Propelling Evangelism Forward
4 Outreach OpportunitiesWith the global outbreak of COVID-19, churches are scrambling to solve their local Sabbath services, let alone figure out evangelism. But there is no better time to reach your community than now. More than ever, it is our calling to reach those who are hurting and introduce them to our biblical message of hope and wholeness.
We have heard from many churches asking how to propel evangelism forward in this environment. Some have questions about online technology, while others are looking for content. We’re here to help.
Here are 4 outreach opportunities happening throughout the NAD that SermonView recommends.
4 Outreach Opportunities
Ideas to reach your community for Christ during a national lock-down.
1. Online Reaping Event from It Is Written - April 17
It Is Written is supporting local churches throughout the NAD with a full message series being hosted by John Bradshaw. This online-only event, Hope Awakens, will resemble the Net meetings of old in the way that it drives interests from across the country into a professional full-message series. Then Virtual Bible Coordinators (some can be trained at your church) will continue to engage and visit with the interests. This event is right around the corner and participating churches need to register before the end of this week.
When: Starting April 17, 2020. Churches need to register before the end of this week to participate.
Format: Full-message series online hosted by It Is Written.
Cost: $2,500 and up, based on church needs for marketing.
Who is this for: This is a great program for any church that had planned a reaping event for this spring, and feel they need to still do it. Many churches are not capable of putting together their own production, and for this event, It Is Written will handle everything.
To register, visit HopeAwakensEvent.com
2. Bridge Event from the Voice of Prophecy
The Voice of Prophecy is recommending a bridge event for this season, and we think this has a lot of merit. By using the resources from Shadow Empire you can put together a multi-night event with high-quality video and an interactive study time online. There are a few restrictions to protect this content, but your church will have plenty of flexibility to make this a great introduction to your community.
Format: Video series that requires an online meeting platform. We like Zoom—click here to learn why.
Cost: $49-$5,000, depending on your current access to these materials, participation in special offers, and marketing to your community.
Who is this for: If your church has the means to put together your own meeting but needs quality content to engage viewers, this is for you. You’ll build community that will help you fill seats in a full-message series this fall. But it does require some technical skill, so be prepared to test your system first.
To learn more and register, visit ShadowEmpire.com/Host
3. Your Own Online Reaping Event
This has been the big question: “Can we simply move our meeting online?”
We believe that for many churches this level of content development and technology may be out of immediate reach. However, we also know many churches are capable and excited about these types of programs. SermonView has modified their registration platform to be a great tool for online meetings—including automated reminders for each meeting through email/text. You provide the content, and we’ll use our marketing team to help get your community to the meeting platform of your choice.
Format: Your meeting, your content, your platform. It is all up to you.
Cost: $295 and up. This really depends on the marketing efforts we provide. We are currently offering packages with registration, Facebook/Instagram ads, Twitter ads, and Google ads.
Who is this for: This solution is for a church that is excited for the flexibility or the timing to try a new platform. If your church wants to roll up their sleeves and get to work innovating online evangelism, this is a way to keep everything local. You can choose between a full-message series and a bridge event based on your fall plans and needs.
Read more about hosting an online meeting.
4. Online Lead Generation
SermonView has been handling online lead generation for a few years now and this program is seeing its biggest success yet.
Our program is now generating hundreds of Bible study leads every week for churches across the NAD. Every part of the country is responding better than before the pandemic and this reflects the way God is using this situation to point people to Him. Our program allows for flexibility of resources, and offers a prayer phone and online system that help you better connect with people in need in your community.
Format: We handle everything. You receive the leads.
Cost: $500 and up. We're seeing an average cost of $15 to $20 per lead currently in most parts of the U.S.
Who is this for: This is for everyone that wants to increase their connection to local people who are hurting and open. We believe there is no better time to connect with your community and this program does it in a simple way. Feel free to add this program before or during any of the programs mentioned above.
How to Follow Up with Leads
With social distancing becoming the new normal, you may be asking yourself, "What is the appropriate way to follow up with my Bible studies leads while still building bonds and planting seeds?" Here's several methods that can help you in this unique time.
First, we suggest you begin your correspondence by phone or email. Many pastors have found this the best method to start with—even before the era of social distancing. After you have made initial contact, here are some options:
- Individual one-on-one Bible studies through phone or Skype
- A weekly group Bible study through Zoom
- Become part of an online platform that people can freely access the Bible studies, such as VOP Discover Bible School or It Is Written Bible Lessons
- Send a personal note with a physical Bible study through the mail
People are lacking connection, so finding creative ways to connect is going to be the key to starting any relationship in this time of uncertainty.
The Evangelism Pyramid
When choosing an evangelistic activity, it’s appropriate to consider your church’s overall evangelism strategy. This is where the Evangelism Pyramid from Dr. Roger Walter can be extremely helpful.
Each layer builds on the previous one, resulting in a strong evangelism culture and more effective reaping events. Your church should be doing activities at every level regularly throughout the year.
During this season of social distancing, every level of the pyramid is impacted. But in this environment, churches especially need to find ways to be good neighbors, building friendships and showing kindness to people in your community.
If you are planning a reaping series for this fall, now is the perfect time to build your interest list through seed sowing activities. Because online evangelistic meetings remain an unproven method for asking for decisions, you may want to defer your meetings to this fall, and spend your effort in seed sowing activities.
Using this time to build the lower foundation levels will result in a greater harvest when the crisis passes.
Learn more about the Evangelism Pyramid.
A Conversation About Online Evangelistic Meetings
“What can churches do to propel evangelism forward in this environment of social distancing?”
That was the question posed to five Seventh-day Adventist evangelist pastors two weeks ago, as the coronavirus national health emergency led authorities to ban all gatherings of more than ten people. As the crisis unfolded, SermonView’s Larry Witzel and Vince Williams led a Zoom call with Byron Corbett, Richie Halversen, Ann Thrash-Trumbo, Keith Trumbo, and Joshua Plohocky. A 53-minute video of that conversation is now available online.
If you are thinking about holding online reaping meetings over the next few weeks, we encourage you to watch the video and glean some insights about what changes you’ll need to make to your sermons to be more effective online.
Watch the video.
We're Here For You
Here in Washington State we are under a stay-at-home order by the governor, so the SermonView crew is working remotely. We have worked hard to create a safe space for people to do their best work, and right now their physical safety requires the team to work using remote technology.
We plan to continue maintaining normal business hours, so we can be here to serve your evangelism marketing needs. If there is something we can do to support you during this crisis, please let us know.
In the meantime, we are praying for you, your family and your ministry as you navigate this unprecedented challenge. We pray for your health, and your sanity. And we pray that God will work through you in a powerful way to share His message of hope and wholeness, and that the end result of all this will be a great harvest for the Kingdom of God.
We're here to help.
Keep your evangelism going with online event marketing.