"A Light in Every Church"

PASTORAL PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES: "A Light in Every Church"

"The following outline of district evangelism A is an actual working program in a district of four churches within a radius of fifty miles."

District Leader, Goodrich, North Dakota

The following outline of district evangelism A is an actual working program in a district of four churches within a radius of fifty miles. As district leader I arranged a special meeting in each church to present a new approach to full evangelism and soul winning. In this meeting I laid stress upon the fact that each member of the church should feel the winning of souls to be more important than any earthly undertaking. We are set in the world as watch men and light bearers. Before we can be light bearers, we ourselves must be filled with God's power from on high. I then asked the members to pledge in all sincerity to set one evening aside for the study of the Word of God in a series of evangelistic public meetings. Just as we make appointments in social life, let us also make one appointment each week with God in our church. That particular meeting was to take precedence over all other appointments. The churches fully understood the seriousness of the times, and the program was adopted to have a light in every church of the district once a week.

Much personal work must be connected with district evangelism. I enjoy visiting every home and getting personally acquainted with each one present at the meetings. As soon as I miss a face from the meeting on a particular evening, I am present in that home the next morning asking why the appointment could not be kept with God last evening. Naturally, I do this in a very tactful manner, and leave the home with another kind invitation and an ad monition to gather for spiritual purposes at least once a week.

On Sunday nights the meetings are always in the largest church of the district. Lay members cooperate with the ushering, the music, and the bringing in and the inviting of friends and neighbors. The next meeting is in another church on Tuesday evenings; then on Wednesday evening we have the last meeting of the week in another church.

Still having in mind to evangelize the district, on Thursday night in the largest church in the district we have a class of twenty-five or more taking the Bible instructors' training course for lay members, using the textbook Training Light Bearers. This class distributes literature. Each student concentrates on one specific home, and distributes literature to that home in an effort to win that family. Bible studies are conducted among the group, for constructive criticism and demonstration. The class work together earnestly toward the objective of the course—to have one or more ready to give Bible studies. By doing this there is naturally a good source for future prospects in souls for Christ.

Coming back to the evangelistic meetings, I might mention that we commenced with a series of studies on true conversion, thus laying a foundation for the more specific Bible doc trines to follow. The first meeting was concerned with "God's Purpose in Creating Man," the second with "Sin—Its Nature and Results." The next five meetings were on the "Seven Steps on the Way Back to God," which must be taken by each individual. We studied these steps in detail: (i) recognition of sin, (2) sorrow for sin, (3) confession of sin, (4) restoration, (5) faith in God, (6) public acknowledgment, and (7) abstinence from sin.

After these meetings we commenced with the weightier subjects of the truth, stressing that any soul who is wholeheartedly willing to turn back to God must also be willing to follow His words in all detail.

 

 

District Leader, Goodrich, North Dakota

April 1950

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