|
Preparing to Lead an Evangelism Retreat
Evangelism retreats are designed to provide all of the information that is necessary for an individual to become converted and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The complete Gospel message is taught over the course of three meetings by small group leaders. The individuals who participate are informed that the meetings are for the purpose of learning about Christianity. New believers have the opportunity to mature as disciples. Discipleship is facilitated by further studies about the responsibilities of being a disciple and about living in Jesus Christ. There are several steps in conducting an evangelism retreat: Prepare Small group leaders must prepare to present the material. The How to Conduct an Evangelization Retreat section of this document will show you how to prepare. People who participate in the retreat should be prepared for the fact that the meeting will teach about becoming a believer in Jesus Christ. The message of the Gospel is proclaimed or declared before the evangelism retreat is offered. The individual may hear the proclamation at a church meeting. The individual may hear the message from another person who is a friend or someone that is known to him or her. The message proclaims or declares:
It is very important that believers provide or give the “witness of life” before giving testimony about believing in Jesus Christ. The “witness of life” is the example provided by a life transformed by the Spirit. One of its most important characteristics is loving others as Christ does. This witness creates a desire in people to want those same qualities. Evangelize The complete message of the Gospel and the opportunity to become a committed believer are provided in the small group meeting. Participants are guided through a process of repenting from sin, being converted by confession, and committing to Jesus Christ as Savior. Finally, it provides useful help and guidance for the new believer to begin the process of becoming a faithful disciple. This is a process that continues all through life. Worship Believers should learn to worship in solitude and with others. During a corporate worship service, it is normal to sing songs and express praise to God. A worship service is also a time when we declare what we believe. There may be a sermon or teaching from the Bible to encourage believers and to strengthen their faith in God and Jesus Christ. Disciple All believers have the responsibility to become disciples. A separate series of lessons is offered to help people learn to be a disciple – to follow Jesus faithfully. The training materials are called “Following Jesus.” Minister Dedication to Jesus Christ is expressed partly by serving others. This begins with our immediate family, extends to other relatives such as uncles, aunts, and cousins, and finally reaches to other believers in our small group and our church. The quality that should be demonstrated is the quality of love. Loving others is one of the commands of Jesus Christ: “I am giving you a new commandment … Love one another. Love each other in the same way that I have loved you. If you love one another, everyone will know that you are my disciples … by loving each other.” (John 13:34) Mission All believers must understand that we have a responsibility to share the Gospel with others. God has provided that within a group of believers, there will be people who have different gifts or abilities to minister to others. These are God’s gift to the church and are called gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some believers go to other places to share the Gospel. All believers are encouraged to do something to help take the message to others. The believer may simply pray to God for the success and blessing of the effort to take the message to others. Jesus Christ gave a command to all who love Him and believe in Him. These are His words: “Therefore go and make disciples of all people … baptize – immerse them in water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. Do this and I will be with you always … to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19, 20) We are assured that as we obey Jesus Christ, He is always with us – to help us – to give us strength – to share His love. So becoming a believer in Jesus Christ is more than accepting a statement about Jesus Christ, His life, His death and His returning from the dead and ascending or going into heaven. Believers have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ who lives through us. It is helpful to plan every part of the retreat beforehand. This helps to identify tasks that must be performed, to select the person or persons who will perform the tasks, and to learn what resources are required to accomplish the objective. As we do this, we should never lose sight of our vision and goal: to see people accept Jesus Christ – to know God, and to enjoy Him forever. Important Information to Remember The Bible: The Bible is the revealed word of God. Men were inspired to record the scriptures so that man could learn about God - could understand how mankind should live – that mankind could have examples from life about God. The Bible also reveals the eternal plan of God for the salvation of mankind. Our Authority: The Bible is the authority or the infallible guide that is used in the retreat. Our Objective: The objective of the retreat is to present the Gospel for the purpose of offering individuals the opportunity to become converted – to be born anew through faith in Jesus Christ. There are a variety of ways to offer evangelism retreats. In some circumstances, the sponsor of the retreat may be a church. The pastor of the church will be responsible to organize the evangelism program. In many instances, the pastor will lead the evangelism retreats. There may also be situations where there is a small group that could be described as a house church. This situation may also be in a country where there has been little or no religious training. The circumstances may be different, but the contents of the program are the same. The preparation for offering a small group evangelism retreat will include the following: Leadership: The Systematic Evangelism Program begins with the desire of a person to evangelize – the desire to see people become believers in Jesus Christ. The agreement of the pastor and other leadership is very significant as well. We begin with a leader who desires to be obedient in taking the Gospel to others. Next, the leader must review the evangelism program and decide if he will try out the program. Small group leaders are then selected. Other believers will also participate in the retreat. Testing: The Evangelism Program should be tested with a group of believers who are friends with the leader. The retreat should be practiced before other people are invited to attend. If the sponsor of the evangelism retreats is a church, it would be very helpful to have all of the believers at that church to attend the retreats. After this, they would invite friends and neighbors to attend an evangelism retreat. Invitations: Each group should probably be twelve (12) people or less. The testing or rehearsal of the retreat can show the leader the right number of people to attend. Visitors may become uncomfortable if the group is too small or too large. A description of the evangelism retreat should be provided to all who are invited. Schedule: It is suggested that the evangelism retreat be offered in two days. Conducting several retreats with friends will reveal or make it possible to learn how much time is needed for the evangelism retreat. Before the Meeting: There are activities that should be part of the retreats. Introduction Meeting. It will be helpful if the people who are going to attend the evangelism retreat can meet for a social occasion before it. This meeting could be a meal together. This allows people to meet each other. The contents of the retreat will also be reviewed and explained. It is important for all those who will attend the retreat to understand the purpose of the meetings. The Evangelism Retreat. When all of the preparations are complete, the evangelism retreat will be offered. |
|||