The work of the Home Mission Board is often understood as just assisting presbyteries in the work of church planting. While this is one of the primary functions of the Board, there are many other important tasks we are involved in. In the constitution of the Board of Home Missions, one of the strategies listed states that we exist “to develop the outworking of biblical evangelism in the life of the church by providing board-approved opportunities for evangelism training.”

When I talked to several ministers and elders who served on the board in the past, it became clear that this strategy had not been emphasized due to a focus primarily on church planting. This is perhaps due to the denominational push to see more churches planted, called the 2020 Vision. While we should desire to see more churches planted throughout our nation, and we should utilize the resources the Lord has given us in order to aid in the work of church planting, this should not come at the expense of emphasizing the need for a focus on evangelism in our new and existing congregations.

Thankfully, in recent years, this emphasis upon evangelism within the Home Mission Board has been recovered. In Oct. 2023, an Evangelism Committee was established with the task of reviewing and producing evangelistic material for recommended use within RP congregations. At the 2024 RP International Conference, the Board provided such resources for free to guests of the conference, and in Oct. 2024, the Board sponsored a conference on the topic of evangelism held at Westminster (Prairie View, Ill.) RPC.

The Westminster Conference

The Westminster Conference was designed not only to focus on providing sound Reformed teaching and information, but also to put into practice what was being taught. This year, the conference brought together people from three different denominations, five different churches, and six different states, all with the intent of bringing the information and resources back to each person’s local setting in order to see the gospel of Jesus Christ advance in those areas.

The conference began on a Friday evening with a lecture I gave entitled “Wisdom Crieth Without.” This lecture laid the foundation for the conference by showing the biblical imperative to leave the four walls of the church building and bring the gospel to where the people are.

Saturday was the primary day of the conference, which began with a lecture by Elder Andrew Silva (Dallas Presbyterian Church, FCC) entitled “Faith Plus Works in One-on-One Evangelism.” This lecture showed that we must put our faith into action by engaging with people in gospel conversation. This was followed by a lecture given by Rev. Stephen Atkinson (PCA, Director of Christian Witness to Israel) entitled “Engaging with Jewish People.” The Chicagoland area is one of the most heavily populated Jewish communities in America with over 200,000 Jews, and this lecture provided helpful resources and encouragement in how to engage God’s Old Covenant people with the message of the Messiah. The conference concluded with a sermon I preached from Mark 16:15–16 entitled “Evangelizing all Creation.” This was a final charge to go out and be about the work of evangelism.

To help put into practice what was being taught, we devoted three hours on Saturday afternoon for an evangelistic outing. Attendees divided into three groups. One group went door-to-door in the neighborhood around the church. This provided the opportunity to engage with people of various faith backgrounds including Romanism, Hinduism, and Mohammedism. The Lord was gracious and opened the doors so that many good conversations were able to take place with our neighbors.

Another group went to a local park to engage in one-on-one evangelism by giving out gospel tracts and engaging people in conversation. This provided an opportunity to meet people where they are, with many who have never set foot inside a church, and bring the truth of Jesus Christ to them.

I led a group that went to a local town square to engage in open-air preaching and one-on-one evangelism. The Lord was gracious in providing many people for us to engage with, and even more people heard the preaching of the Word and the call to repentance and faith in Christ.

The feedback we received from those who took part in this outing was that it gave them more confidence in sharing the gospel and that it was encouraging to see the Lord blessing faithfulness to the commission that Christ gave to His church.

A Call to Evangelism

One of the most heartbreaking things I have heard in my short time as a minister is when I am talking with pastors or church members and they say that their congregation does not do regular, organized evangelism. This must change if we are to see our neighborhoods, towns, states, and nation won for Christ’s Crown and Covenant. In Romans 10:17, the apostle Paul writes, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The lost and dying of this world will never come to faith in Christ Jesus without the gospel of free grace, so that drives us to share it. Many will never cross the thresholds of our churches, so we must take the gospel to them.

Christ Jesus says in Luke 14:23, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” We must be leading our congregations in the work of evangelism by organizing regular outings in which we go into the streets and share the gospel with those whom we encounter. We read in Proverbs 1:20, “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets.” Ministers should make it a regular part of their preaching ministry to go out and preach in the open air so that those who may never come to a Lord’s Day worship service may hear of the way of salvation found in Christ Jesus.

If your congregation is not doing this regularly, I implore you to make it a priority. Evangelizing is not optional for the church. In fact, it is one of the last commands that the Lord Jesus gave to His officers.

Resources for Evangelism

If you are uneasy about engaging in evangelism, the Home Mission Board is here to assist you. The lectures from the Westminster Conference can be found at WestminsterConference.com. There are many books available that we recommend for strengthening your work of evangelism: God-Centered Evangelism by R. B. Kuiper, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer, and Puritan Evangelism by Joel Beeke are just a few that we have found helpful. For ministers, engaging in open-air preaching may seem strange to you. If so, we would recommend A Certain Sound by Ryan Denton and Scott Smith as well as Open-Air Preaching by Charles Spurgeon.

The use of gospel tracts is an excellent way to engage with people in one-on-one evangelism. The Trinitarian Bible Society has tracts comprised of only Scripture, which allows you to get the Word of God into the hands of those you are sharing the gospel with. Chapel Library allows you to receive $20 worth of material per month for free, and they have many tracts written by Reformed pastors of old, which are well worth your use.

If you would like more information about the work of the Home Mission Board, please visit our website at RPHomeMissions.org. May we all see a greater engagement in the work of gospel ministry and a greater effort to see the lost come to faith in Christ Jesus for His glory.