10 Ways to Multiply Evangelism in the Next 3 Years

We regard evangelism as primarily a local church function. BCI serves to empower local churches through expanding vision, levering impact through new connections, expanding ministry scope with financial grants, and providing training in evangelism skills. Each of these strategies is intended to promote holistic gospel proclamation in both word and deed, place a priority on developing discipleship relationships, and must include a way to incorporate seekers and news believers into a local church.

Here are 10 strategies that we will facilitate over the next 3 years to multiply disciples in our churches. Complete the online form for information on how to participate.

1) College Ministry Kickoff Funds

This project provides financial assistance to churches that have strong college ministries and conduct college ministry kickoff events in order to broaden their gospel impact in the crucial first weeks of the fall semester. A significant percentage of church baptisms in Iowa happen in these churches and begin with these events. This fund provides $5 per student at the kickoff event, up to $5,000 per church.

2) International College Student Ministry Expansion

This fund provides start-up funds among the best college ministries that originated in Iowa to help churches establish a new ministry to international students. Qualified ministries will receive up to $1,000/month for 36 months to provide partial funding for staff focusing on international ministry at least half time. We desire to add three new ministries reaching international students established that will be fully locally funded by the end of three years.

3) Summer Project to Reach Hispanic Communities

This project provides a stipend for five students from Rio Grande Seminary to spend their summer sharing the gospel and doing initial church planting work among Hispanic communities. Students will partner with existing Hispanic congregations to expand their gospel impact and provide an opportunity to recruit the seminary students as planters. The project provides $1,000 per student with the partner churches covering other food, housing, and ministry expenses. We desire to reach new communities each of the three years and expect to see gospel sowing in 15 locations with a minimum of three church plants. Students will be supervised locally by Israel Becerra, BCI Church Planting Catalyst, who will identify target communities based on current church planting strategies.

4) Breaking Bondage Initiative

BCI seeks to expand partnership with similar evangelical denominations and networks to break the bondage of key identified populations in Iowa: children in vulnerable families, poverty impacted communities, individuals and families impacted by addictions, and unreached population groups. Research is being completed to find the best ministries in the state that have similar evangelical doctrine, work through church partnerships, and have evangelistic priority as evidenced in the ministry’s purpose statement, training processes, and board member requirements. Grants will be offered to four of the most effective ministries to help ministries to multiply to reach new communities. At the end of three years, we expect to see impactful evangelistic human need ministries multiplied across our state, evangelizing the most vulnerable, partnering with local churches, and impacting hundreds of families that are currently in bondage.

5) Investing in Gospel-Based Serving Ministries through the Iowa Ministry Fund

BCI will help individual churches expand their investment and involvement in ministries that meet physical and spiritual needs which are challenging for individual churches to address in vulnerable populations in Iowa and often require a multi-church partnership. Through the newly redesigned Iowa Ministry Fund process, BCI churches will submit applications in support of qualified ministries which meet tangible needs that also provide opportunities for gospel-centered evangelism among the vulnerable. The BCI church must be actively involved with the serving ministry through volunteering, developing relationships, and financial support. We will ask churches to make a specific commitment to increase volunteer and financial support each year for three years. BCI will match funds contributed by the church up to a funding cap of $5,000/year. APPLY NOW FOR A MINISTRY YOUR CHURCH SUPPORTS.

6) Leveraging and Multiplying Community Impact Churches

A “Community Impact Church” is one that successfully engages their community on a regular, continual basis for the purpose of sharing the gospel and has a proven strategy of following up on seekers that are identified during an event. Funds will be provided for qualified churches with a solid history of fruitfulness and a clear strategic plan for up to half of the project’s budget, up to $3,000/year per church. At the end of three years, we desire to see an additional 100 baptisms among participating churches.

7) Multiplying “Faithful Presence” in Public Schools

In many of our smaller cities, the key community focus is the public school. This initiative will help churches build bridges with school administrators, school board members, and teachers to be a positive gospel influence within their community. This project would harness the expertise of Christian educators and key pastors in Iowa to equip churches to be a “Faithful Presence” in their communities. In three years, we would desire to see 20 churches serving as a Faithful Presence within their communities and their school districts.

8) Personal Evangelism Research and Coaching

A team of key evangelism leaders in Iowa will research and identify the best personal evangelism practices in Iowa. When the research is complete, the team will develop and implement a training and coaching project involving ten churches to improve their evangelism ministry. At the end of three years, we desire to see a significant increase of baptisms in these ten Iowa congregations.

9) “Evangelism through Discipleship” Research and Coaching

A team of key leaders in Iowa with fruitful experience in “evangelism through multiplying discipleship” will research and identify the best evangelism as discipleship practices in Iowa. When the research is complete, the team will develop and implement a training and coaching project involving ten BCI churches to improve their evangelism through discipleship ministry. At the end of three years, we desire to see a significant increase of baptisms in these ten Iowa congregations.

10) “Praying for the Harvest” Equipping for Pastors

The work of evangelism is fueled by prayer. For many churches, however, prayer is simply a bookend to meetings, services, and ministry programs. As we learn in Acts 2, prayer is an essential ministry of a church and in the outreach of a church. This project will equip individual pastors to lead their congregations in Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, Worship-based Prayer for a Harvest of Souls. Pastors will be equipped to lead prayer gatherings, incorporating prayer as a regular part of the weekly worship service, and give focus and intention to prayer for reaching individual lost people within their community. In three years, we expect to see 30 pastors equipped and trained to lead their congregations in praying and interceding for the lost in their community.