TOTAL CHURCH OUTREACH INVOLVEMENT NIGHT
By: Arthur E. Hodges, Jr
Each church responds to its own pastor. How he is, they are. And what he wants, they want. Therefore, considerable care and planning must personally be given of the pastor as to his church’s priorities, Emphasis must be placed on the most important.
Every pastor feels the prime goal of his church must be to grow. He’s right, for God’s greatest plan is to save the lost. Therefore, the pastor must plan to put soul-winning in the highest regard and ambition of each local member. It dare not be relegated to secondary, spare time, sporadic emphasis or do as you feel led. He must lead here, as in nothing else, if he wants and expects his church to grow, There are many ways to do this. However it is done, it must be emphasized, regular and involve every member of the church.
One plan is to have a regular night for Outreach. It must be so set up to involve every member of the family, There can be no excuse. It is important enough to replace another regular service already in the schedule if there is no better night. It must provide for babies to grandfather. It is not the work of a committee or a nucleus, it is to be the church. The church is to do the Lord’s work; reaching out for souls in the by-ways and hedges. It is the church that will bear children and save the lost.
SAMPLE SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM
“Activity Night”
Tots Children Juniors Teens Adults New Converts
7:00PM Nursery Church Clubs Prayer Prayer Prayer
7:15 Nursery Church Clubs Worship Worship Worship
7:30 Nursery Church Clubs Inspiration Inspiration Inspiration
7:45 Nursery Church Clubs Outreach, Home Bible Class Study or Special Visits
8:45 Nursery Church Clubs Reports and Testimonies
9:00 —————————DISMISSAL————————–
It is important that whatever soul-winning activity is going on among the teens and adults that they gather for a time of prayer,
worship and inspiration before going out to soul win. It is equally important that they get back together for a report of victory
each week before dismissal, This serves unity, encouragement and faith building.
Since daylight savings time provides usually time before dark for this schedule, it can be operated this way any week night for about six months of the year, approximately April through September. The Staker Program of Outreach Evangelism could be run two quarters back to back, When daylight time changes it becomes too dark to use the above hours, The service then can be used to provide vital training to the Adults and Teens, perhaps including the New Converts, Such courses as Teacher Training, Departmental Workshops, Music in the Church, Family classes, Teen classes, Bible Classes, Choirs, etc, could be put on. These subjects could include dating, marital relationships, etc. Or time could be spent for Missions, Mail Campaigns, etc. It is for certain, some will be continuing the Home Bible Studies they have secured from the Outreach Program, for 10-12 weeks more unless it is acceptable with the prospects to move it to another night. By all means, however, keep the night open and operating for Soulwinning. Make it one of the most exciting and valuable nights of the whole week. Once rolling, don’t let it lose its steam, or anyone lapse back into making their excuses for missing, or the whole church will go back to hit-miss, spare-time, a few now and then sort of thing.
“Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His Harvest.”
(The original source and/or publisher of the above material is unknown.)
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