Recommended Texts For Evangelization and Parish Revitalization
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ARTICLE – When We Cry Out To God, He Answers
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Evangelical church has emerged as one of the largest Christian communities in New York City, but its journey to this point was far from straightforward. When Jim Cymbala assumed the role of pastor in the early 1970s, the church counted only about 30 members and teetered on
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ARTICLE – Presence and Proclamationby Pierre-Alain Giffard on September 9, 2021 in Recommended Texts
Views on evangelization have often clustered around two poles: “presence” and “proclamation.” The term “Christian presence” was minted in French Catholicism. Blessed Charles de Foucauld described his vocation as being present amongst people, a presence willed and intended as a witness of the love of Christ. The term “Christian presence”
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ARTICLE – Saving Those Who Are Lostby Pierre-Alain Giffard on September 6, 2021 in Recommended Texts
The possibility of perdition for human beings is real. The Church has always taught this and it has not changed (COC #1022). In his Epistle to the Hebrews, Saint Paul speaks of those who are lost and those who save their souls: “We are not the sort of people who
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ARTICLE – Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformationby Pierre-Alain Giffard on August 20, 2021 in Recommended Texts
The Saint-Nazaire church is another example of parish missionary transformation. Located in Sanary-sur-Mer, France, it changed parish priests in 1994. When he arrived, he found that the faithful were involved in parish activities, but most of the community was composed of seniors. Desiring it to change, he took his parochial
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ARTICLE – Small Groups and Evangelization
Evangelization experts suggest that to grow a church, leaders should keep the front doors wide open, create multiple side entrances, and ensure the back door is securely closed. In this analogy, the front doors represent welcoming weekend services for non-believers, the side entrances symbolize small groups that reach out to
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ARTICLE – EVANGELIZING BY INVITING PEOPLE TO RECEIVE JESUS AS LORD AND SAVIOURby Pierre-Alain Giffard on August 12, 2021 in Recommended Texts
Many missional churches evangelize by inviting people to “accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour” (2 Peter 3:18). They understand evangelization as a proclamation of the Gospel that calls for a response to Christ who urges us to repentance, conversion and discipleship. Those who are evangelized are lead to make a
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ARTICLE – You Will Receive Power…
Jesus said to His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). God desires to fill us with the Holy Spirit so that
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ARTICLE – Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
The law of “three hearings” and “seven touches” stem from research into effective evangelization practices of growing churches. These principles illustrate the journey of an unchurched individual towards committing to a Christian community. The Principle of Three Hearings An unchurched visitor rarely joins a church after a single visit. Much
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ARTICLE – Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life
To live a meaningful Christian life, there is a daily routine that can be followed- three actions that can be taken daily. By consistently practicing these actions, one will become stronger and more developed in their faith. Incorporating these Christian practices into daily routine can be easily done, just like
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