The congregations in Circuit 3 are putting their heads together to strategize on how to do evangelism. Karen Keck, a member of the evangelism committee at Martini Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Md., is excited about the second Circuit 3 Evangelism Breakfast that will be held in March at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, also in Baltimore.
“Most of us are tiny, tired, evangelism committees of one, or sometimes none,” Keck said. Consequently, when Circuit 3 held the first evangelism breakfast last fall, Keck said she expected three to five people to attend. Boy did she get surprised.
“We had something like 40 people. I completely underestimated the Holy Spirit.”
Keck said the leaders around the breakfast table were eager for resources and thoughts about how to reach out to people with the love of Christ. Participants shared what was working, or not working, in their particular contexts. At that first breakfast, they discussed the concept of iteration as it relates to improving upon a particular evangelism activity, rather than abandoning the activity for something different.
For example, the first time Martini hosted a Halloween Trunk or Treat, Keck said they had about 50 people from the community take part. However, they forgot to get the names of the participants so that they could follow up with them. The next time they host the event, they’ll have a plan for gathering names.
The Circuit 3 participants, a mixture of pastors and laity, also strategized around how to help congregants feel comfortable with engaging people in spiritual conversations. And what should those conversations look like? Enthusiasm in these discussions resulted in the breakfast going longer than Keck had expected – yet another happy surprise.
“People are thinking that we need to hold these breakfasts three or four times per year,” she said. “I’m just excited that it is meeting a need.”
These witness spotlights are designed to encourage congregations to serve and love those in and among their community. Got a story to share about what God is doing through your congregation? Please email Robin Domeier