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Hi Pastor or Church Leader

[enCOURAGEment outline below – please listen to the audio]

When I came back to NZ 5 years ago many people said that the NZ Church had lost its heart for the gospel

• Illustration: The church evangelism seminar that was poorly attended
• But my experiences led me to disagree
• Illustration: Interviewing those who didn’t go to that seminar.
  • The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe (Romans 1:16)
  • The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel…  (1 Corinthians 4:4)

In most things in life, mastering the basics is the key to mastering the skill

Illustration: teaching my boys to ride bicycles they needed to learn to balance and turn, pedal and brake. Failure in teaching them to brake properly led to bloodied knees. The point: I didn’t need to teach them to do skids on the lawns or how to land jumps off ramps. That came naturally once the basics were learnt

• It is the same with evangelism
• In our culture today the key skill set is NOT ‘what the gospel is and how to share it’
  • Instead the key skill is how to engage a non-threatening two-way spiritual conversation with an average multireigious NZers
  • Illustrating the spiritual interest: hitchhikers – two skateboarders, one interested in graffiti – how can only one religion lead to God, and given the wonder of the universe how can there only be life on one planet?
  • Illustrating the spiritual interest: hitchhiker – 4 hour conversation, a God who loves, forgives, provides, is present, is good etc…  yet without the revelation that his name is Yashua/Jesus.

The member mobilisation strategy at AllTogether.co.nz shows pastors how to build authentic evangelistic culture in their church

• and the sermon outlines and matching studies (+ videos) provide content that makes sense.
• ILLUSTRATION: Many times i’ve seen NZ Christians mobilised where they had been immobilised for many years – through showing them how to engage non-threatening two-way spiritual conversations with nonChurch people.

This is really simple – yet KEY stuff to understand and apply if we want to see members mobilised.

May the Lord make you effective in making your members effective.

DAVE MANN. Dave is an Author and gifted communicator with a passion for the Gospel. This passion started when he came to faith at age 11. After Secondary School he went straight to Bible College, followed by 7 years in outreach ministry in New Zealand, then nearly 9 as a pastor in Singapore, before returning to New Zealand at the end of 2011. Dave is a visionary and fearless about pioneering initiatives aimed at helping the Church in New Zealand in the area of its mission. Author of various books and Tracts including “Because we care”, “That Leaders might last”, “The Elephant in the Room” and available free on this site: “The what and how of Youth and Young Adult ministry”.