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Home > Articles > The Role of the Pastor in Evangelism
The Role of the Pastor in Evangelism
Personal and corporate involvement in evangelism.
Scott G. Wilkins

Topics:Evangelism, Outreach, Pastors, Pastor's role, Prayer, Relationships
Filters:Evangelism, Outreach, Pastor, Shepherd
Purpose:Evangelism
References:Jeremiah 20:9, Matthew 28:19, Luke 15:3-7
Date Added:July 11, 2007

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  1. Respond to cries for help. As the church grows and its ministry becomes more specialized, the pastor may not be able to be involved in the lives of every single convert. But to fulfill our call to ministry and to be like the Lord who called us, we must personally answer enough of those cries for help that we get our hands dirty and our hearts broken by hurting people. If you have decided to become a church CEO, you may never experience the soul-shaping, spiritual adventure of touching lives for the kingdom. Be sensitive to benevolent needs that come your way. Be on guard the next time you conduct a funeral service and a distant family member of the deceased is in attendance at the funeral, having never heard gospel. Be aware of hospital visits where the opportunity to share with doctors, nurses, and attendants is abundant and often timely.

Corporate Involvement
Second, let's look at the pastor's corporate involvement in evangelism. A church and its leaders have a responsibility to God to involve its great army of laity in witness for Jesus. Four basic keys are necessary for proper implementation of good evangelism program.

  1. Enlighten the church. Many Christians fail to witness because they are not educated or challenged on the subject. I urge you to preach on the subject of soul winning, challenging your flock about the biblical mandate to share their faith. Witnessing is not an option; it is a mandate for every Christian. Pastors should keep their flock accountable before God concerning the commission every Christian has received from God.

  2. Enlist the church. We enlist people for practically everything under the sun. Unfortunately, one of the areas we often overlook is the ministry of evangelism. Evangelism must be given priority as a major emphasis of the church. If not, laity will be enlisted in so many committees, social functions, and recreational activities that they will have no time to commit to outreach.

  3. Equip the church. Most laypeople have a deep desire to win others to Christ; unfortunately, most of them simply do not know how. We need to learn to work with a team of Christians to develop meaningful relationships with lost people through acts of hospitality and grace. The pastor needs to be the primary person who leads in the equipping of the saints. As the pastor makes it a priority not to only share his faith but also to equip his flock, he will reap greater benefits from both his example and training of others.