One Chicago neighborhood was touched by the partnership between a church and a social service agency. While they struggled to survive amidst changes in the population of their neighborhoods, through their partnership, they found strength and gained notoriety in the neighborhoods they served.
Discipleship Resources editor and creative director interviews the authors of Opening Ourselves to Grace on the Continuum Podcast (www.upperroom.org/podcasts).
Evangelist Luis Palau shares his vision of a revitalized church, centered around a vital, faith-sharing culture. Palau shares some helpful anectdotes and advice for bringing evangelism back to the forefront of the church's focus.
Some churches find unconventional ways of reaching and welcoming those in their community. These events tend to attract people using creative themes, publicity, or free items. Living Water Community Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan, uses a day revolving around motorocycles to minister to a group in their church and also welcome in those in their community that they may otherwise never meet.
General Board of Global Ministries offers resources on United Methodist History, John Wesley, notable United Methodist Women and other related resources. View the available resources at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory.
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An article at ChristianityToday.com explains challenges surrounding outreach efforts at the Beijing Olympic Games. Legal restrictions put in place by the Chinese government forbids passing out Christian literature, holding Christian ceremonies or rallies, or holding any other organized Christian event. Many Christian organizations in the United States are still making an effort, however, by encouraging Christian athletes to talk to fellow athletes about their faith.
GodTube.com is a website the allows members to upload videos of sermons, music, worship services, and programs they feel "Broadcast Him." It serves as a gathering place online, but also allows visitors to embed video on their personal websites. Many of the videos posted on GodTube.com have an evangelistic message and was the single fastest-growing site on the Web after it launched in August 2007.
Sunday, April 27 is Internet Evangelism (IE) Day. If your church or ministry is using the web as an outreach or evangelism tool, or if you're interested in starting a website for this purpose, IE Day is a great way to raise awareness and join with others around the world to learn about the potential of the Internet in ministry.
Celebrate Internet Evangelism Day. The IE Day website has many helpful tools and resources to get you started.
Crowning "Prince Caspian": An Evangelism and Discipleship Growth Opportunity
BeADisciple.com, part of the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, is offering an online workshop to address evangelism opportunities surrounding the release of the new Disney film version of C.S. Lewis' classic Prince Caspian.
According to the website this workshop will...
An article posted on Christianity Today talks about how practial evangelism and reliance on God can make a big diffierence in a church's health and growth. While some may be tempted to think that evangelism is the kind of thing only Billy Graham can do, this article emphasizes that evangelism is something anyone can do. Originally written by
The Research office of the General Board of Global Ministries offers an 11 page demographic snapshot of Evangelism and Church Growth for your area .
Is your church website friendly to non-Christians in your community? Does it help foster a sense of community among members? Take this quiz from InternetEvangelismDay.org's website and find out what you can do to improve your church or organization's website.
If you've ever been part of a conversation with a skeptical non-believer and struggled with questions they asked, this transcript by Rusty Wright will give you insight and empathy for those struggling with the Christian faith.
The General Board of Discipleship provides Evangelistic Preaching Helps on their website at www.GBOD.org/evangelism. It is a monthly online resource to assist pastors in developing evangelistically focused sermons.
Originally published at Offering Christ Today Online , a publication of GBOD
We are approaching the beginning of a new year in the Christian calendar. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ again into our world and into our lives — for some, maybe the coming of Christ for the first time. We look to Christmas when God came in Christ Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us. What a gift — this time of year when we remember again and focus on the message of the angels:
by Daniel Benedict
Originally published at www.GBOD.org/worship
Most congregations find they have to dust off the back pews on Christmas Eve. A lot of people show up for what is both a major feast of the church and a major cultural holiday. The following are some rather unsystematic suggestions for extending hospitality to all on Christmas Eve and at any other times that God welcomes strangers:
The experts in youth ministry for The United Methodist Church have compiled a list of best practices for youth ministry. You can download the article from The Youth Worker Movement website.
Pastor Mike Lewis of Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin, TX, shares insights about the findings of the Barna Group on the influence of Evanglism in bringing people to Christ.
Join The Foundation for Evangelism Group at Facebook