A. Commission of the Church
I. The church is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men."-The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9.
B. Pastor, Captain of the Laity
I. To win souls for the kingdom must be the minister's first concern.-Gospel Workers, p. 31.
2. The ministers must never lose sight of their primary mission and responsibility. -Gospel Workers, p. 17.
3. The minister, in order to inspire lay evangelism, must first of all have a deep concern for the souls of men.
4. The minister ought to train soldiers for the battle of spiritual warfare.-Gospel Workers, pp. 74, 75.
5. Pastor similar to a "foreman of a gang of laboring men or the captain of a ship's crew."-Gospel Workers, p. 197.
6. Pastor to work to train church helpers. Study Gospel Workers, pages 196-200.
7. The ministers are to teach the people how to work for the lost-The Desire of Ages (1940), p. 825.
8. Ministers to prepare church members for all lines of missionary activity.-Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 302.
9. Greatest help that can be given to church members is to teach them to work for God. -Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 19.
C. Impress Urgency Upon Lay Members
I. The inactive member is spiritually weak.
2. The inactive church is a problem church.
3. So little time.
4. Every member to work and to begin at home, among friends, and in the neighborhood.-Testimonies, vol. 6, pp. 427, 428.
5. Urge layman to work with love for souls, and many will be converted.-Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 35.
D. How to Find and Win Souls
1. Personal contacts with people in their homes win more souls than all other methods of evangelism combined.
2. Christ's method was visiting people in their homes.-Evangelism, pp. 53-55; The Desire of Ages (1940), p. 151.
3. Paul's method of winning souls was from house to house. (See Acts 20:20.)
4. The church today must follow Christ's method of going from house to house. -Evangelism, pp. 53-59, 429-455.
5. In this work of hunting souls from house to house, we have invisible helpers.
a. Christ is with the soul winner as he goes from house to house.
"Christ will guide them in their work, entering the houses of the people with them, and giving them words to speak that will sink deep into the hearts of the listeners."-Evangelism, p. 436.
b.Angels are eager, invisible helpers in soul-winning endeavors.-Evangelism, pp. 488, 489; The Desire of Ages (1940), p. 297.
E. The Technique of a Successful Visiting Program
1. Have an aim or goal for souls.
a.The church goal.
b. Individual goal.
c."In their work let them have a definite aim. Decide how long a time is required for a given task, and then bend every effort toward accomplishing the work in the given time."-Christ's Object Lessons, p. 344.
"Remember that you will never reach a higher standard than you yourself set. Then set your mark high, and step by step, even though it be by painful effort, by self-denial and sacrifice, ascend the whole length of the ladder of progress.... Opposing circumstances should create a firm determination to overcome them. . . . Press with determination in the right direction, and circumstances will be your helpers, not your hindrances."-Christ's Object Lessons, pp. 331, 332.
d. E. A. France said: "Love at last will show us the way. The man who is desperate and determined at all costs to win men for his Lord will try one experiment after another until at last
either the desperation or the methods will make men feel that he loves them and will lead them to see in his love the love of God."
2. Organize church in different soul-winning activities.
3. Every family should have a copy of Training Light Bearers, compiled by the General Conference Home Missionary Department and published by the Review and Herald. This book will provide instruction and inspiration.
4. Provide adequate financial provision for evangelistic material. It is a very good investment, as funds are repaid quickly by the addition of new members.
a. Adequate supply of the following:
(1) Present Truth.
(2) Tracts.
(3) Signs of the Times or These Times.
(4) Small books for lending purposes.
(5) Bibles.
c. Every year have an eight-week intensive program of visiting. It will give you several hundred names of interested people to work with, and many will be converted.
Note.—This program will end quarrels and dissensions among the church members. It will result in bringing a solution to church problems. The church tithe and the church expense fund will be greatly increased.
b. Plan a spiritual revival in the church. First of all, and very important.
c. Set date for the intensive eight-week visitation campaign.d. Have all the material ready for use.
e. Have the control-card system functioning.
f. The week prior to the campaign, hold a three-night workshop.
g. Every week during the campaign, set aside one night for workshop.
(1) For further training.
(2) To relate experiences.
(3) To show how to handle difficult situations.
(4) To find out when interested people are ready to be visited by pastor.
(5) To teach the art of gaining decisions.
(6) Lay members will learn more by trying to put instruction into practice from week to week than by training alone.
F. The Pastor and the Various Church Activities
1. The department is not an end in itself, but a means to an end—the salvation of souls.
2. Every church activity must have as its primary aim the winning of souls.
G. Church Soul-winning Activities Through Pastor—Public Effort
1. Members can contribute to the success of the effort by bringing interested ones—
a. To Sunday night church meeting.
b. To city hall effort.
c. To tent.
d. To a Bible class.
