Evangelism Resources
Evangelism is central to our lives as Christians and is the primary mission of the Church! Archbishop William Temple declared, "The Church is the only cooperative society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members."
As Christians, we have the great privilege of being what St. Paul describes as "ambassadors for Christ since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). We have the opportunity to participate in God's act of reaching out to those around us.
The term evangelism stems from the Greek word euaggelion that means, Good News! The Good News — that God has made salvation available to all people through Jesus Christ — reached much of the known world within just 20 years of Jesus' death and resurrection. The spread of the Christian message continues today through our lives. St. Teresa of Avila noted, "We are the hands and feet of Jesus." Each one of us serves an integral part of God's plan of salvation. Jesus' charge to the disciples to "Go" to all peoples everywhere and make them His followers stretches to every Christian today.
In order to support its congregations in their evangelistic efforts, the Diocese of Dallas has inaugurated the Diocesan Evangelism Initiative that now offers many exciting programs to its 77 congregations. It is our hope that you will take advantage of these incredible opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with your community and bring new people into your church.
As Missioner for Evangelism, I am here as a resource for you. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you.
Faithfully,
Carrie Boren
Diocesan Missioner for Evangelism
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The churches of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas are engaged in bringing Christ to their surrounding communities, the nation, and other parts of the world! The Diocesan Evangelism Initiative aims to equip further the churches in this diocese to continue in their work of personal and parish evangelism.
The Evangelism Initiative expects to achieve its mission through the following courses, consultations, conferences, and events:
77 percent of those individuals who come to church and make a commitment to Jesus Christ do so because of personal contact with a friend or family member.
We may have the most incredible congregations. Too often, however, they remain a secret. Many Episcopalians want to share their faith but do not know where to begin.
Evangelism 101 is a one-day workshop that provides individuals and congregations with tools for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with those in our communities. The three-fold aim of the course is to enable participants: to recognize their own talents and to know how to use these gifts to articulate their story and the Gospel to others; to develop innovative evangelistic programs within their parish that will reach non-Christians and/or those who do not have a church home; c) to integrate a mission focus with their lives and parish.
A diocese wide lay network of those interested in evangelism currently numbers
80 individuals.
Those selected participate in special training and conferences that will teach them skills in evangelism and infuse them with enthusiasm both of which they will take back to their respective congregations. The Missioner for Evangelism, Carrie Boren, will equip these participants to become experts in sharing innovative ideas for communicating the good news of Jesus Christ with their communities and for bringing new people into their churches.
This Network will also meet periodically to exchange ideas and share up-to-date resources in evangelism.
It is important to note that the people selected for the network do not have to be experts in evangelism. All they need is an interest in evangelism and a desire to move their congregation to engage in evangelism/mission.
1 Peter 3:15,16: "But in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness
and respect …"
Apologetics training equips members of our congregations to answer questions about the Christian faith — e.g., "How do we know God exists?" "If God is good, why is there so much suffering in the world?" "Who is Jesus? What is the evidence for His Resurrection?" "Do all paths lead to God?" "Is there such a thing as truth?" "Can we trust the Bible?" "Why is the Christian message good news?" The workshops build faith and prepare participants for evangelism/apologetics.
At present, the Missioner for Evangelism is available to speak on a variety of apologetic topics that will equip congregations to answer key questions of the Christian faith.
The diocese will organize conferences for the entire diocese that will feature experts in evangelism, apologetics and church growth. The conferences will equip and motivate both lay and clergy for evangelism and outreach. The diocesan website and Esprit, the diocesan newspaper, will post the dates of upcoming conferences.
The Missioner for Evangelism is available to speak at church services and/or evangelistic events. Ms. Boren is also a valuable resource for motivating churches to get involved in evangelism.
The Missioner for Evangelism serves as a resource for providing congregations with strategies for evangelism/mission. At the request of a congregation, Ms. Boren will help them draw up an evangelism plan that will best suit their needs.
The primary goal of the Evangelism Initiative is to persuade congregations to engage in evangelism. Therefore, it will provide presentations to parishes, evangelistic home meetings, special-interest evangelistic programs, and local missions.
Parishes throughout the diocese are sharing the Gospel in innovative and exciting ways within their communities.
Carrie Boren hails from East Texas and is a graduate of Oxford University with two degrees in Theology, Evangelism and Apologetics. While at Oxford, she studied one-on-one with the world-renown Anglican evangelist, Michael Green and participated in numerous city-wide missions. Prior to Oxford, Carrie received a BA from Yale University (major in History and minor in Theatre Studies) and an MA from Harvard University in education with a focus in Urban Poverty Policy.
Carrie has worked in public policy for the Texas State Treasury and appeared in numerous television, film, and theatre projects, including an ABC sit-com, Fox and CBS Movies of the week, and various films. In addition, from the Hollywood Urban Project in Los Angeles to the United Kingdom and Uganda, Carrie has taken an active part in missions. She has been a speaker in numerous parishes and other settings, such as Oxford University and Lambeth Palace. In 2007-8 Carrie joined the Good News Initiative team with Canon Michael Green, which held evangelism conferences and outreach throughout the U.S. Recently, Philo Trust — an organization formed by the well-known evangelist, J. John — selected her as an associate evangelist. She is our Missioner for Evangelism in the Diocese of Dallas engaging in evangelistic speaking and equipping congregations to participate in personal and
parish evangelism.
Additional Resources
The Alpha Course
is the course for everyone who thinks there may be more to life than meets the eye. Over 13 million people worldwide from many different backgrounds, religions, and viewpoints have now attended an Alpha course. Courses run in tens of thousands of churches of all denominations, and at universities, in prisons, and on military bases across the world. At an Alpha course, people explore the Christian faith in a relaxed setting over ten thought-provoking weekly sessions, with a day or weekend away. It is low-key, friendly, and fun.
Harvest Unlimited
offers one of the most effective and resource efficient ways for the local church to identify, personally invite, and connect un-churched families to church. In addition, Harvest creates opportunities for the church to reach out to its community by praying personally for hundreds of prayer requests shared over a four-week period. Churches across the country transformed into “praying churches” and growing because they simply connected personally with their neighbors. There is no doubt that the un-churched will respond and attend church … if they are personally invited. Contact Harvest Unlimited and they’ll show you how.
Philo Trust
The is a registered charity, committed to communicating the relevance of the Christian faith. Its Director is J.John, a Christian speaker and writer. Many people's understanding of Christianity is a misunderstanding. It is the commitment of the Philo Trust to show how faith in Jesus Christ is not only reasonable, but relevant and vitally important.
Ravi Zacharais International Ministries
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries is committed to reaching this generation in the university, arts, politics, business, and church. Through forums, community outreach, apologetics, media, and social awareness, it seeks to remove the barriers to the Cross for the skeptic as it prepares Christians “to give a reason for the hope within us.” The vision of RZIM is fourfold:
- Evangelism that focuses on skeptics, culture, and critical thinkers.
- Apologetics that addresses current issues and the needs of society.
- Spiritual Disciplines that focus the mind and heart on the glory of God.
- Training for the church and concerned Christians worldwide.
The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics
The (OCCA) seeks to bring cutting-edge theologians and world-class evangelists together to develop a centre of excellence in both academic study and evangelistic practice. The OCCA is an exciting partnership between Wycliffe Hall (Oxford University) and Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. Rev. Prof. Alister McGrath is the president and one of a number of eminent teachers at the Centre.
Evangelism Schedule :: Missioner's Schedule
2012
January 7
Cursillo Secretariat Meeting
January 21
Teacher, Stanton Center Evangelism Course
January 27
St. Andrew’s McKinney Dedication
February 2
National Prayer Breakfast
February 2-5
Cursillo, Camp Crucis
February 11
Cursillo Secretariat Meeting
February 12
Preach, Church of the Shepherd, Allen, Texas
February 17-19
Happening, Good Shepherd, Dallas
February 18
Strategic Missional Church Gathering, Ascension, Dallas
February 24-25
Living Stones, St. Peter, McKinney
February 25
Rural Church Gathering, St. Dunstan’s, Mineola, Texas
February 26
Waxahachie Women’s Gathering, “Jesus Among All Other World Religions”
February 29th
“Can we Trust the Bible”, Good Shepherd, Terrell
March 1-4
Dallas Mission with Os Guinness and Stuart McAllister
March 1
Seeker Event at 303 Bar and Grill with Os Guinness, 7:00 p.m.
March 3
Day of Deeper Understanding
March 2-3
Apologetics Conference with Os Guinness and Stuart McAllister, Spring Valley Methodist Church
March 7
“Who was Jesus?”, Good Shepherd, Terrell
March 14th
“What good news? The Meaning of the Cross,” Good Shepherd, Terrell
March 15-18
Cursillo, All Saints Camp
March 17th
Mustard Seeds, Holy Trinity Rockwall
March 21
“If God is Good, Why is there so much Suffering in the World?”, Good Shepherd, Terrell
March 28
“From Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? What does it have to do with my life?”, Good Shepherd, Terrell
April 4
“Living the Resurrection Life” Good Shepherd, Terrell
April 13-15
New Beginnings, Camp Crucis
April 20-22
Happening
April 21
Day of Deeper Understanding
April 15th
St. Luke’s, Dallas (Ultreya)
April 20-22
Happening
April 21
Day of Deeper Understanding, Episcopal Center for Renewal
Teacher, Stanton Center Evangelism Course
April 28
*** Apologetics Workshop – “Engaging the Questions: How to answer some of the most asked questions of Christians by Seekers”
Southern Convocation, St. James, Kemp
May 5th
Stewardship Conference
May 8th
Evangelism Network Dinner, Place TBD
May 10
“A Night of Healing with Liz Babbs”
May 11-12
Back to the Mountain, Going Deeper with God with Liz Babbs, Camp All Saints
May 17-20
Spanish Cursillo, Camp Crucis
May 19
Teacher, Stanton Center Evangelism Course
May 20
Preach, St. Paul’s, Prosper, Texas
June 9
Day of Deeper Understanding
June 28-29
Daughters of the King Triennial
July 15-18
Champions Camp, Jubilee Community Center
July 24-26
Plenary, Lausanne Young Leaders Gathering
July 26-29
Cursillo, All Saints Camp
August 3-5
Happening
August 18
Day of Deeper Understanding
September 13-16
Cursillo, Camp All Saints
October 5-7
New Beginnings, Camp Crucis
October 6
Day of Deeper Understanding
October 11-14
Spanish Cursillo, Camp Crucis
October 25-28
National Episcopal Cursillo Gathering, Orlando, Florida
November 3
Day of Deeper Understanding
November 1-4
Cursillo, Camp Crucis
November 16-17
Diocese of Dallas Convention
December 8
Day of Deeper Understanding
2011
January 9
Church of the Ascension, Dallas
January 16
Church of the Ascension, Dallas
January 22
Stanton Center School for Ministry, Dallas
January 23
Church of the Apostles, Coppell, Texas
January 29
Mission Vision Day – Waxahachie, Texas
February 6
Good Shepherd, Cedar Hill, Texas
February 12
Rural Church Gathering
February 17
Anglicans for Life Gathering, Dallas
11:30 - Clergy Lunch
6:30 - Reception
February 19
Life Conference with Georgette Forney, St. John's, Dallas
February 20
Waxahachie Women's Revival
February 27
Church of the Apostles, Coppell
March 3
Clergy, Alpha Taste and See, 11:30 - 1:00pm, St. Matthew's Cathedral, Dallas
March 5
Mission Vision, St. Mark's, Irving
March 6
Preaching at Incarnation, Uptown - 9, 11:15, 5:30 Services
March 12
Daughters of the King Assembly - Speaker, St. James, Dallas
March 19
Stanton Center School for Ministry, Dallas
March 20
St. James Kemp
March 27
The Crossing at St. Luke's, Dallas (6:30 p.m.)
April 2
Body Building Day, St. James, Texarkana
April 4-7
Lausanne USA Regional gathering, Orlando, Florida
April 9
Body Building Day, St. Matthew's Cathedral, Dallas
April 16
Stanton Center School for Ministry, Dallas
April 12
Christ Church, Corpus Christi, Texas
April 30
Body Building Day, Annunciation, Lewisville
May 7
Body Building Day, Good Shepherd, Terrell
May 15
Baccalaureate Service, Global School
May 21
Stanton Center School for Ministry, Dallas
June 4
Diocese of Dallas Alpha Training Day
9:00 am - 1:00 pm - English
1:00 pm - 5:00 pm - Spanish
St. Matthew's Cathedral
July 18-20
Champion's Summer Youth Camp, Dallas, Texas
October 14-15
National Alpha Conference, Dallas, Texas
October 21-22
Diocese of Dallas Convention
December 3
Out of the Salt Shaker Evangelism Conference with Rebecca Manley Pippert
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