October 1, 2026
ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Pastors and church leaders gathered Thursday, March 12, at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board administration building for training designed to help them lead their churches with greater clarity and consistency in evangelism through the new Gameplan for Evangelism resource.
Sixty-four pastors and leaders attended the session, which focused on transforming evangelism from an occasional program to a churchwide culture. Steve Foster, GBMB evangelism catalyst, said uncertain weather and rain likely affected turnout.
“Every church needs a plan for evangelism,” said Foster. “Without one, efforts remain scattered, leaving members unprepared and churches inwardly focused.” The Gameplan, he said, is meant to give pastors a clear, intentional strategy that mobilizes every member to share the gospel in everyday life.
The training builds on the Mission Board’s broader emphasis on reaching Georgia’s more than 7 million lost people, as the GBMB continues rolling out tools and training intended to strengthen evangelism leadership at every level. “We hope to share practical instruction aimed at equipping churches of every size to live on mission,” Foster said.
Introduced earlier this year, Gameplan for Evangelism was developed by the GBMB evangelism team as the first in a planned series of practical resources for pastors. The resource emphasizes that methods may vary from church to church, but leadership shapes a church’s evangelistic culture through what pastors model and prioritize.
The Gameplan centers on eight evangelism elements: personal evangelism, prayer, the Sunday morning worship experience, event evangelism, ministry and service outreach, team-based efforts such as small groups, baptism planning, and taking the gospel to every home. Each chapter is designed to be brief and practical, with application steps and self-assessments aimed at helping leaders identify barriers that may hinder evangelistic effectiveness. It also includes ideas tailored for bivocational pastors, single-staff churches, and multi-staff contexts.
Attendees were encouraged to formulate a clear plan for evangelism in their church, rather than leaving it to chance. The goal is not to create another event on the calendar, but to help churches build habits that are sustained week after week.
“We received a lot of great evangelism ideas that we were looking for today,” said Greg Carter, pastor of Walkerville Baptist Church in Blackshear. “It’s the best training I’ve ever been to.”
Don Witzel, pastor of Sunrise Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, said the value was not only in the content but in the way it was delivered.
“I found the program and speakers very helpful. As someone who trains and speaks, I especially appreciated their professionalism and the pointed, prepared presentations,” Witzel said.”
Kevin Vaughn, lead pastor of Rock Branch Baptist Church in Elberton, emphasized that evangelism must be both church-centered and Spirit-dependent. “If we’re going to reach every home in Georgia with the gospel, it has to happen in the local church,” he said. “I learned about building a team and working together, and, most of all, covering everything in prayer — the Spirit of God must be in the midst of everything we do.”
That emphasis on prayer is foundational to the success of evangelism efforts in Georgia. Gospel fruit is not produced by planning alone; the aim is to help pastors lead with clarity and intentionality while depending on the Lord for power, boldness, and open doors.
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The Gameplan resource is available at no cost to Georgia Baptist pastors and staff members, either in physical or digital format, upon request. A companion video series covering the eight evangelism elements is also planned, with short segments designed for coaching and group training. Video of the training session can be accessed via ACTS2 here.
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