This course is for leaders who really want to reach new people but also understand that evangelism is a word with baggage. It's for leaders who want to discover their inner evangelists - and it's for those who'd rather they remained undiscovered! It's for leaders who are thinking: 'evangelism was never part of my training for ministry' or 'if I mention evangelism in my place, everyone will run a mile and never come back'. It's for leaders who are wondering how to help others grow in confidence in their faith. It's for leaders who know they have a responsibility when it comes to evangelism, but are busy people trying to keep the show on the road. It's for leaders who are questioning whether evangelism is possible in a holistic, inclusive, relational and authentic way.
This is a free course for all leaders in the Methodist Church (lay and ordained, paid and unpaid, including but not exclusive to Chairs, Superintendents, Presbyters, Deacons, Local Lay Pastors, Pioneers, Children, Youth and/or Family Workers, Chaplains, Church or Circuit Stewards, or leaders of mission, social action or outreach projects).
In 2020 the Methodist Conference adopted a Church-wide strategy for Evangelism and Growth, deepening our commitment to being an evangelistic Church. Leaders are crucial for this commitment. This course aims to equip leaders in their contexts to: confidently model what it means to follow our shared calling to evangelism; to intentionally prioritise and promote evangelism and to cultivate a culture of confident, authentic faith sharing which raises up those spiritually gifted as Evangelists. There are five sessions, each two hours long:
- Session 1: Evangelism: actually good news? - exploring our theology of evangelism.
- Session 2: Everyone an Evangelist: even me? - exploring our own identities as evangelists.
- Session 3: Are we making disciple-making disciples? - exploring how to enable and encourage evangelism in our places.
- Session 4: Action planning for evangelism - exploring practical steps for encouraging a culture of evangelism in our places. (Download an action plan template here, coming soon!)
- Session 5 (roughly three months later): How do we know we're doing evangelism right? - a chance to review, listen for God and look to the future.
Book now
The course will run again in September 2024, please check back here for more details.
For course participants
To download the action plan template, click here.