Outreach That You Will Actually Do: Sharing Jesus Using Gospel Appointments

[Paul Worcester]

This article was originally posted at faith on campus blog. You can join the conversation there also!  

 

I want to share with you the most liberating evangelistic tool I have ever found. It is also the most effective method of person evangelism I have seen. This semester our campus ministry of sixty students has seen over 48 people accept Jesus as Savior and Lord!  Most of these were from what we call “gospel appointments.” What is most exciting is the percentage of students that we have been able to personally follow up and get plugged into discipleship training!  After training our students with this tool every person on our leadership team has personally lead someone to faith in Jesus. One girl in particular has lead four freshman girls to Christ this semester and is meeting with each one to help them grow.  It has truly felt like Acts 2:47 “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”   One day on campus I received texts from various people in our ministry telling me they lead someone to Jesus. At the end of the day I realized that we had six students accept Jesus at gospel appointments that day! When I hear reports like this I sometimes weep and thank Jesus for the privilege of being used by him to make an eternal difference in the lives of people. 

 

For years I have been looking for an outreach tool that mixes the best practices of relational and intentional outreach.  I often struggle with initiative evangelism such as surveys and tracts because I am very busy and do not often see visible fruit from my efforts.  I also struggle with many relational evangelism methods because rarely do the two or three people that I choose to befriend end up wanting anything to do with following Jesus.  I still practice both methods and regularly train others to use them. I believe what Steve Sjogren once said “the best kind of evangelism is the evangelism that you do.”  I am so glad I learned about this third option. I call it “intentional relational outreach.” Gospel appointments are highly relational because you are spending time getting to know the person and building trust. Gospel appointments are also intentional because a large part of the process is clearly explaining the good news and giving them a chance to respond to Christ.

 

Gospel appointments have also been very effective in the workplace.  Several times I have built relationships with a co-worker and was able to set up a meeting. Each time they ended up making a decision to receive Jesus.  It is so encouraging to know that people are open to hearing the gospel! Last time I checked the harvest is still plentiful! (Matt 9:37-38) Below is a list of some benefits of this method and follow this link for step by step how to do gospel appointments.            

 

Benefits of Using Gospel Appointments

 

1. They are simple to set up. (I will explain how in the next section.)
2. They are an ideal setting to get to know someone. You can build trust and show them you sincerely care. (I can’t tell you how many times we have been thanked for taking the time to have a personal meeting with students. They are honored that someone would take interest in them.)
3. They are perfect for you to discover their story and share your story.
4. They minimize distractions that often come when sharing Jesus in other settings.
5. They emphasize the importance of what you are talking about.
6. There is plenty of time to share a full gospel presentation or illustration.
7. They are great setting for setting up follow up meetings.  We simply ask “Would you like to do this again next week?”
8. If they do not accept Jesus right away this is an ideal setting for initiating a relational evangelism friendship. (We have seen several students who were not ready to accept Jesus at our first meeting but over time through building friendships and intentional conversations they eventually received Christ!)
9. Anyone can be trained to do this! They don’t need to be an extrovert or gifted in evangelism.
10. They are effective! There is something about sharing the gospel clearly with people in a one-on-one setting that God uses. We have been using these for a little over 2 ½ years now and we have seen over 100 students pray to receive Christ! 

 

Follow This Link to Learn How To Do Gospel Appointments

 

What are your thoughts?

Do you currently do anything like this?

What are the pros and cons you see with this method of sharing the gospel?

Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the comment section below.

 

[Paul Worcester]

Thanks Bill! I think that there are lots of different ways to adapt this method to fit your personality, gifting and evangelistic convictions. I just want everyone to find a way that work for them. Remember "the best kind of evangelism is the kind that you do!" Thanks again! https://twitter.com/#!/PaulWorcester

[Bill Bowman]

I thank God if I can learn of a better way to present Christ.  Each of us has different talents.  I believe one given method will not suit the needs for all.  For some yes.  Remember Peter who confronted people in Acts 2.  Note when we read his two letters that he was promoting the method of leading by example, rather then confrontation.  I look forward to reading about this method you are advertising as effective.

[James Nored]

Absolutely. Thank you for sharing!

[Paul Worcester]

Thanks James! Yes the cool thing about these is you can use your own style and tools for example "the story of redemption" or whatever gospel presentation that you prefer. I think intentional but low pressure sharing of the Gospel will continue to bear fruit! Thanks! https://twitter.com/#!/PaulWorcester

[James Nored]

Paul, I really like a lot about your gospel appointments approach. It is intentional, prayerful, and taps into the spiritual hunger that is in so many. By setting up an appointment, you allow time for the Holy Spirit to work on their hearts and get into a setting that is more natural than trying to share too much "on the fly" in a single conversation. Thank you so much for sharing this! Few people know how to do this.