Evangelism and Discipleship are the foundational works of any Christian Church. Check out why we need to do both, with whom, and what to do.

1. The only reason for church existence!

2. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to all creation.”
-- Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15)

3. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying,
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven
and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20
teaching them to observe all that I commanded
you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.“
-- Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20)

4. 
THE purpose for the existence of the church

What is a church anyway?
From Gk.: Ekklesia – “a called out assembly”
 A place to live out the life He commanded us
 A place to share that message in word and deed
 A community of life and light in a community of
death and darkness


If the church is NOT doing this, can we really
call it a “church?”

5. So what are we to do?

Our mission MUST be translated into the
message we bring:
To members of our congregation
 To our children and youth
 To our community at large
 To the world around us

But what does that mean in practical terms?

6. Implications of our Mission and Message

We must share the Gospel (“good news”) of
Jesus with every member of our congregation
 For encouragement
 For the forwarding of the Kingdom of God
 For new people that may be among us
 For those of us that may be struggling in faith

7. Implications of our Mission and Message

We must share the Gospel (“good news”) of Jesus
with our children and youth
 To teach them that Jesus loves them and what that means to
them
 To have our children begin their walks as early as possible
(they will have a better attitude in struggle)

Our aim is not to “raise good kids,” but rather to
make young disciples so they become good kids
(Hat tip: Pastor Mark Driscoll)

8. Implications of our Mission and Message

We must share the Gospel (“good news”) of
Jesus with the surrounding community
 To be a good witness for Christ to those around us
 To attract potential new Christians to a community-
based gathering
 To demonstrate our care for people (to show the
message in deed as well as word)
 To maintain good relations with the community around
us

9. Implications of our Mission and Message

We must share the Gospel (“good news”) of
Jesus with the world at large
 To do the work of the Kingdom of God
 To be faithful to the Lord and do what He said
 To complete the “Great Commission” of Jesus Christ
How do we do this?

10. Mission-critical Elements of the Message
The Gospel of Jesus Christ:
1. God loves all of Humankind
2. All humans have done wrong things
3. Jesus paid the penalty on our behalf
4. As we believe that He gives us eternal life

11. Mission-critical Elements of the Message
Making Disciples of those who believe (Acts 2):
41 So then, those who had received his word were
baptized; and that day there were added about three
thousand souls.
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and to prayer.

12. Mission-critical Elements of the Message
Making Disciples of those who believe:
1. Apostles’ Teaching – Bible Study
2. Fellowship – With God and With each other
3. Breaking of Bread – Worship
4. Prayer (several kinds of prayer with specifics)
It is clear that these were BELIEVERS from v.41

13. 1.
2.
3.
A Plan to Grow this Gathering
Focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ
within the congregation, with our youth, and
outside the Church
Provide resources to members that want to
grow their faith personally (Small group
studies and discipleship times, for example)
Live the message deliberately, practically, and
publicly in everything we do

14. 1.
2.
3.
4.
Implications of this Plan
It has real costs – money, time, effort, possible
rejection, etc.
It has real benefits – growth in numbers, in
spiritual gifts, in spiritual capacity, etc.
We may lose people. (This is sad, and we
want to minimize it, of course!)
We will gain people that also WANT to be
involved like this.
Action leads to results.

15. THE BIG QUESTION
ARE WE READY?
I am. I hope you will join me.