As you begin a new year and think about goals for the year ahead, be sure to include faith sharing and evangelism into your work. Here are five things congregations can do to do evangelism well:

1. Develop a clear vision and strategy: Churches should have a clear understanding of their purpose and principles and priorities, not only for evangelism but for their work as a congregation. All evangelism invites people into something – be sure the something is significant and well grounded!
2. Cultivate a welcoming and inclusive environment: Creating a warm and inviting atmosphere is crucial for this work. And conservative congregations have now started declining at faster rates than more progressive ones, so be sure to work to be open and welcoming to the wide variety of diverse people in your context. And then foster an authentic sense of community and belonging.
3. Equip and empower members for evangelism: Church leaders should invest in training and equipping their members to confidently share their faith in the God they know in Jesus. This begins by helping people talk about their faith and why it matters with one another. And it includes encouragement to share it and to invite others in the context of daily living.
4. Utilize technology and social media: Congregations can leverage technology and social media platforms to reach a wider audience. This can include live streaming services, creating engaging online content, and utilizing social media advertising to promote events and initiatives. Be sure to stay attentive to these, as many ministries have pages that get used for a while and then forgotten until the next big thing. People are looking at these pages every week – you should be too!
5. Engage in the surrounding community: Actively participating in the community and building authentic relationships is an effective way for churches to demonstrate their love and care for others. You can’t engage new people if you don’t know them. And being a good neighbor is foundational to being the church and serving as followers of Jesus.

Remember, these are just a few suggestions, and each setting is unique and as leaders, you need to do the above things in your own way.

At Day 8 Strategies we have two great books to help you and your folks do this work. Beyond Chit-Chat will help you change the conversation to deeper, faith story sharing. The Invitational Christian will help you outline the work and equip people to share their faith and invite others into the life of your faith community.