The Yangxin County CC&TSPM, Hubei Province, held a three-day Evangelism Explosion training program to help belivers evangelize more people.
The purpose of Evangelism Explosion III-EE was to equip believers to effectively share the gospel with unbelievers. The training addressed building friendships, leading people to the Lord, and training disciples. The mission is to equip churches of different denominations, countries, and even different groups to help the church grow healthily.
In 1967, Rev. Dr. James Kennedy held the first leadership workshop at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida, with 36 participants.
From October 12 to 14, the county CC&TSPM's Evangelism Explosion Ministry was initially arranged by several believers who had participated in the Evangelism Explosion study in other churches in the province in 2003. In 2011, the county offices of the CC&TSPM established this ministry with Elder Li Yunxiang, the president of the county CC&TSPM and Pastor Bao Lijin, the head of the Ministry, as the main members. Currently, this ministry has spread out across the county, producing five teachers.
There were more than 20 participants in this class, including 12 formal trainees, four teachers, and four team leaders. To practice giving sermons, they were divided into 8 teams, each containing a leader and two to three trainees (at least one formal trainee).
In the class, the teachers gave classes and showed how to give sermons after class. The trainees recited the Evangelism Explosion outline and practiced giving sermons in the listener’s home or other locations in the evening. The trainees also took a test in which they had to write down the outline from memory and the personal salvation testimony used in evangelism. They also needed to take a written examination that tested their understanding of the content and had their speaking ability assessed.
During this evangelism internship, giving sermons to 15 people, they led three to return to the Lord, and three catechumens who were not sure about eternal life believed that they can go to heaven through salvation from Jesus. At the same time, they established friendships with other people who did not accept the gospel at this time.
The Ministry will follow up and cultivate the trainees for one year, and regularly lead the team members out to practice sermons until they are trained as qualified members.
- Translated by Abigail Wu