Word Count: 428 – Est Read Time: ~2 Minutes
What’s Up
Of the four growth strategies of the church, “Go” is the one growth strategy we skip the most—and it shows. (I’ve talked about the other three strategies over the last 3 Tuesdays: Invite, Connect, and Disciple.)
So What
You can have the best preaching, the strongest discipleship program, and a solid invitation strategy… but if your people aren’t going, you’re not growing.
The Point Is
Discipleship Isn’t Classroom Work
In the West, we think knowledge leads to transformation. It doesn’t. Most of our people know about Jesus but struggle to share what he’s done in them. They struggle to answer the question, “What is it about your relationship with Jesus your neighbors need to know?”
Everyone Is a Missionary
Missionary isn’t a special calling. It’s the natural outcome of being a disciple. If you follow Jesus, you’re called to go. Not someday. Now.
Give Them Tools
Most Christians can give a Sunday School history lesson about Jesus’ death, resurrection, and the meaning of that, but struggle with their personal testimony. Train them to share why they have hope in the first place (1 Peter 3:15).
It Takes a Congregation
Evangelism isn’t a solo sport. It takes a congregation committed to witness together. Give your members tools for inviting their friends … Facebook invites for relevant, upcoming series and event cards are good places to start.
And … ?
We talk about Invite, Send, Disciple, and Go like they’re four separate strategies. They’re not. They’re a sacred sequence. And too many churches fumble the handoff at the end. We disciple people, yes, but we stop short of sending them into the mission field that is their everyday life. Because we’ve trained them to think of evangelism as something aggressive, awkward, or worse: someone else’s job.
Acts 1:8 didn’t say go knock on every door and preach fire and brimstone. It said be a witness. That means sharing what you’ve seen, what you’ve experienced, and what you know to be true, not because you read it in a book, but because you lived it. So, the question becomes: Are your people prepared to go? Are they equipped to articulate their faith, and (most importantly!) are they being invited to go out with you to learn what that looks like? Because if your leaders aren’t going, your members won’t either. Pastor, it’s time to start modeling the mission.
Action!
Take a deep-dive into the Four Key Strategies of Church Growth next week (you’re too busy this week, but grab a copy while it’s on your mind!).
