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I am pleased that it seems some have begun to ENGAGE more and in ways they haven't in a long time. One way we can insure that this continues to happen is related to the second definition: en·gage - to attract and hold by influence or power In the 2009 - 2010 ministry year it will be important for us to learn more and more what it is that attracts individuals to the church and by what influence or power they are held. For us, this is Education Ministries. I say that, because it is my strong conviction that it is the Word of God preached, the Gospel proclaimed and Christ exalted that truly attracts individuals to the church. In addition, when that proclamation is accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit to change people's hearts, they truly become held not by the programmatic bells and whistles of church activites, but rather by the regenerating influence of God's grace! So, we must more faithfully engage through evangelism. This evangelistic engagement must not merely be on campus, in Bible study, or in preaching; for the preached Gospel to attract those from outside the church, the Gospel must be proclaimed outside the church. (Once you say that it seems so intuitive doesn't it? Why then is it not natural for us to do?) I'm excited about this year's continued emphasis of our Small Groups on adopting community events into which they plan to infuse the gospel. Engage others with your small group in these activities. However, don't rely solely on your small group either. Find ways in which you can personally engage your friends, neighbors, family members, coworkers, etc. with the Gospel. Begin to see the Small Group activities as a training ground for your personal evangelistic efforts. Education Ministries does not target only those outside the church, of course. Education Ministries targets every guest and every member. Why? Because believers need to hear the Gospel, too. This is where our follow-up plans become a part of our engaging. We have a good follow-up plan. However, its weakness is that there is no accountable reporting done after the follow-up resulting in no one really knowing if the plan is actually being followed. Therefore, we need to develop some form of what I call "Follow-Up on our Follow-Up". Improved follow-up will help us to engage guests not only with the demands of the Gospel but also with the offer of friendship and fellowship. We need to admit that while the Gospel is sufficient attraction and the Holy Spirit is sufficient power, that attraction and power should lead to any evangelical church; one thing that the Lord uses to engage individuals in a specific local body is the attractive influence of the fellowship of the believers in that place. "They will know that you are My disciples by your love one for another." This means that our follow-up must reach beyond just guests, and that we should be more faithful in following-up with absent members. Let us engage one another in this way. We'll talk more about how to do this under the heading of the third definition.
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