Philo Trust

breakingnews11

Research has shown that only a small proportion of churches actually train their members for evangelism rather than just tell them about it. With many years of experience preparing churches for mission, J.John has written Breaking News. This six-session course provides churches with a ready-made training programme to help their members to engage in evangelism.

Background:

Breaking news has already been completed by hundreds of churches; it provides information, activities and talking points to help individuals understand how to share their faith and become more confident and effective in telling others.

J.John writes:
“Sadly the Church over the years has had an imbalance, often neglecting witness and focusing more on worship and well-being . . . Evangelism is not just about numbers; we count people because people count. Because we are made in the image of God, every individual is a person of intrinsic worth.”

Breaking News covers the ‘why’ of evangelism, as well as defining the correct message of the Good News, before introducing ‘friendship evangelism’. J.John points out that evangelism comes naturally to those deeply in love with Jesus. He writes that: “we cannot stop telling people about the wonderful things we have heard,” but also warns that it “is very difficult to get half-full Christians to overflow!”

The course also advises Christians on how to tell their story, how to demonstrate the good news in their lives and actions and how they can receive the power for evangelism.

Alongside just10:

When people become Christians they often become very enthusiastic witnesses. They impact friends, family and colleagues as they tell of how their lives have been transformed. It can be an advantage to them if they are able to invite their friends to the same sort of event that has deeply affected them. For example, during a just10 series in Devon, one woman came to faith in the first week. This made such a difference in her life that her non-Christian husband came along the next week. He made a decision to follow Jesus that evening!

As just10 is suitable for the churched and the unchurched, it is an ideal opportunity to invite friends to come along. Breaking News will build knowledge and confidence when it comes to asking someone to come.

We strongly recommend that churches commit to running Breaking News before beginning just10. If small groups commit to six weeks of learning how to communicate their faith, they will not only be more confident but also much more effective when inviting the unchurched to just10.

The Ideal Timeline:

We suggest running Breaking News a few months prior to starting just10. It will take each small group six weeks to learn how to communicate their faith.

Breaking News has formed a vital part of previous just10 missions. In 2008 over 270 churches in the North East joined together to partake in a large scale just10 series. With more than a third of churches in the North East running Breaking News, the impact was very significant! There was a marked change in each congregation’s willingness to confidently communicate their faith and thousands made commitments for the first time during the live meetings.

The series also acts as a spiritual check-up for Christians. By calling believers to “get right with God,” it makes Christians more effective witnesses. As their own lifestyles are challenged week by week, they enter the workplace, the home and the community as different people. Christians already have a new heart. However, they may end up with blocked arteries. There is nothing quite like the Ten Commandments to unblock them!