I have heard you talk about the importance of the ‘law of sowing and reaping.’  What do you mean by this?

It is critical that we understand the Law of Sowing and Reaping as it applies to church growth.  Matthew 13:3 states:  “whatsoever a man soweth, so shall he also reap.”  So, what does this mean to us?

Simply this:  you and I can save no one.  Paul said, ‘No man commeth unto God except the Spirit drawth him,’ and God is bound by His Word.  He can ‘draw’ into salvation only in direct proportion to the Gospel seed we have sown.  If we have sown little, He can only draw in a little.  But the opposite is also true.  If we will sow much, it will free and liberate God to draw many souls into the Kingdom.

Therefore, focus on sowing seed (the Gospel of truth).  Sow much and often.  Sow in many fields.  Involve as many as possible in seed sowing.  Make sowing a priority in your church.  And water that seed with prayer and fasting.

While it is true that some methods of seed sowing are more effective than others — ie:  door knocking (less effective) vs. teaching home Bible studies (more effective) – I truly believe that God will honor any and all effort.  In essence, when we do what we can do to the best of our ability, God will then step in and do the rest.  So make sure you are doing several kinds of evangelism activities in your church on a regular, organized basis.

I have also observed that when churches are involved in organized evangelism activities, it affects the attitude of the church.  It makes them more ‘soul sensitive’ and their burden for the lost increases. This causes them to witness more freely and often.  The end result is more visitors to church, more souls in the altar, and more Bible studies being taught.

So, don’t just stand there, do something!  Anything!  And do a lot of it.  Even the poorest method is better than no method at all.  But if you want to focus on the most successful methods of evangelism, consider these:  plan special events that will attract lots of visitors, bring many unsaved to church, have good church, powerful worship and  great preaching, encourage visitor to return (visitor follow-up ministry), witness to family and friends, teach home Bible studies, and organize a strong new convert care ministry.  Other excellent methods of evangelism are:  bus ministry, home fellowship ministry, youth evangelism ministry, jail ministry, campus ministry, and yes, even door knocking if done properly.

So to sum up, it boils down to this:  if you want to grow more, sow more!