SOUL WINNING (Personal & Churchwide) 

The Importance of Soul Winning in the Local Church:

·        It is the gasoline -- adding the influence, excitement and power that keeps a ministry on track.

·        A successful church must have a balance between soul winning and discipling new converts.

·        Without the foundation of personal soul winning as the driving influence of a ministry, it is very easy for a church to lose its vision, its purpose, its drive, its excitement, and its forward growth thrust.

Our Church Should Maintain a Weekly Soul Winning, Visitation, and Door Knocking Time:

·        Monday or Thursday night and Saturday mornings seems to work well for most churches.

·        The weekly visitation time should be organized thoroughly.

·        It should start on time, with prayer, and with all prospect cards pre-grouped to specific sec­tions of the area, etc.

·        Teams of two are to be sent out all over the area to follow up on church visitors, regardless of the need.

·        It is important to have a staffed church nursery available so that mothers will be able to go soul winning.

Records / Prospects

·        A good record system, which includes a correct flow of in­formation between different ministries of the church, is needed for establishing an outreach program.

·        The procedure should not only lead to someone accepting Christ, but also to involving him with the total ministry of the church.

·        The church should stock and use the following forms:

1.     Visitors' Cards

2.     Sunday School Enrollment Forms

3.     Visitation Prospect Cards

4.     Membership Forms

5.     Sunday School Visitors' Cards

·        No one should ever visit any function of the church with­out having his/her name and address taken — a prospect for soul winning and church membership should never be taken lightly.

·        There are many software programs available that will handle all of the church's visitors and prospects.

Training (Two Areas of Training are Needed in Soul Winning):

·        It is good for the pastor himself to teach a two-hour soul winning lecture or seminar a couple of times per year. This allows every church mem­ber to have the opportunity of  learning "how to" win his friends and loved ones to Christ.

·        The church should also establish an ongoing soul win­ning teams which is built on a trainer/trainee relationship. People who are involved in a training program of this type will not only know how to win others to Christ, but will also learn the discipline of being a great soul winner in an environment of responsi­bility and accountability.

Dangers  (There are Two Dangers to Consider):

·        A church that founds itself on real soul winning zeal, uses it to build towards financial stability, then drops the soul winning thrust after certain numerical goals have been reached WILL BE STALE. People sit in amazement and wonder why things are not as exciting  and growing as they used to be.

·        A second danger is for a church to look for "quick methods" and try to use them to reach other people to Christ. It is always hoped that something new will come along which will replace Book of Acts, New Testament evangelism. This, of course, never happens. . . , . ...»

A church that will maintain a good soulwinning foundation in its ministry, will be rewarded with enthusiasm, excitement, fulfillment, growth, and most of all, the assurance of knowing that it is working on that which is closest to the heart of our God.