MOMENTUM!

[Sample Letter from Conference Administration to Pastors]

Dear Fellow Pastors and Soul Winners,

I’m going to do something this coming year I would like to do more often. I am going to hold my own evangelistic series in our conference. I will be working with Pastor [name] and the [church name] congregation to reach out to the community. We begin [day and date].

I believe every church in our conference needs to have some kind of Harvest Soul Winning Plan each year that includes reaping meetings. The reaping in this plan could take many forms- DVD meetings, guest evangelist, Revelation Seminar, Week of Prayer, Pastor’s Bible Class, a Sabbath morning series, Coaching a laymen or youth presented series, Momentum satellite reaping or a combination of these. But in each case there needs to be a clear plan to “add souls to the fold.”

There are many reasons I thought about NOT having a series of meetings. I’m sure you have had some of these same thoughts-

1. I have so many other things to do.
2. What if no one comes to the meetings?
3. What if the church members aren’t very supportive?
4. Isn’t there a better way to prepare people for baptism and active church membership?
5. What if I don’t really have the gift of evangelism?
6. What if no one is baptized?

But then I think of better reasons to go forward-

1. Jesus changed my life and I will always sense a debt of gratitude to Him to share with others the freedom and transformation the Adventist Message brings.
2. God is at work on people in every community (even in North America) and we need to find them and invite them to join the Adventist Movement.
3. As pastors we have all been called to “do the work of an evangelist” whether we have the gift of evangelism or not. (“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5 NIV) The work of an evangelist must include some kind of sharing of our message, appealing for decisions and preparing people for baptism.
4. It is exciting to see people accept Jesus and Bible truths and invite the Holy Spirit to transform their lives.
5. If I am going to challenge each of you to have some kind of reaping meetings this year, the year of evangelism, then I need to be willing to lead by example.
6. I want more people in heaven someday. (“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:13-14 NIV)
7. I want to see Jesus come sooner. (“By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin…” Desire of Ages p. 633.3)

Let’s ask God for wisdom and break new ground for the work of Jesus in our conference this coming year, another year of evangelism.

A fellow worker,         

[Signature]                 

[Name & title of Conference Administrator]