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The Journal of a Church-Based Evangelist
By Mike Sprenger
Gateway Church, Leeds, UK
Encouraging scenarios like these occur regularly in my life. It is both a thrill and a challenge to be involved in the Biblical mandate of seeing people saved and added to local churches.
Although I have worked as an evangelist in three churches (Brighton, Sheffield and Leeds), my early years were spent with Campus Crusade for Christ (Agapé Ministries). I have fond memories of those early years and am thankful for the practical training I received, for the people God used to help shape this stage of my life and for meeting my wife Kay. However, at this point, church was something I simply attended – it did not have the central role it now plays in my life. A gnawing question was eating away at me though. Namely, if God’s Plan A is to use local churches to evangelise the world, does He have a Plan B? And was I working outside of the plan?
Saturday am – Joined with Dave Ward (Kings Church, Selby) for their Alpha away day. After both of us had given talks I had the thrill of introducing two people to Jesus (both now regularly attend Selby church meetings).
Saturday pm – Spoke at Baptism service of my home church (Gateway Leeds). Eight people were baptised including Anna (who became a Christian when I spoke at a CU meeting).
Monday pm – Prayed for the sick and led three people to Christ at Leeds University. Two days later heard that Kirsty was completely healed of a long-term allergy condition and no longer takes her strong medication.
Friday pm – While waiting in Douglas for Steve and Annie (friends from the Isle of Man church plant) to pick me up, I had a word of knowledge for a man sitting opposite me. Eventually I plucked up the courage to speak to him. ‘Excuse me,’ I said. ‘I know this sounds very unusual but I think God has just spoken to me about some aspects of your life. Do I have your permission to let you know what He said to me?’
Journal entry two weeks later:
the man gave me permission and to my great relief everything I thought God told me grabbed his attention and was accurate. An hour later we were still talking. The subject matter was now all about Jesus and I ended the conversation by giving him the phone number of Steve and Annie and the location of their Sunday meeting.
God had resolved the issues in my life from those early days. Now I am not content only to give the message but to point those I meet towards God’s people. The Bible had taught me that the church is the vehicle for proclaiming the gospel and that the message of good news not only saves people from the power and penalty of sin but also introduces them to a new family, namely, the members of a local church; people God will use to make disciples of new converts.
Journal entry three weeks later:
Wednesday pm - I had a great divine appointment on a train from Blackpool to Leeds and left a new acquaintance with a copy of my personal tract. I had just spent two days with James and Helen Casey and five others training them in lifestyle evangelism.
Another one of my early concerns was this – if the church is God’s vehicle for taking the gospel to others, then why all the lethargy? Why do many churches not make evangelism a top priority? I resolved to be of some help. Another church-based evangelist, Kevin Higham, and I have produced a training course in lifestyle evangelism called Blowing your Cover. We are amazed how God is using this material. Within a short space of time we have seen the first two print runs sold out and are just about to reprint a third edition, this time with a global publisher. We receive comments from church leaders such as, ‘Alpha and Blowing Your Cover is our evangelism strategy for years to come,’ and, ‘We are thrilled with the Blowing Your Cover course and will be using it extensively alongside Alpha and Freedom in Christ.’
Blowing Your Cover
Since May 2004 nearly 6,000 people from many different churches have been trained to share their faith confidently and effectively with those around them. The course consists of six sessions of dynamic and interactive teaching. Subjects covered include: Communicating the gospel – Your sphere of influence – Connecting with your culture – The impact of your life – A Spirit-filled lifestyle – Blowing Your Cover.
The materials include a workbook, a leader’s guide and a DVD with full PowerPoint presentations. Encouraging feedback has shown that the course is already adding a new dimension to the life of many churches across the UK.
In order to train church leadership teams to run the course in their local church we are running Vision and Training Days throughout the United Kingdom. Check out www.blowingyourcover.com for further information
In my experience churches need continuous motivation and practical help to fulfil the high calling of taking the gospel message to others. If the church is God’s Plan A for reaching the world then church-based evangelists have a vital role to play. They need both to trumpet the gospel and to equip the saints in lifestyle evangelism. Blowing Your Cover is a God-given tool, written by two ‘church’ men, to help do the job and dispel the lethargy.
This is a small part of my story to date. I believe God has got many more exciting entries to add to my journal and to yours as well. It is extremely fulfilling being part of God’s Plan A, a church-based evangelist. I would not swap my job with anyone! |
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