How Do I Know if My Church Is Evangelistically Effective?

Podcast Episode #216We lament the decline of evangelism in many local churches and discuss ways to assess whether or not your church is effective when it comes to evangelism. Also, I highlight a humiliating defeat in sports to my grandson.Some highlights from today's episode include: * I would rather a church have a programmatic evangelism emphasis than none at all. * Pastors, keep track of the annual number of faith conversions in your church. * One of the great travesties in many churches today is a dichotomy between evangelism and discipleship. * The number one correlation of evangelistic churches is evangelistic pastors. * A church that has an evangelistic reputation is one that has a good reputation. * Healthy, evangelistic churches are typically known in the community for caring for the community. * 95% of the non-Christian, unchurched community are receptive to faith conversations. * If your church is not seeing a lot of conversions from adults, it's likely because your adults aren't sharing their faith.The six points we discuss about evangelistic effectiveness of churches are: * Keep track of total annual conversions. * Look at trends of those annual conversions. * Calculate the church's conversion ratio: Average attendance / total annual conversions (under 20:1 is good). * Is the pastor personally evangelistic? * Does the church have an evangelistic reputation in the community? * Does incarnational ministry become transformational ministry?Episode SponsorsVanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting WeStaffTheChurch.com.Midwestern Seminary, located in the heart of the Midwest, is one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America and offers a fantastic array of academic programs, including multiple online and residential options at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Midwestern’s new 81-hour Mdiv program, online program, and doctoral program have all been recognized as some of the most innovative and affordable in the country. There has never been a better time to begin your seminary education. Midwestern Seminary trains leaders 'For The Church.’Visit them online at MBTS.edu/Rainer and start your ministry training today.FeedbackIf you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here on Church Answers.Resources