Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – What is a soul worth? If you spend $100 on a Facebook ad that leads one unbeliever to come and receive Christ, is that the price of a soul?
The question sounds strange, but it helps us think about how the church invests time, effort and money in sharing the gospel. Here is what Rick Warren learned about the cost of evangelism. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
The Value of Evangelism
Jesus paid with His own life to redeem a soul. So no investment in the gospel is too great.
In my view, many churches today don’t connect strongly with their communities because they ask the wrong question. The first question is usually, “How much will it cost?” But the first question should be, “Who will it reach?”
If your church is serious about developing a wise evangelism strategy, it will certainly cost money! In that spirit, let me share a few thoughts on budgeting for evangelism, based on my own experience as Saddleback Church grew from 4 members to more than 20,000.
1. Money spent on evangelism is never an “expense”; it is always an investment
When you invest money in evangelism, you will surely get back more than you put in. When we held our first worship service at Saddleback, we fronted $6,500 to put it on.
Where did we get the money? From our personal credit cards! We believed that the giving of the people we reached for Christ would eventually pay everyone back.
One of the “miracles” at that preview service was a man (who had never been in our small Bible study) who came and put a $1,000 check in the offering. After the service, the treasurer counting the offering came up and told me about the check. I said, “God is at work!” Within four months we had paid everyone back. (Please note: I am not recommending that your church use personal credit cards for this! I only want to illustrate that we were willing to pay the cost of evangelism.)
Often when a church’s finances get tight, the first thing cut is the evangelism and outreach budget. Instead, this should be the last thing you cut, because it is the lifeblood of the church.
2. People give to vision, not to need
If “need” motivated people to give, churches would have plenty of money. The church should not present itself as the neediest organization, but as the one with the greatest vision. Vision attracts giving. As Jesus said, “I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Luke 19:26).
If your church is constantly short of money, look at your vision. Are you communicating the church’s vision clearly and effectively to your members? When God gives a vision, He provides what is needed to carry it out. Churches with money problems usually have vision problems.
3. When you invest little in evangelism, you reap little
Remember when Jesus told Peter to find money in a fish’s mouth to pay the temple tax? In Matthew 17:27 Jesus told Peter, “go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin.”
I believe there is an important lesson here: the money was in the fish’s mouth! If you focus on fishing (evangelism), God will pay the bills!
4. Remember: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply”
This is a famous saying of Hudson Taylor, the great missionary.
About the Author
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, one of the largest and most influential churches in America. He is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which spent 174 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into 56 languages, and is counted among the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He also founded Pastors.com, a global online community for pastors.
Every Believer Has a Part in Evangelism
Sharing the gospel is not just the job of pastors or missionaries. Every believer can contribute through prayer, giving and sharing their faith with the people around them.
Think of one friend who doesn’t yet know the Lord and pray for them every day this month. When the opportunity comes, tell them how Jesus has changed your life.
You may also like: Church Small Groups and God Is Not Limited.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for paying with Your own life to redeem us. Help us see the worth of every soul and give ourselves to sharing the gospel through prayer, giving and our testimony. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Quỳnh Vũ
Adapted from: Pastors.com
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