News / Education
New FAITH releases churches to evangelize
LifeWay resource receives new look, updating
Is there a solution?
FAITH, offered by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, gives churches a way to easily prepare their people to go out and share their faith with others.
Although FAITH has been a thriving strategy since 1999, this year LifeWay is introducing a new generation of FAITH that is easier and more accessible to churches. Churches no longer will be required to attend a FAITH clinic to receive training and purchase resources.
The new strategy has state Baptist conventions, local Baptist associations, churches and individuals working together to train churches in FAITH.
Faith Evangelism 1 resources replace the existing FAITH Basic: A Journey in FAITH and are available now. Each session is designed to be more interactive and uses various approaches to learning. Each session also includes home studies with a strong emphasis on the student’s daily, personal walk with God.
“In the FAITH 1 materials, we stress the team learners,” said Mike Smith, evangelism and discipleship specialist at LifeWay. “A strong, well-trained team is essential to every semester. In our revised resources, special attention is given to gathering these leaders and preparing them to lead their teams of two others.”
FAITH Evangelism 2, formerly FAITH Advanced: Building Bridges through FAITH, will focus on building strong team leaders who can mentor their teams and understand basic disciple making steps for the new believers. It will be available in Summer 2008.
FAITH Evangelism 3 will prepare downloadable facilitator helps designed for using existing discipleship resources for FAITH team leaders. It will be available in Fall 2008.
LifeWay will offer training for the new FAITH strategy in 2008. The first FAITH Evangelism Equipper Training (FEET) event was Feb. 11-12 at Middle River Baptist Church in Baltimore. Upcoming FEET events include March 3-4 in Owasso, Okla.; Oct. 6-7 in Fairview Heights, Ill.; and Oct. 27-28 in McLeansville, N.C.
The training is offered free to individuals. There are no conference fees and no fees for materials. Participants only pay their own transportation, housing and food expenses.
Middle River has used FAITH since 2004. Host pastor Don Satterwhite said, “I found very little that would motivate my people to share their faith until FAITH. One of the reasons I love FAITH is that it works. At our church, every Sunday school department has a FAITH team and it has been our most effective work.”
LifeWay trained more than 8,000 churches in FAITH Evangelism from 1998-2007, but it’s time to hand off leadership to the state Baptist conventions, Smith said. “The state conventions, associations and FAITH training churches can train so many more people than we ever could. Under their leadership, the FAITH strategy can be customized to meet the unique needs of their churches.”
Larry Gilmore, director of evangelism for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, said that he expects state conventions will look to the key FAITH churches - those successfully using FAITH - and work with them to take on responsibility for training. “The churches that use FAITH best will be the most logical trainers,” he said.
Thom Thornton, director of evangelism and collegiate ministry for the Baptist Convention of Maryland-Delaware, said churches are going to have to adapt to the changes in their mission fields.
“Many ‘country churches’ here in Maryland are rapidly becoming city churches,” Thornton said. “Land around churches that not long ago was farm land is now being developed and turned into huge subdivisions. Right here at Middle River, a 600-home development is being built. Every house, townhouse and condominium represents a household that needs to be reached. Churches will need an evangelism strategy to take on that task.”
Thornton said he encourages his Maryland-Delaware churches to choose a strategy and do it. “But, I teach FAITH because I think it’s the best tool available.”
“We want to help ignite a spark in the local church with this new FAITH Evangelism resource,” said Smith.
“This new material is stronger in encouraging people to share their faith every day, not just on the evenings they make FAITH visits,” he added. “But one thing about FAITH that has not changed is the reality that it’s the power of the Gospel that changes people.”
For more information on FAITH Evangelism and the training events, go to www.lifeway.com/evangelism or call Mike Smith at (615) 251-2231.For up-to-date news and information regarding LifeWay Christian Resources, visit www.lifeway.com/news.
