Evangelism is the responsibility of every believer. There is no such thing as the “gift of evangelism,” rather, all Christians have the obligation to share the gospel. Churches can and should partner with Christians to create evangelistic opportunities.
Churches can use Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, and Super Bowl Sunday, among others as designated times when you have an evangelistic message and service. You must let people know this is the intent and then let them know how they can use these special times and civic holidays to invite unbelievers to attend.
Also, small groups can be especially successful in their outreach attempts and evangelistic emphases. The important thing is that the church gatherings and the small groups work together to make a special push to reach out to unbelievers. Invest significant energy in this strategy to get widespread involvement. Every person who attends our church gets a phone call from either a group leader or a staff person to remind him or her that we are launching a new series at church and to encourage them to bring friends.
Established churches can use special times to reinforce evangelism and outreach. For example, every year between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we do a family series to draw attention to an overwhelming need in our community—the need for strong families. It’s a time when people bring their friends and is often a time when their friends hear the gospel for the first time. Since the key to a strong family is to be centered around Jesus, it’s a natural time for evangelism.
In addition, every spring and every fall, we launch a four-to-six week evangelistic series of sermons. The messages are focused on the everyday needs of people and how the Bible addresses them—topics range from stress, to faith, to relationships, etc. This is a designated time when people are encouraged to bring their friends and family to church.