At
the week-long Clark County Fair in Springfield, OH there were 1,182
salvation decisions. Agora Evangelism Ministries (AEM) was started to
address a two-fold burden that God has laid on our hearts: to reach and
disciple the un-churched with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to train
members of local independent, fundamental churches to do the same.
Partnering with the local church, AEM brings an easy and effective evangelism program to the local community. It has been our experience that hundreds can be reached (one on one) with the gospel in a matter of days. AEM provides training, materials, and a location for evangelism (all at minimal cost) to the local church. Whether a church has a robust evangelism program or the hope of developing such a program; this is a valuable tool which has helped churches and missionaries around the world. The general process is something like this:
Agora Evangelism Provides:
You will realize several advantages when you partner with Agora Evangelism Ministries. Agora provides expertise in the marketplace environment, training for your church members, material to present a clear gospel message, and logistics (before, during and after an event).
Expertise: Though many Christians already know how to give a clear, effective gospel presentation, the fair presents some interesting time and attention span constraints. Most people entering the booth are either in a hurry themselves or someone waiting for them is in a hurry. Agora Evangelism will train and work with your church to show you how to give an upbeat, concise, clear, effective presentation of the gospel.
Training: A wise man once said that inspiration without education leads to frustration. Agora Evangelism will provide a one to two hour training session before the event. We will also sit with each of your church members at the event. They will be able to watch an AEM evangelist present the gospel a couple of times. Then they will be able to give the gospel under supervision until the AEM evangelist and the church member feels they are ready to “go solo.”
Material: Because of the volume of material we use every year, Agora Evangelism Ministries is able to buy our supplies at a reduced cost. We understand that God requires you to be a wise steward of the resources He has placed in your care. Because of this, we are more than willing to pass our savings onto you and your church. Everything we provide (tracts, sticks, bracelets, follow-up cards and follow-up books) is given to you at, or below, cost.
Logistics: There is A LOT of behind-the-scenes work involved before, during and after any event. This is where Agora Evangelism is invaluable. We will take care of everything. AEM will handle securing and insuring the booth. We will bring in all supplies and set up the booth. We will maintain the booth and tear down everything at the close of the event. AEM will even worry about how to get the people to come into the booth to listen to the gospel. The only thing your church members need to worry about is presenting the gospel to people that are willing to listen.
The Hosting Church Provides:
The most important part of reaching the lost in the marketplace is the local church. Agora Evangelism Ministries may have nice materials, but what we don’t have are the foot soldiers, a group of excited and motivated local church members from your area willing to step out and share what Jesus Christ means to them. Agora Evangelism may have the logistics, but we don’t have the local resources to follow-up on each person who prays to receive Christ. The local church is vital. There are three areas where the local church makes this ministry work.
Foot Soldiers: Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. For whatever reason, God decided that Christians would be privileged with sharing His good news of salvation through His Son. Thus, the first key role of the local church is to provide people to share the most important message in the world, the gospel of Christ.
Finances: Although Agora Evangelism acquires all material at the lowest possible prices, it still costs money. We need to depend on the wise stewardship of the local church to fund the evangelism events. We understand that God has placed certain resources under your care. Our hope is that you will prayerfully consider partnering with us to reach your Jerusalem.
Follow-up: When a couple has a baby they don’t just leave it in the street the day it was born to fend for itself. Of course not. We need to be as caring and as compassionate with the babes we born in Christ. For this reason, Agora Evangelism Ministries has set up a three-fold follow-up program. First, we give assurance of salvation to everyone that makes a decision for Christ in the booth. Second, we give a follow-up book to each of these new converts – Christian Growth by Dr. Bob Dudley. Third, we ask them to fill out a decision card so that someone can visit them after the fair. There can be anywhere from 10 to hundreds of these cards (depending on the size and duration of the event). It is critical that the local church run this part of the follow-up.
Typical Results
If
only one person comes to Christ at the fair then it is a success. However,
it is our experience that (with prayer) a multitude will make decisions for
Christ. We have tried to give a representative sample below of the results
that we have seen in the past.
Your Investment
Initial Event: The only up-front investment is time. Agora Evangelism Ministries is so confident that you will find this an effective ministry for your Jerusalem that we will fund the entire cost of the first event in your area.
Subsequent Events: After the first event, we ask that your church partner with us financially to continue reaching your Jerusalem. Your investment will cover:
Missionary: We would also ask for you to consider taking Agora Evangelism on as a missionary. Our representatives work at your church for free. We are able to do this because the churches before you felt the program was so valuable, they wanted to support us as we ministered to your church.
If You Are Interested
If you would like to learn more about hosting a local fair or schedule an appointment with an Agora Evangelism Representative, please contact us at:
(301)704-7158
Contact@AgoraEvangelism.org