various segments of your church and count how many people are in them and how many come to faith in Christ each year. This will help you see where your new converts are coming from. (No converts means all you have is transfer growth.)

Respond to this by telling us where your converts are coming from. Which ministries are successful and which are not so successful? 

Read the Missions Book Climb Another Mountain by Donna Thomas on our web bookstore. 

Evangelism, Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ

I have been challenged lately to sort of "Prove" that we are a true, blue Mission Organization. One Pastor said, "You work IN the Church not out of the Church to bring people to Christ. That got my attention because we "Equip God's people to do all of those things. They are clear to me but we have obviously failed to communicate our mission, vision and strategy as well as our outcomes to others.

So here goes with my explanation. Missiologists and others interested in witnessing, sharing the gospel and winning people to Christ all over the world break those activities into four categories.

Evangelism/Mission 0-A focus on people inside the church who are not yet reborn.
Evangelism/Mission 1-People in my culture and area who share similar ideas, values, language, socioeconomic status.
Evangelism/Mission 2-People in my language group but different racially, linguistically, economically and socially.
Evangelism/Mission 3-People overseas with different languages, history, religious background, morals, ethics, etc.

Sweeten Life Systems has been involved in Equipping God's people to successfully communicate with every one of these categories. More on how later.

Read my book, Healing Release of the Holy Spirit to see how our theology speaks to every culture.

Amazing Ministry in India

Introduction: I met Pastor Shravan this summer when he was visiting with Rex Schrolluke and Ron Peake. He has a church, a children's home and a school but no curriculum. I asked if he had electricity and a computer. Yes to electricity and wi fi but no computers.  I introduced him to Bernie Stevens, founder of Power Net Global and Abydos Innovation line of Android Tablets. Now read the letter from Pastor Shravan.

Family and friends,

Greetings!

Look at the boy in the picture. His name is Pradeep. He came from a dysfunctional family. His father is a chronic alcoholic and his mom a very sick person. 

Since his Parents could not take care of him they admitted him in our Miracle Children's home. 

He never saw an a-pad in his life let alone uses it. (Home, School and Church)

Bernie Stevens (Abydos Innovations) has donated (2) a-pads (Android Tablets) to our home children.  Here is an example to show what a difference these a-pads are making.  

One day, early morning Pradeep came to my wife and asked her, "Mom, give me a tablet."

At first my wife did not understand what he meant. She thought he was asking for medicine.  

Then he rephrased it and used the word "Tab." Then she understood that he was asking for -a-pads. 

He loves to play with a-pads. 

Though the children came from a very poor background, never had access to these gadgets, they are clever enough to figure out to use them. Using the wi fi,  they are downloading new apps.

To my amazement, today one of the boys downloaded Telugu Bible free and reading the Bible in his a-pad. 

Isn’t it amazing?

I thank God for this blessing,

Pastor Shravan, India 

If you want to support Pastor Shravan and these children contact me.

I am Speaking this Weekend

Call God for Forgiveness Before Your Jump

Charlie McMahan and I will do another one of our famous dialogue sermons at Southbrook Christian Church near Dayton Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. The topic is Forgiveness and the outline Charlie and the team have put together is great. I suggest you either attend or go to their web and watch.

You can also get a lot of my stuff from the Breaking Free eBook and download the online PDF.

The Archbishop and the President

Archbishop Francis George of Chicago

I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.

When asked how he could take such a strong stand against governmental intrusion into moral and ethical issues, and was accused of not loving like Jesus.

Bishop replied:

 "Jesus is merciful but he is not stupid!"

If you want to read how  we can be merciful but nor stupid, read our works on healing and growth. 

What People Need From Churches

Do we send MIXED MESSAGES?

It is hard for Pastors and Elders to decide what to offer as Adult Education in their church. If you go to a seminar by one group they will focus on offering one thing and a different seminar will focus on another. Who is right?

 Below is a list of topics the church might offer in Sunday services or adult classes. 

1. Modern music
2. Expository preaching
3. Thematic preaching
4. New Testament Greek
5. Famous preachers as models
6. Missional Issues
7. The return of Christ
8. Modern heresies
9. Modernism
10. The dangers of psychology
11. Inerrancy
12. An overview of the Bible
13. Economics
14. Patriotism
15. Church history
16. Our favorite theologian
17. Marriage, parenting and family life
18. The danger of drugs
19. The danger of sex
20. Add your own suggestions

Have you ever done a Focus Group to find out what the congregation wants and needs? What are the things being faced by families that they need to be trained to deal with?

Go to our web and see what we think is important. Our free videos reveal our vision.

Church # 1 Need

What do you all think Christian adults need from church more than anything else?

Send me your comments?

Brainstorm what you would like to see.

You are the church so speak up.

Look at this video for ways we can go.

Communism Beginning and End

After doing ministry in Russia for over 20 years I can see why the families and individuals are so traumatized. Socialism which began with promises that poor workers would receive medical care and good working conditions ended up beaten starved and destroyed. Only Party Members were able to prosper materially but were also destroyed spiritually.

Read How to Be Me in My Family Tree for information about healing generational trauma.I have never met a person who was struggling with a legacy of destruction wrought by Bolshevik persecution and terror. I placed several charts on this blog showing the high correlation between Adverse Child Events and Adult diseases, addictions and mental illness. No wonder the people who lived under those dreadful circumstance are suffering from early death and the rampant onset of disease.

The film below is A short history of Communism on the BBC. Powerful and disturbing scenes from recent history.I found the film well done and very instructive. The photo of Stalin shows a man who did more to destroy individuals and families than any person on earth other than Mao.


Lost World of Communism

This photo shows the weight of baggage being carried by the people of the former Soviet Union. Thankfully, Sweeten Life's ministry is actively involved among the hurting people "Healing the broken hearted and setting those captives free."  

God is moving through Sweeten Life. Can you support us? Go to the web and find out how.

Numerous people are coming to faith in Christ and being renewed in their faith that had been squelched by the oppression of evil dictators. The political situation between the USA and Russia is tense but the spiritual and emotional relationships are strong. The people who lived under the Soviets appreciate the prayers of Christians from the USA. They appreciate the Bibles that we sent secretly to them when it was illegal under the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR).  

Obamacare will Punish Everyone

Forbes says:

Double Down: Obamacare Will Increase Avg. Individual-Market Insurance Premiums By 99% For Men, 62% For Women

 I love it when a politician promises a free lunch! 

  Health care for everybody. 

 The 30 million uninsured will get free care!

No more moms losing everything.

The Wash Post had a quote from the Obamacare Director.

We will definitely start the new law on October 1 but we will need a new definition of "Start".

Obamacare Notice to Me Today

September 25, 2013  Our office thought it imperative to notify all of a looming requirement under the Affordable Care Act (commonly Obamacare). Beginning October 1, any business with at least one employee and $500,000 in annual revenue must notify all employees, both full-time and part-time, by letter about the Affordable Care Act's health-care exchanges.   Small businesses, including churches and other religious ministries, should send their employees the required notice on or before October 1.  The requirement applies to any business regulated under the Fair Labor Standards Act, regardless of size.  After October 1, notices must be distributed to any new hires within 14 days of their starting date. Tax professionals, with the assistance of the IRS, are the gatekeepers to this national health care. Starting next year, tax preparers must ask a series of questions of their clients about their health care and if you do not have it, the tax preparer must figure the penalty for the client. The penalty is $95 per adult or 1% of adjusted family income next year, but jumps to $695, or 2.5% of income in 2016.   Wishing you many happy returns,

Wayne

A Prayer Poem for Getting Old

Lord, teach me to grow old with greater joy every day.
Protect me from aging with bitterness and remorse.
Give me the grace to seek for others before myself.
Help me to learn even more the joy of being last.

Lord, teach me to grow old with fewer enemies and more friends.
Show me how to put aside petty differences.
Open my eyes to where I’m wrong and others are right.
Allow me to make peace with as many as I can.

Lord, teach me to grow old with more of Your wisdom.
Convict me to spend more time with You and Your Word.
Remind me to seek You with a passion unlike any I’ve had.
Teach me even more how to rest in You and You alone.

Lord, teach me to grow old with a greater love for my family.
Show me that can I still be a better husband.
Teach me that I can still be a dad to grown sons.
And let me the wallow in the pure joy of grandchildren.

Lord, teach me to grow old and listen more carefully.
Let me learn how to hear the hopes, hurts, and dreams of others.
Teach me to go slower that I might notice those hurting around me.
And in my slower pace, show me how to help and give to those in pain and need.

Lord, teach me to grow old recognizing even more the brevity of life.
Help me not to hold on to the things of this world.
Give me the insight and strength not to fear dying and death.
And give me clarity and hope about soon seeing You face to face.

And in adding all of these things Lord, I pray that I will be able to say:
“I have not lived my life in vain.”

Even when I am old and gray God, do not abandon me. Then I will proclaim Your power to another generation, Your strength to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:18, HCSB) From the blog of Thom Ranier 

My friend Donna Thomas has written a new book for those who have lost a loved one. The title is Hope for Today and Tomorrow. You can get it from her at: 

2460 Glebe St. Apt. 216,   

Carmel, IN 46032

Her web page