The 5 Essential Functions of the Church

Lesson 4

Function 2 :: Evangelism

(The Evangelistic Correlation)


This lesson addresses the second essential function of the church: evangelism.

In the video presentation, we will consider various aspects of evangelism as presented in Scripture, and we will touch upon a number of practical models for evangelism. The importance of pre-evangelism is also explained.

For evangelism to fulfill its essential function in the church, the following actions should be taken:

  1. Establish a sense of urgency. We must be convinced that Jesus truly is the only way to the Father--the only way to eternal life. If people do not come to faith in Christ, they are going to be eternally lost.

  2. Empower everyone to be soul winners. People of every temperament and personality type can become effective in the work of influencing others toward Christ.

  3. Establish multiple points of entry into the faith community. For some, their first connection with your church may be through the large weekly gathering. For others, they may enter through a small group ministry or a community outreach. Be creative. Set up environments in which unsaved people can be drawn into caring relationships with believers.

The video covers these actions, and it also offers some pointers on how a leader can assess the health of the evangelism function in the church. Those assessment points will be listed toward the end of this lesson page.

After viewing the video, read the short section below concerning "The Role of the Evangelist."

The Role of the Evangelist

[Based on content from Dr. Turpin's book entitled, Essentials for Spirit-Empowered Ministry]

Evangelists are consumed with a passion to release the kingdom of heaven to everyone on earth, and they are just as zealous about motivating every other believer to have the same passion. They carry both the message and the power of the cross. They lead people to faith in Christ, but they also demonstrate the power of the Good News through healings, miracles and deliverances. The mission of the evangelist is to prepare and empower the church to be an evangelistic church. For the evangelist, it is all about souls and the hope that the Good News brings.

When a church makes room for the 5-fold gift of evangelist, over time, the whole church becomes concerned about the salvation of souls.

It's Time to Assess

Are we ready to do evangelistic work? Consider the following assessment questions pertaining to the function of evangelism in your local context. (Make sure that you have viewed this lesson's video before going any further.) If you are taking this course as part of a group study, discuss these points together. Note that here we are adding an eighth question that is not covered in the video.

  1. Do you understand the IMPORTANCE of this evangelism function?

  2. How are you stewarding TIME for this function?

  3. How are you stewarding TALENT for this function?

  4. How are you stewarding TREASURE for this function?

  5. Are you making room for 5-FOLD MINISTRY in this function?

  6. Are those who are serving in the evangelism function HONORING the essential role of the other functions?

  7. How do you help people TRANSITION into Fellowship?

  8. What creative evangelistic STRATEGIES can you and your church implement within the next thirty days?

© 2020 J. Randolph Turpin, Jr.