Resource Review: NAMB Evangelism Kit

Introduction

In 2019, Lifeway Research conducted a study, asking protestant church members how many times they shared the gospel with unbelievers within the last six months.  In response to this question, 55% of those interviewed did not share the gospel during the six-month timeframe, while 24% indicated that they shared the gospel once or twice. Scott McConnel (Executive Director of Lifeway Research) commented on these staggering results, saying that sharing the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection “does not appear to be the priority of churchgoers.” Evangelism as a consistent practice is declining in protestant churches, calling us to examine our own practices and priorities. The good news is this: the path towards evangelistic health and Great Commission focus in our churches is not a hopeless one. There are resources available to churches that help address the problem we are currently facing. Recently, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) released a resource for pastors and church leaders, aiming to help churches create a culture of evangelism in the midst of our declining evangelistic zeal.

What is included?

NAMB structured their Evangelism Kit around a digital curriculum consisting of fifteen short videos. In these videos, Tim Dowdy (Vice President of Evangelism, NAMB) and other NAMB representatives guide the participant through some biblical practices and principles to create a culture of evangelism in their local church. The flash drive included in the kit comprises all the digital content, including the fifteen previously mentioned videos and videos of various gospel sharing methods (Three Circles, The Best News, My Testimony, etc.). Also provided in the Evangelism Kit is a Training Guide, which corresponds to the video curriculum. The guide helps the participant interact with the material and begin taking practical steps towards creating a culture of evangelism in their local church context. The kit also includes Prayer/Encouragement Cards with a wooden stand for displaying them neatly. Each card provides an action step directing the user to integrate evangelistic practices into their own life and the church they serve. Finally, the kit contains a Psalm 85:6 Keychain and a NAMB Resource Catalog.

Who is it for?

NAMB’s target audience for this kit is pastors; however, this kit would be well-used by a small collective consisting of pastors, church leaders, and church members (both male and female) who meet consistently to discuss ways to implement some of the practices and principles into their church’s unique context. In fact, I believe this format, if possible, would benefit the church the most. NAMB’s strategy in targeting pastors with the kit is excellent, and here is why. The first point of focus in the curriculum is not the church’s health in evangelism, it is the pastor’s health in evangelism. The underlying idea behind this strategy is that pastors cannot ask the churches they serve to do something they are not doing themselves. NAMB properly emphasizes the necessity of the pastor’s personal holiness in evangelism so he can then lead his church with a clear conscience and a genuine zeal for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

What does it do?

While the kit is addressed to pastors, it was created for the church and its evangelistic health. The videos, the training guide, and the prayer/encouragement cards are all action oriented. Each of these elements aims at mobilizing the congregation through practical application. One example of these action steps to invite church members to share their testimonies of gospel conversations they have had with unbelievers. Another action step is to encourage church members to make a list of the lost people in their lives and intentionally pray for them on a regular basis. All the action steps in the kit aim at helping churches begin to cultivate an urgency mentality and a Great Commission focus.

The videos containing example gospel presentations are valuable for training both the pastor and the entire congregation. One of the barriers that often prevents Christians from sharing the gospel with others is that they do not know how to take an everyday conversation and turn it into a gospel conversation. Additionally, many Christians have difficulty articulating the gospel concisely and clearly in a conversational way. The videos included in the Evangelism Kit provide a variety of helpful examples demonstrating how to share the gospel in a simple yet engaging way. These videos could serve as an aid to a church evangelism training, where church members will see a practical and biblical gospel presentation and then practice sharing the good news with others.

Conclusion

We, the American church, are struggling to fulfill the mission God has bestowed upon us, indeed, the very mission we were created for to begin with: to know God and to make Him known in all the earth. However, most American Christians would agree that they desire to be a part of this divine mission. This is why NAMB’s Evangelism Kit exists, to help churches move from desire to devotion. There are a number of valuable evangelism resources available to churches today, and one of the great things about this particular resource is that churches are eligible to receive one free kit to test drive and use in their own congregation. Perhaps your church needs an evangelistic revival. Or maybe your church simply needs to refine evangelistic practices that are already there. First, it is important to recognize that no resource can promise spiritual revival, but the Holy Spirit is powerful and willing. Second, while resources like the evangelism kit cannot promise revival, they can provide direction and practical application, which are necessary for working towards evangelistic health. The Evangelism Kit from NAMB is a valuable resource for any church seeking to create a culture of evangelism.