October 1, 2026
I’ll never forget it. At just 16 years old, I sensed the call to ministry and preached my very first message after being coached up by my youth pastor. As the message drew to a close, I did my best to present the gospel and call for a response. In the back of the room, a girl’s hand went up in the air to indicate that she was ready to trust Jesus.
That moment changed my life. There is nothing like the thrill of being used by God to see other people come to Jesus. As pastors, we get the honor of preaching the gospel every week and calling people to believe. It is just as effective now as it was in the New Testament church.
Still, we must come to terms with the fact that if preaching the gospel on a Sunday morning is our main evangelistic strategy, we are going to miss a lot of people in our communities. According to research by the evangelism team for our Georgia Baptist Mission Board, there is not a county in Georgia that has greater than 20% of its residents in attendance on a Sunday. That means there are countless people who may never walk into our worship services, listen to our sermons, or watch our messages online. Yet these very same people will listen to a trusted coworker, neighbor, teammate, or friend who belongs to one of our churches.
If we want to see an exponential gospel impact across Georgia, we must engage our people in personal evangelism. The task can seem overwhelming, so here is a simple strategy to help you mobilize your people to share Jesus.
The 5 E’s of Engaging Church Members in Personal Evangelism
1 - Explain Eternity
Many Christians affirm that Jesus saves, yet functionally believe that people can somehow make it to heaven apart from faith in Christ. Our culture’s emphasis on inclusion and acceptance can subtly weaken urgency for evangelism. Yet Jesus clearly taught in John 14 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Until believers understand that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ, they will never feel urgency to share the gospel. Pastor, preach the exclusivity of Christ and the necessity of personal faith so your people understand both the reality of eternity and the urgency of evangelism.
2 - Equip Everyone
Evangelism training cannot be reserved for a small Tuesday night class attended only by a passionate few. If we truly want to mobilize the church, we must train from the pulpit. Pastor, regularly teach believers how to share their testimony and clearly communicate the gospel during your Sunday morning worship experience. Whether using Three Circles, Romans Road, or something else, choose a tool and teach it to your people. If you take a Sunday or two each year to do this, you’ll see the trend of people sharing their faith rise. Even sharing the gospel clearly every Sunday becomes training for believers who are listening and learning how to communicate the message themselves.
3 - Extend Beyond the Bubble
One major obstacle to evangelism is that many believers simply do not have meaningful relationships with people far from God. Churches have often done such a good job of protecting believers from sin that they don’t know any sinners. Evangelism becomes difficult when there are no relationships in which gospel conversations can naturally happen. Churches should encourage members to intentionally build friendships with neighbors, coworkers, and others who need Christ. We use a simple tool called “My5” to help people identify five individuals who may need to know Jesus.
4 - Exemplify Personal Evangelism Yourself
Leaders must model what they are asking their people to do. Pastor, you don’t need to be a superstar personal evangelist, but you should regularly share Jesus, engage in spiritual conversations, and talk honestly with your congregation about those experiences. When leaders speak openly about successes, failures, nervousness, and opportunities, it normalizes evangelism for the church. People are far more likely to embrace personal evangelism when they see it modeled authentically by their leaders.
5 - Expect Evangelism
Churches often expect members to give, pray, attend groups, and read Scripture, but treat evangelism as optional for a select few. The New Testament presents sharing the gospel as a normal part of discipleship for every believer. When evangelism becomes part of the church’s culture, DNA, and expectation, people begin to live with gospel intentionality. Raise the level of your expectations!
No ministry naturally drifts toward evangelism, but when pastors explain eternity, equip everyone, extend beyond the bubble, exemplify evangelism personally, and expect evangelism as part of discipleship, believers become active participants in God’s mission to reach the world for Jesus.
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Steve Browning is president of the Georgia Baptist Convention and lead pastor of First City Church in Alpharetta.
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