Find it Here: Reaching the 4.9 million

CARY (BSCNC Communications) - In an effort to continue making evangelism a priority and to reach the more than 4.9 million people in North Carolina who do not know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) is launching a three-year statewide evangelism emphasis called Engaging Culture: Changing Lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The first year of the emphasis, known as Find it Here, "is an attempt to share the Gospel with as many people as possible in North Carolina and throughout North America on Easter 2010," said Don McCutcheon, Executive Leader for Evangelization.

North Carolina Baptist churches joining the initiative commit to four evangelistic activities on or before Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010: praying for the salvation of non-Christian family, friends and neighbors; inviting non-Christian family, friends and neighbors to Easter services; preaching an evangelistic sermon and extending an evangelistic invitation on Easter Sunday; and baptizing new converts Easter Sunday or the Sunday following.

Find it Here is not another program or curriculum. Rather, it is an attempt to offer a simple approach with multiple options in order to help North Carolina Baptists be intentionally evangelistic. "We should all be praying for those without Christ. We should all be inviting them. But this just gives people an added incentive and encouragement to do that," McCutcheon said. Churches and associations can decide how to contextualize their approach to accomplishing each of the four evangelistic activities - the goal is for churches to be intentionally evangelistic between now and Easter Sunday. "There are times when we don't consider evangelism as our main focus. Easter's a very busy time for pastors and churches, and their schedules become full. And many times, things in our lives crowd out that priority of making certain that the message is intentionally evangelistic, and that an evangelistic invitation is given," McCutcheon said.

McCutcheon hopes this evangelism emphasis will help churches involved be able to "continue to make disciples, who will make disciples, who will make disciples." He said Find it Here will allow "a church that is bivocational, a church plant that doesn't have a building, a church in a rural area or a church in an urban area" the opportunity to participate. "It doesn't cost anything to do these four things, and it's something that the church can do very easily, but it can be very effective for the Kingdom, transforming lives for Jesus Christ."

One of the best models for coordinating a Find it Here outreach in a local church is for associations to work together. "The directors of missions are very key and pivotal in this," McCutcheon said. Pastors also need to provide leadership, but at the same, need to involve church members "who have a heart for prayer, who can organize, who can lead, who have a great passion to see people come to know Christ. Then these people could actually lead the prayer emphasis."

A Web site devoted to helping North Carolina Baptists carry out each of the four evangelistic activities is available here. This site includes free resources such as sermon outlines, training videos and prayer guides. The site will continue to be updated with additional resources in the days leading up to Easter 2010.

A special Find it Here presentation will take place Tuesday, Nov. 10, during the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina annual session in Greensboro. The presentation will include an overview of Find it Here and North Carolina Baptists will learn more about how to get involved in this evangelism outreach.

For more information about the annual session click here.

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