Evangelism with Johnny Hunt
Building a culture of evangelism in the church begins with the pastor. The Evangelism with Johnny Hunt podcast is designed to equip pastors and their churches to share the hope of the gospel.
Kevin Flattmann is seeing great fruit as the student pastor of Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana. In this episode, he shares with hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt how his ministry isn’t just reaching teens with the gospel, it’s also teaching them how to mobilize themselves to reach their peers.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Eden Benton, a 16-year-old from South Carolina, joins the podcast to share how God has developed in her a contagious passion for evangelism despite her young age. Listen to find out how Who’s Your One helped her lead several of her friends to faith in Jesus. Eden also provides tips for other teens to take the fear out of getting gospel conversations started.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Today’s guest, Danny Akin, is president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is an expert on training and equipping Christians for evangelism through academia. He joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Catherine Renfro to share the importance of including evangelism training on the seminary level.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Paul Gotthardt, pastor of Life Baptist Church in Las Vegas, has had success reaching a secular culture with the gospel while encouraging other pastors to do the same. Here, he joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to discuss the tried-and-true strategies he and his congregation use to impact souls in a city that may seem intimidating to those seeking to give people Jesus.
Resources: Paul Gotthardt’s book, Eight Questions and the God Who’s Asking
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
For Pastor Mark Hoover of New Spring Church in Wichita, Kansas, the challenges of going digital with worship and ministry due to the pandemic has actually triggered record numbers of people giving their lives to Jesus. In this episode, Mark joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to share how his church’s digital presence contributed to its explosive growth.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Pastor Jeremy Morton, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Woodstock, joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Catherine Renfro to provide insight on how Christians can break out of the “Christian bubble” to build relationships with people who don’t know Jesus.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Dr. Matt Queen, evangelism professor from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to provide insight on what preparing seminary students for evangelism looks like and why it’s vital to building strong cultures of evangelism in Southern Baptist churches.
Find more evangelism resources at namb.net/evangelism.
Chris Dixon pastors Liberty Baptist Church in Dublin, Georgia, and in this episode, he joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share the strategies that have worked for his congregation in creating a vibrant and continuous culture of evangelism in his church that’s nestled in a small-town atmosphere.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Paul Worcestor was recently named the North American Mission Board’s National Director of Collegiate Evangelism, and he joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Catherine Renfro to talk about why he feels college campuses are ripe mission fields to spur a spiritual awakening in North America. Paul also gives practical starting points for pastors and churches who want to begin reaching college students.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt provide insight on what it means for a church to embody an evangelistic culture. Pastor Johnny draws on his years of experience leading First Baptist Woodstock to develop a culture of evangelism.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Brian Stowe, pastor of First Baptist Church of Plant City, Florida, joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to discuss a myriad of topics, including how Who’s Your One? has directly impacted their congregation. Pastor Brian also shares how the kindness of his church has strengthened him as he’s stood beside his wife who’s battling breast cancer and how pastors can push through difficult seasons.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more free resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Few pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention are as passionate about evangelism as David Platt. In this episode, David joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share how a culture of passionate evangelism was developed at McLean Bible Church in Washington, D.C.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Even before the infamous global pandemic, pastoral work was hard. And the difficulties and challenges of the year have exacerbated the stress and discouragement that can come from being a pastor. But there is hope. In this episode, Johnny Hunt discusses helpful, encouraging resources available to pastors — many of which are free — to help them thrive in this difficult season.
Mentions:
- Timothy+Barnabas Retreats
- Timothy+Barnabas Institute
- Pastoral Care Line: Call 1-844-PASTOR1 to talk to trained, professional counselors, available every day from 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. ET. Confidentiality is ensured by Focus on the Family.
Will Mancini is one of the most highly regarded church leadership experts of our time, and in this episode, he joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to talk about the need for NAMB’s Next Step Leader program, while providing tips and insight on how pastors can lead well in the midst of an incredibly tumultuous season.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Contrary to what some believe, pastors alone are not responsible for evangelism. This is something Jay Lowder is passionate about helping churches understand. Jay is an evangelist, both by divine calling and full-time vocation, as well as an author on topics related to evangelism training. Here, he joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share how churches can benefit from inviting full-time, vocational evangelists to help encourage church members to adopt a lifestyle of evangelism.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Dr. Jerry Vines is one of the most respected names in pastoring and evangelism in Southern Baptist life. Drawing upon his 60-plus years of ministry, he joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to discuss strategies to reach NextGen students with the gospel and to help equip younger, up-and-coming ministers and pastors.
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
For Dr. Michael Lewis, senior pastor of Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, evangelism and discipleship go hand in hand. Dr. Lewis joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share how he implements into the life of his church a deep system of evangelism and discipleship that has extended to area high schools, even nationally ranked college football prospects.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church in evangelism.
In February 2019, Southern Baptist Convention president, J.D. Greear announced the launch of the Who’s Your One? evangelism initiative as a simple, yet intentional way to engage Southern Baptists in sharing the gospel. The results after the first year show the beginning of a huge evangelism movement that reaches beyond SBC churches. In this episode, hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell encourage Southern Baptists to keep the Who’s Your One? fire burning.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Whether as chaplain of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball, or as president of Gateway Seminary, Jeff Iorg is passionate about creating healthy evangelism cultures. In this episode, Jeff joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share creative ways he’s built a culture of evangelism in students and staff at Gateway. He also gives two simple ways pastors can start changing the evangelism culture in their church.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
When it comes to creating a strategy for reaching people with the gospel, there’s really no such thing as a size-appropriate strategy. In this episode, hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell provide practical insight on launching an effective, flexible evangelism plan for your church, no matter how large or small it is. And you may be surprised at just how simple step one of that plan is.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Remember Blockbuster Video? Pastor Jordan Easley of First Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tennessee, does. He also remembers how Blockbuster Video failed as a company because it failed to adapt. In this episode, Easley joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to stress the importance of being flexible in our churches’ evangelism strategies to avoid becoming “the Blockbuster Video of churches.”
Visit namb.net/evangelism for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Pastor Rob Wilton of Vintage Church in Pittsburgh joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to talk about his journey from a New Orleans church planter to a Send City missionary with Send Pittsburgh. Pastor Rob gives pastors tips on how to “start a movement” of compassion ministry in their churches that leads to gospel sharing, no matter the ministry context.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches have shuttered their doors to physical gatherings, but thanks to technology, the gospel is still being preached across North America and beyond. In this episode, Shane Pruitt, NAMB’s director of NextGen evangelism, joins host Johnny Hunt to share effective ways to offer an invitation to salvation in a virtual ministry context.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
With more than 57 years in ministry, 53 of those specifically devoted to evangelism, Junior Hill is one of the most seasoned and respected evangelists in Southern Baptist life. Here, he joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to share priceless insight on why evangelism has declined, and the adjustments Southern Baptist churches can make to turn that trend around, including a return to making the gospel and evangelism simple.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church in evangelism.
Most of us find it easy to have conversations with people about Jesus while in the comfortable confines of church buildings. But what about beyond the four walls? Catherine Renfro, an evangelism specialist at the North American Mission Board, joins hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to give timely tips about how to start gospel conversations with people in our daily flow of life. She also shares why you should mark Tuesday April 21 on your calendars.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Stephen Rummage, pastor of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has seen God’s hand work mightily in his congregation through evangelism. He joins Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt to share some tips he uses to keep his congregation’s focus and passion on evangelism high. He also explains how he specifically equips his church to effectively share the gospel.
Find out more about how to mobilize your church toward evangelism by visiting https://www.namb.net/evangelism/.
Evangelism doesn’t have to be scary and it doesn’t have to be intimidating. But it does have to flow out of a daily walk and close connection with Jesus. In this episode of Evangelism with Johnny Hunt, Pastor Danny Forshee talks with hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell about the unavoidable tie between evangelistic faithfulness and staying close to Christ. Forshee also talks about his new book, For the One, and other resources for evangelism he provides.
Resources: www.dfea.com (The Danny Forshee Evangelistic Assocation)
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Tragedies like the recent death of NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant, his daughter Giana and seven others in a February plane crash remind us of the brevity of life and the certainty of death. Diseases that reach global pandemic status, like the coronavirus (COVID-19), remind us of how easily our confidence can be shaken. But hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell provide a solid reminder of the strength, confidence and assurance we can find—no matter the circumstance—as we place our hope in Jesus.
Visit namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
No matter how you slice it, last September’s Baptism Sunday was an enormous success throughout Southern Baptist churches in North America. In this episode, Johnny Hunt recounts various Baptism Sunday stories, including his own, of churches that saw baptism numbers range from four to over 500 in that one Sunday alone. The first of two Baptism Sunday emphasis’ in 2020 will be on Easter Sunday in April, and Pastor Johnny shares why he’s optimistic that the response will be even greater.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Pastor Alex Himaya never called his work at Battle Creek Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma a church replant or even a revitalization project. Yet he witnessed God’s hand do something that only God’s hand could do as Battle Creek emerged as a thriving, evangelistic church, birthed out of the ashes of the former Gracemont Baptist Church, which agreed to “die” after much attrition and accumulating millions of dollars in debt.
Here, Pastor Alex joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share how intentional evangelism paved the way for a church rebirth that, in some ways, was ahead of its time.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church in evangelism.
It isn’t unheard of for church leaders, particularly pastors and student pastors, to start feeling a bit of anxiety when thinking of the task of reaching younger generations with the gospel. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
On this episode of the Evangelism with Johnny Hunt podcast, NAMB’s National Next Gen Evangelism Director, Shane Pruitt returns to give pastors assurance that students – particularly Gen Z’ers – aren’t as antagonistic to the gospel as some may think. He also gives insight on what Gen Z’ers want from their churches, as well as an almost-surefire way to see more students come to Christ.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
It’s an exciting time at the North American Mission Board as NAMB welcomes Shane Pruitt out of Dallas, Texas as its new National Next Gen Evangelism Director.
In this episode, the first of a two-part discussion, Shane chats with Kevin and Johnny about his passion for reaching Gen Z students with the gospel and how his coming to Christ as a 21-year old influenced that passion.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt kick off a new year of Evangelism podcasts by recapping some of the evangelism successes they’ve seen and heard from 2019 and providing a few nuggets of wisdom for how pastors can help get their churches’ efforts of intentionally sharing the gospel off to a fast start in 2020. One of those strategies includes an emphasis on sustaining the momentum of the Who’s Your One movement in local congregations.
Additional Resources: /whosyourone.com/
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Evangelism can seem daunting enough. But when you throw in the fact that the nations are coming to us in the United States in record numbers, if we’re honest, it can add more layers of discomfort.
In this episode, Micah Fries, pastor of Brainerd Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share his specific passion and expertise for reaching Muslims with the gospel. Fries doesn’t sidestep the innate fears many of us bring into the prospect of having gospel conversations with Muslims, but he also gives practical ways churches and individuals can overcome those fears and see evangelistic fruit.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: “Islam and North America,” edited by Dr. Keith Whitfield and Micah Fries.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
If you’re looking for magic church growth elixirs or the silver bullet to fast numeric increase, Pastor Mac Brunson probably isn’t your guy. But if you want an example of what long term dedication to cultivating a passionate culture for evangelism can do to bolster the local church, look no further.
In this episode of the Evangelism podcast, Brunson, pastor of Valleydale Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, joins Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to discuss how a no-nonsense, no-shortcut evangelism strategy opens up amazing opportunities for local churches to impact their cities with the gospel.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of acting as if reaching people to Christ with the gospel through evangelism is a job for the “professionals.” But Vance Pitman, pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, casts a different vision.
Pitman returns as a guest with hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to share some of the methods he and his staff have used to help mobilize church members to engage Las Vegas with the gospel and the love of Christ. He also provides insight on how to increase the chances of your church being called on to help in the event of a crisis that affects your city.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ for more resources that help mobilize your church into evangelism.
Church planting is gathering for worship. It’s fellowship with believers. But planting churches that multiply requires so much more – namely an intentional and relentless evangelism strategy. Few Southern Baptist church planters can testify to the multiplying power of an evangelizing church plant like Vance Pitman, senior pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pitman joins hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell to talk about how pastors and church planters with the heart of a missionary can lead their churches to transform cities by advancing God’s Kingdom.
Find out more about how to mobilize your church toward evangelism by visiting https://www.namb.net/evangelism/.
Many things that happen in our churches for the cause of Christ seem to just happen. We call it inspiration, or simply the organic, unforced, sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. But when it comes to doing discipleship right, intentionality must be the rule.
In this episode of the Evangelism with Johnny Hunt podcast, hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell chat with guest Robby Gallaty, senior pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, about how intentionality and a strategic plan for evangelism and discipleship can take gospel sharing and soul winning to new levels in local churches.
Visit https://www.namb.net/evangelism/ to find more resources that can help you engage your church in effective evangelism.
They are North America’s future leaders and influencers, and while university students come with their own challenges, influencing them means raising up the next generation of Christian leaders. But how do we reach a generation that appears to snub their nose at Christianity? Learn more about sharing the gospel and leading university students in your local church in this episode as Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt interview Nick Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church, in Fayetteville, Ark.
Mentions:
The increased emphasis on evangelism may have some of us wondering where discipleship fits into the equation. Join Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they talk with Steve Gaines, lead pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, about how “evangelism is the point of the spear of discipleship.” Gaines also discusses the motive behind our evangelism and how pastors can mobilize their people to share their faith.
Mentions
- Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
- Jimmy Scroggins
- Evangelism Explosion
- Three Circles
- Who’s Your One Tour, Memphis, Tennessee —click here to reserve your spot today!
- Questions about evangelism? Email evangelism@namb.net.
With Baptism Sunday just around the corner—on September 8th, 2019—you may be wondering what Baptism Sunday is and why it is necessary. Listen in as Pastor Johnny Hunt briefly explains the purpose of baptism, the benefits of Baptism Sunday and practical tips to implement it in your church.
For more resources on Baptism Sunday, visit namb.net/baptism-sunday-resources/.
Sometimes we dismiss tools that help us share the gospel because they feel less organic. In this episode, Senior Pastor of Family Church, Jimmy Scroggins, talks with hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt about the necessity of having an evangelism training tool pastors use to help train their church in sharing the good news. Listen in as he discusses how Family Church incorporates evangelism training into their volunteer positions, making it a rhythm in their church culture.
Mentions
- Family Church
- 3 Circles Evangelism Tool
- I Am Second
- Great Commission Initiative
- Have questions about evangelism? Email evangelism@namb.net.
Some are equipped to share the gospel, but they lack a burden for the lost. Others have a burden for the lost, but they feel unequipped share the gospel. Do you fall into one of these categories? On this episode, Kevin Ezell interviews Johnny Hunt as they discuss what it looks like to equip your church in evangelism. They’ll dive into evangelism training tools Pastor Johnny uses, the necessity of repetition in learning to share the gospel, common fears and how to integrate gospel conversations where you live, work and play.
Mentions:
- Ep #7: Creating an Evangelistic Culture: It’s a Moving Target with Jimmy Scroggins
- 3 Circles
- Great Commission Initiative (GCI)
- “Who’s Your One?” Kit
- “Live This” Evangelism Kit
- One Conversation by John Meador
- Questions about evangelism? Email evangelism@namb.net.
How can we inspire an entire nation of Southern Baptists to intentionally pray for and share the gospel with one person? Johnny Hunt answers this question with the Who’s Your One Tour—an inspiring catalytic event in a city near you! In this episode, Hunt dives deeper into the vision behind the “Who’s Your One?” Tour, the components that make it up and the goal of addressing declining baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention and impacting more people with the good news we love. As we seek to plant churches everywhere for everyone, we want everyone everywhere to be a part of evangelism.
Mentions:
What will it take for your church to become an evangelistic church? While your members may have had trainings and seminars on evangelism, a key challenge in helping your members be more evangelistic may be mentorship. Join co-host Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they talk to Larry Wynn about the impact that mentorship, focus and intentionality has on developing evangelistic churches.
Show Notes
Mentions:
- Georgia Baptist Mission Board
- 3 Circles
- Who’s Your One?
- If you have any questions, email evangelism@namb.net.
How does a church become passionate about evangelism? It starts with the pastor and church leadership. The passion and zeal of a pastor and leaders of a local church to share the gospel inspires members to live missionally where life exists. Join co-host Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they interview James Merritt, Senior Pastor at Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, GA, to discuss the critical role pastors play in inspiring and equipping their local church to share the gospel.
Show Notes
Mentions:
Have you ever found yourself complicating a simple message? It’s easy to do this when sharing the gospel with friends and family. We often need a short, sweet and sticky way to accurately articulate the best news we’ve ever heard. Join co-host Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they interview James Merritt, Senior Pastor at Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, GA, to discuss a simple method of sharing the gospel.
Mentions:
Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they discuss the importance of Sunday mornings. How does having a specific mindset that every Sunday morning matters help pastors frame the importance of making that time evangelistic?
Hear practical tips from Johnny Hunt on how he engages in that mindset with his church, and discover ways you can make your Sunday evangelistic, too.
Learn more at https://www.namb.net/evangelism/.
Did you know only 17% of church goers have heard of the Great Commission and know what it means? Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they discuss the latest Barna Research statistics and emphasize the importance of knowing and sharing the gospel. Tune in for you and your church’s next steps on defining, understanding and modeling the Great Commission.
To learn more about the Great Commission, go to namb.net/evangelism. For helpful tools and resources in talking about and modeling the gospel, go to namb.net/resources.
Join Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt as they discuss the importance of bearing a burden for the lost. In this special episode, you’ll hear Johnny’s personal testimony of how God called him to ministry 42 years ago and learn practical tips on how Johnny has maintained that burden for lost people throughout his pastoral journey.
You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode!
Learn more at namb.net/evangelism.
To learn more about personal evangelism, check out Who’s Your One.
It’s all about intentionality! Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they speak with special guest Jarrett Stephens, teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, about engaging communities with the gospel. You’ll hear how the team at Prestonwood leads their congregation to be intentional about living on mission in their neighborhoods and discover practical ways you can begin a natural evangelistic outreach in your community today.
Need to catch up on the first few episodes? Listen and subscribe at namb.net/evangelism.
To learn more about personal evangelism, check out Who’s Your One.
Join co-hosts Kevin Ezell and Johnny Hunt as they discuss with sending pastor of Summit Church in North Carolina, Todd Unzicker, the strategy behind the Southern Baptist Convention’s “Gospel Above All” focus for the year 2019. What does “Gospel Above All” mean? And how can the Church practice it?
Take your first step emphasizing the “Gospel Above All” at Whosyourone.com.
Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell for a special episode with guest, pastor Steven Kyle of Hiland Park Baptist Church in Panama City, Fl. Hear how Pastor Kyle inspires his church to reach their community with the gospel in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Discover ways long-haul volunteering and community aid pays off and turns into evangelistic opportunities, and be inspired by Christ’s ultimate example of service and love.
Take a first evangelistic step with WhosYourOne.com.
href=”https://www.namb.net/evangelism-with-johnny-hunt-podcast/earning-the-right-to-be-heard-in-your-community/”>View Transcript
Do you believe culture is mediated through leadership over time? Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell for this episode with special guest Jimmy Scroggins, pastor of Family Church, as they discuss how churches need to always aim to be more evangelistic. You’ll also hear why church leaders need to be responsible for jumpstarting their churches evangelistic movements.
Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they discuss president of the Southern Baptist Convention, J.D. Greear’s 2019 evangelism initiative called “Who’s Your One?” Meant to challenge each believer to be intentional about one person this year, the “Who’s Your One?” initiative will inspire, encourage and equip you to share your faith and to boldly pray over one.
Tune in to learn more about this exciting initiative and to hear your next steps!
Discover and participate in “Who’s Your One?” at whosyourone.com
What is an evangelism strategy? Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they answer that question and discuss the importance of pastors having an evangelism strategy for their churches. Discover where an evangelism strategy comes into play in pastoral leadership and hear practical tips on how to get combat the challenges many pastors face when starting their strategies and begin yours, today.
Discover other evangelism resources at https://www.namb.net/
Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they discuss the importance of celebrating the good things in the Church and how that relates to evangelism. Inspired by Johnny’s latest mission to Vietnam, you’ll learn how America’s critical spirit can cripple pastors and people from sharing the gospel.
Hear Johnny’s simple practices that put evangelism first in his life and in his church, and discover the steps you can take towards making evangelism the number one priority in yours.
Welcome to the first episode of the Evangelism podcast with pastor Johnny Hunt! In this special
episode, you’ll hear about pastor Johnny Hunt’s desire to not only teach the gospel with his heart but to model what the gospel says. In this first episode, you’ll be encouraged by Johnny’s wisdom and experience evangelizing, and be given practical takeaways to start evangelizing in your context today.
Curious about evangelism? Visit https://www.namb.net/.
Transcript:
Kevin Ezell: Hey there! You’re listening to the Evangelism with Johnny Hunt podcast. I’m Kevin Ezell, and with me is my great friend and co-host, Johnny Hunt. I’ve been president of the North American Mission Board for just over eight years now, and it is a privilege to partner with you, brother Johnny, as you lead. Not only have you left your church in an effort to send the hope of the gospel to those in your community, but now, as you join us on the NAM team, to help encourage other pastors to do exactly the same.
Johnny Hunt: That’s undoubtedly what fires my heart the most, and that is that we trust the lord that we will become exponential in influence in trying to help our 45,000 plus Southern Baptist pastors be encouraged and hopefully fan the flame of evangelism.
Kevin Ezell: Well, the only concern I got, brother Johnny, is just a lack of experience on your part, because it looks like you’ve only been pastor, like what, 42 years?
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, but I’ve got one more year. I’m hoping this last year it’ll all come together.
Kevin Ezell: Well, I’ll just try to stay away from any member of First Baptist Woodstock. I think I’m on their watch list, but we are so grateful for you being willing to take on this new role. We’ve got to do something to paddle shock the emphasis and the concern, and the passion that pastors need. We have resources. It’s just so often the passion is just not there.
Johnny Hunt: Exactly. Really one of my favorite passages, and people know it, they sing songs about it, but Psalms 126 when the Bible talks about David, “So in tears shall reap in joy.” You can’t get around tears without thinking of passion. It’s really a matter of the heart. So, when God begins to stir our heart for evangelism, give us tears for those who don’t know him, I just think when we emulate and model that before our people, it is definitely gonna make a difference.
Kevin Ezell: Absolutely. Wouldn’t you agree that the pastor’s the leader in that? They’re gonna follow your lead. The key to your church being so focused on evangelism was the passion that you presented to them every Sunday.
Johnny Hunt: I heard John Maxwell say it first, but you can teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are. If I’m an evangelist at heart and I’m modeling it, I am confident others are gonna catch it.
Kevin Ezell: Right. Well, reflecting back on your years of being a pastor and your passion for evangelism, what are some of the experiences in the era of evangelism as a pastor that you remember that are most clear in your memory?
Johnny Hunt: Clear is when it really does become part of your DNA. It really is organic, that I’m just teaching our people, but in the teaching I think, that reminds me, this week I was on a plane, or this week I was in my neighborhood. And I begin to tell the stories of some that we influence to come to Christ or maybe some that’s not there yet, but the joy and the privilege to make the gospel known, and then to remind them that I really do nothing more important than helping a man or woman or a young person come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. So, as I begin to talk about it, others begin to say, “Man, I’d love to be with you sometime, to see you model that type witnessing,” and that’s where it all starts.
Johnny Hunt: Basically when a pastor says, “I hate to go to that church. They really aren’t very evangelistic.” That’s why they need a pastor that is. If he goes in and models it, it’s been said that normally within the first five years, a church will take on the personality of the pastor. I think that’s part of it, his character traits, whatever’s important to him becomes important to them. So, evangelism must be on the front burner of the pastor’s heart.
Kevin Ezell: It’s because of who he is. Some people want to judge how evangelistic a church is by what happens on Sunday. So often the real tell tale sign is what happens Monday through Saturday because it’s not something you flip on and flip off.
Johnny Hunt: We even talked about how it gives the pastor an expectancy. If I’ve been working the field all week, and I can really anticipate something of a harvest on Sunday. And especially when I’m asking people, “Hey pray.” I’ve got two neighbors, and they’ve promised to be here at 11 o’clock, and you know they haven’t encountered Christ yet. It just puts more fervency in your preaching, a spirit of expectancy. Instead of just knowing that I’m preaching to the same people every week, and just hoping they will continue to make decisions.
Kevin Ezell: You know one thing, if pastors would do exactly what you just said, if they would preach every Sunday like their lost neighbor is in the pew, it would change the way they communicate. I mean, sometimes we speak with such “church language” that we’re not really communicating to a person that knows very little about the gospel. And like you said, you can’t wait until you’re done because you know if you’ve led somebody to Christ, you can’t wait to see them walk the hour.
Johnny Hunt: The other side is maybe that’s why a lot of times it’s easy to not be evangelistic and just be a teaching pastor that is wanting to go deeper just with the understanding of the scripture, as opposed to knowing that we’re sewing that knowledge in hopes that we will see fruit from our labor, but if we know that there’s no unbeliever there, it steals your fire or passion to even go that direction.
Kevin Ezell: Well, evangelism is the heartbeat of everything we do here at the North American Mission Board. Whether it’s church planning with the sin network or compassion ministries within sin relief. Our goal is to see every church living on mission in an effort to send the hope of the gospel. Every member on mission, every church on mission. Everything we do is evangelism. Now we’ve created this new evangelism and leadership team, for which you are the vice president of, obviously, but it’s not a one-man show. We brought on Tonto, or better known as Jim Law.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, we did. We need Jim Law. We need all the help we can get. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be about us speaking into the life of the pastors, the leaders of our churches and then hoping that they will take that same message back to their church, and that we’ll just see a movement of God across our denomination. But one thing’s for sure, if the pastors don’t get it, our churches will never get it.
Kevin Ezell: Exactly.
Johnny Hunt: A lot rests on the leadership of the pastor.
Kevin Ezell: Exactly. Well, I’m so grateful for not only your example, but your willingness to invest in the thousands and thousands of pastors we have out there, southern Baptist and otherwise. We just want to see people come to know Christ, but we have to have pastors who are focused on evangelism to do that.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah. One of the things that we really want to do is we want to instruct pastors. I’m not saying that they need much more, but I think part of it, and could be sometimes a missing ingredient, is inspire pastors. I can be greatly inspired as well as instructed when we hear of the stories of recent converts, or even many times ask a new convert to travel with me when I’m speaking and challenging pastors. Sort of like I read in Acts chapter three this morning, where when the person at the temple gate was converted, it basically said that the naysayers pretty much didn’t have much to say because of the proof of the man that was there that had been changed that can now walk. So, they say the greatest evidence of the resurrection is a changed life. That’s gonna happen as we share the gospel and make Christ known.
Kevin Ezell: Well, we certainly want to see the decline in baptisms reversed. We do believe that it begins with evangelism, and with the pastor. Brother Johnny, what are a few words of encouragement that you would want to give a pastor today, as they lead in evangelism? I mean, you deal with pastors every day, but what are just some things you would do to encourage them?
Johnny Hunt: I would ask him to begin with his own heart, even as I want to begin with my own heart. Maybe you’ve heard it, maybe you haven’t, but for years I’ve prayed, “Lord, lay some soul upon my heart, and love that soul through me.” In our prayer journals, our devotions, there should be the names of men and women that we encounter that we’re praying for, and then we’re praying for an opportunity to share. I think it is so easy and I want to model it every chance I can of how easy it is to turn any conversation into a gospel conversation. I mean, you can do it without changing the temperature of the room. I mean, you don’t feel somebody getting uneasy. It is just a natural flow of your conversation, just as much as prayer is. Prayer doesn’t have to be so formal. You can just go right into the presence of Christ and begin to have a conversation, or praying with your spouse or whatever.
Johnny Hunt: So, I really want to just hopefully heighten the awareness of how can we as pastors anticipate or expect our people to be doing what we’re not modeling ourselves. So, I want to model that. I want to tell the people that I’m praying that the lord will bring more of them to join me in the work of the harvest. And even to begin with, if I were pastor of a church and I’m just getting started, I would begin to pray that the lord would give me some pardoners in the harvest. Then I would tell the church. I would say, “Hey, just want you to know you can pray for me. I’ve been praying that God would speak into your life and that a couple of you men would join me in the harvest.” He may give you more than two. Then you’ve got a real issue. But there’s people that are willing to join us.
Johnny Hunt: Then once we get them to join us, if they don’t have the tools, I certainly feel like the average pastor has the tools, but maybe their people don’t feel efficient. That’s where the tools become invaluable to help in the process. But I know it can happen. It’s happened in our past as southern Baptists. Now we’re stronger financially in numbers than ever before, but the one thing we need to turn around is the sharing of the gospel with the intent of by the grace of God asking for a decision and seeing our baptisms and its trend reversed.
Kevin Ezell: Right. You brought up a good point. Sometimes people talk about gospel conversations, and they’re just talking about things that are sprinkled with the gospel, but they never lead it to a point of some type of decision.
Johnny Hunt: Exactly. I’m often reminded, especially after my 11 o’clock service, people will just come down to greet you. I’m one of the last to leave. I’m lingering. Somewhere in the conversation, there’ll be a young person or a couple or a man or a lady, and they’ll just say to me, “Boy, I was really touched through the ministry of your teaching this morning.” And we’ll just carry on a light conversation. I’ll just turn it real quick and just say, “So now, have you guys been coming to church here very long?” “No, just a couple weeks.” “Before us, what’s your religious background?” They’ll just sprinkle it with, “You know we used to go here. I haven’t been in a long time.” Just right in the midst of that simple encouraging conversation, I may just say, “Hey, well let me ask you. Has there ever been a time in your life that you’ve turned from your sins and placed your faith in Christ?” It’s almost like they’re waiting for me to ask it.
Johnny Hunt: So, either we’re able to set on the front row and share the gospel with clarity there, or I’m able to say, “Hey, you know what. Let me share a number or email with you, and we can connect. I can meet you halfway. Come to where you work. You can come to me. But I want us to follow-up on this conversation.” You can just tell. More times than not, they’re ready to talk. Then many times I’m actually able to lead them to Christ there, right there in the conversation. It was just, it was such a simple transition.
Kevin Ezell: Just a natural flow.
Johnny Hunt: Natural.
Kevin Ezell: Well pastor, we are grateful for all you do. Our hope is that this podcast will be a valuable resource for you as you continue to lead your church to be on mission. So, I just want to say thank you for listening today, and join us for our next episode of Evangelism with Johnny Hunt. If you have any questions on evangelism, send them to us at evangelism@nam.net, and we will try to answer them on the next podcast. Brother Johnny, thank you so much for your insight, and look forward to doing this on a regular basis.
Johnny Hunt: Thank you, Kevin. We’re really trusting and praying that God’s gonna turn it all around.
Kevin Ezell: Absolutely.
Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they discuss where pastors practically begin leading their church in evangelism. Learn how modeling evangelism in your own life is a great first step for church leaders to start sharing the gospel. You’ll also hear personal stories and insights from pastor Johnny Hunt.
Discover other evangelism resources at https://www.namb.net/. Missed the first episode? Tune in here.
Transcript
Kevin Ezell: Welcome back to the Evangelism with Johnny Hunt podcast. I’m your host, Kevin Ezell, along with my long-time friend and co-host, Johnny Hunt.
Kevin Ezell: Evangelism is the heartbeat of everything we do at the North American Mission Board. Church planning is about sending the hope of the gospel. Send Relief is about sending the hope of the gospel, and our evangelism and leadership team is about sending the hope of the gospel.
Kevin Ezell: On today’s episode, we want to continue our conversation on a pastor’s role in leading their church in evangelism and practical ways to do this. So, Brother Johnny, I know we both agree that evangelism starts with the pastor. Where do pastors practically begin leading their church in evangelism?
Johnny Hunt: They practically begin by modeling it in their own life, and it has to become their own passion. If it’s important to them, it will become important to the people. So, I was thinking I would model it first of all in my life, but I would really teach it. I would teach what the Bible says, and I’m really big on trying to challenge pastors to remind their people that the Bible is not just information we’re to know; it is really truth we’re to obey. And as the people begin to obey the teachings of scripture, they’re going to find themselves taking the gospel to those who are in desperate need of its truth. And so my teaching, exhorting, then modeling, I’m sharing stories. It just becomes part of the DNA of a church.
Kevin Ezell: You know, for somebody like yourself, you have a pretty aggressive personality. I mean, people are drawn to you. That’s not the case with every pastor. They don’t have some of the natural gifts and abilities, and they may be saying, “Well, look, that comes easy for Johnny Hunt, but it doesn’t come easy for me, and so how can I get there?” And to answer that question is one of the reasons that we’re taking Timothy Barnabas, and we’re so grateful that you lateraled that ministry to North American Mission Board, and we can utilize it to help train pastors in leadership and how to actually practically take their church from step one to step two to step three and helping us lead that, and your right hand man for many years is Jim Law who is the executive director of the evangelism and leadership team.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah. Jim Law has served with me at Woodstock for 28 years, and now we’ll just continue that legacy, and we’re grateful to God for it, and it’s been said that we may have been the two team members in our denomination that were most envied so the pastors say of a great relationship of working together, vacationing together, and really being best friends, so we modeled it together. He started with me when I first began hosting Timothy Barnabas retreats, and now for us to do it again after all these years is going to be exciting to say the least.
Kevin Ezell: How long have you guys ministered together?
Johnny Hunt: He was with me for 28 years at Woodstock, and as you know, he left about 30 days before me.
Kevin Ezell: That’s right.
Johnny Hunt: And so we just jumped right back in together.
Kevin Ezell: Also, people were wondering what his role is here. Obviously you’re the vice president of evangelism and leadership, but he’s the executive director, which in our terms, that would be the air traffic controller of knowing what labs to have where, what conferences to do where, what emphasis to put and really help directing not only you as far as where we want to put emphasis obviously, but who you want to have come alongside you to do it. We want more than just one voice out there pinging this message.
Johnny Hunt: Exactly, and really for any ministry that you want to cast vision for and certainly we want to do that for evangelism, somebody’s got to have vision. So, if God really gives me a deep vision for what could be, then you need that air traffic controller to make it happen, and I think that’s where a lot of pastors get bogged down. They see themselves as the vision caster and air traffic controller, but if they will really love and care for the people around them, they will join hands with them and become part of the harvest. So, nothing can be more discouraging to feel like I was in this alone or it was the only thing moving is what my hands were pushing.
Kevin Ezell: Well, my very first church, they voted me in seven to zero. It’s my only-
Johnny Hunt: Everyone was there.
Kevin Ezell: That’s right. It was my only unanimous call. But don’t laugh. I often tell people we had a national television ministry. We were on Cops twice. It was a high crime area, but I remember being there in that little church of seven. I didn’t know anybody. My dad was not in the ministry. He was a deacon at our church, but I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t have anybody that I could even call to say, “Hey, could you invest in me?” And that’s really what I know your heart behind Timothy Barnabas was to minister to pastors, and what we’re doing now is expanding Timothy Barnabas to include three different things.
Kevin Ezell: One will be labs where we’ll focus on evangelism, the passion part and the practical part. And then we’ll have Timothy Barnabas retreats. You’ve been doing those for years, but we have some of those focused specifically, especially on some bi-vocational pastors, and I know you have a heart for bi-vocational pastors.
Johnny Hunt: Absolutely.
Kevin Ezell: And what people don’t realize is a tremendous amount of the pastors in the SBC, of the 45,000 churches, are bi-vocational. Over 50% of the pastors in Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama are all bi-vocational, and so we want to help every pastor in any size church get to where they need to be.
Kevin Ezell: And then one of the things we’re very excited about on the Timothy Barnabas leadership side is the Timothy Barnabas Institute. We’re going to take 300 pastors in a cohort 45 years and under in one and then another 300 pastor cohort of pastors 45 and over and have a time for two years where we’re pouring into them leadership skills and evangelism skills, and so I know that’s at your heart.
Johnny Hunt: It is, and really sometimes you could say, “Well, these things, are they really in sync, evangelism and pastoral leadership?” And the truth is they really are. For instance, when we think of Timothy Barnabas, we start year 25’s January 1st of 2019. We thought of Timothy as instruction, Barnabas as encouragement.
Johnny Hunt: Now, if a pastor is not encouraged, he’s not going to be doing what he’s been instructed to do, so if we can encourage a pastor, say we can encourage them in evangelism and get him healthy again in his own heart, the way he views himself and the way he views his people because you can’t lead people you don’t love, and you can’t lead people you don’t believe in.
Johnny Hunt: If you begin to think, “Boy, I’ve just got a church that won’t do anything,” you’re sort of down on the people you’re leading when you need to believe in those people and that you can exhort and encourage them, and you’re going to see some major change in their life.
Johnny Hunt: So, there’s a lot of times a guy comes to our Timothy Barnabas retreat, and he’s ready to quit. Well, wait a minute, if he’s ready to quit, he certainly not ready to be sharing the gospel. He can’t even hardly care for his own heart much less the challenge of the hearts of his people. So, we can encourage him, he can be instructed, and then once again it becomes very evangelistic, begins to be outward focused again, and that’s our problem. We’re inward focused, inward focused on our church, inward focused on our own life and our own needs, and so I see it all working together.
Johnny Hunt: So, when we do our labs and retreats and institutes it’s to give instruction and encouragement and then to challenge them to be evangelistic.
Kevin Ezell: And help refuel.
Johnny Hunt: Exactly.
Kevin Ezell: And a lot of it even starts with helping them pray for one particular person. Even if they themselves is focused on evangelism, who’s their one person they’re praying for? Then that itself is going to model for their people.
Johnny Hunt: It’s my favorite stories in the Bible. When you think about Andrew bringing Simon Peter, and then you read just a few chapters later that 3000 people are converted under the proclamation of the message of Peter. I love this statement. You may be an individual that only touches one, but the one you touch may touch thousands, and so if we could just get all of our people involved sowing, but if not just thank God for those that are and the difference it’s going to bring in the church.
Johnny Hunt: So, we hope everything we do will push people in that direction. I look forward to the day where I’ll spend time with those that are maybe getting ready to be commissioned to go out in a major disaster with sin relief and just remind all of them, just to encourage them just be sure when you give that water, you give it in the name of Jesus. That we make the gospel the center of everything we do.
Kevin Ezell: You know, you hit on an important point. I think if every pastor saw themself as someone who needs to multiply themselves, you get there much quicker if you multiply yourself. Where Andrew invested in Peter and then saw all that Peter did. No one should be more excited about what Peter did than Andrew, and how many grandkids do you have?
Johnny Hunt: I have four.
Kevin Ezell: Four. All right. I’ve got five. I’m finally beating you in something.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, you did. You got me.
Kevin Ezell: But no, I love following you on Twitter when you love to brag about your grandkids. We all do and for good reason. I mean, you just love them. It’s not that you don’t love your kids, but we enjoy the fruit of even our children, and I think evangelistically when you lead somebody to Christ who leads somebody to Christ and you learn the joy of multiplication … To me, multiplication is a one word summary of your ministry. You’ve done that for years. Over 20 years with Timothy Barnabas labs and conferences you’ve done all the time. You’re just constantly investing in pastors who in turn have invested in pastors who invested in pastors and making the very most of our time.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, it really is. It’s exciting. I’m sitting here thinking, “Boy, there’s probably going to be some of our conferences in the future where maybe I bring in someone from the early days that I led to Christ that have become a vibrant leader or a pastor now and just remind everyone, inspire everyone.” 90 year olds were asked recently if they could do life over again, what would they do? And several things captured my heart, but one was, “I’d take greater risk,” and it takes a risk. Get out there and begin to share the gospel with everyone we come in contact with, and then they said, “I would invest more in that which would outlast me.”
Johnny Hunt: Well, nothing will outlast them more than another human being because they are going to be around for ever, and so God loves people more than anything. We’ve got to get back to being in the people business.
Kevin Ezell: Right. You think back on who is the person who led the person to the Lord who led the person to the Lord who led Billy Graham to the Lord?
Johnny Hunt: Exactly. Incredible.
Kevin Ezell: So, as pastors pave the way as the leader of evangelism in their church, we want to provide resources and tools to assist you along the way.
Kevin Ezell: On our next episode of Evangelism with Johnny Hunt, we will tell you about a few evangelism workshops that are coming up in the spring that are designed specifically to help pastors lead their church in evangelism, and again if you have any question on evangelism, email them to us at evangelism@NAMB.net, and we will try to answer them on the podcast. That’s evangelism@NAMB.net. If you can’t spell evangelism, maybe that’s the problem. All right.
Kevin Ezell: Hey, Brother Johnny, thank you for your time today.
Want to know more about leading your church in evangelism? Join co-hosts Johnny Hunt and Kevin Ezell as they discuss the North American Mission Board’s interactive workshop, Engage 24, designed for pastors! Engage24 exists to help pastors lead their church in evangelism. Discover what to expect when you attend Engage24 and learn more about the importance of modeling evangelism every day.
Discover other evangelism resources at https://www.namb.net/. Missed the first two episodes? Tune in here and here.
Transcript:
Kevin Ezell: Thanks for joining us today on this episode of Evangelism with Johnny Hunt. I’m Kevin Ezell, and with me is the one and only Johnny Hunt. Everything we do here at NAMB is about sending the hope of the Gospel. It’s our goal to see every church on mission, and we are here to provide tools and resources that can help equip pastors and churches in their efforts to live on mission. Today, we want to talk to you about an interactive evangelism workshop that we have available to help pastors lead their church in evangelism. It’s called the Engage 24 workshop. Brother Johnny, you’ve actually spoken at many of these Engage 24 workshops. Tell us what these workshops are all about and what pastors can expect when they attend.
Johnny Hunt: First of all, they should be very encouraged to know that every person that speaks is doing evangelism, and they’re mobilizing more of their church members. The good news is, they’re not just going to share with you what they’re doing. They’re going to tell you how they started doing it that way, how they involved their people. It’ll be very, very practical. They’re really in hopes that what they share will help you lead your church to be on mission in evangelism as well. You have a opportunity after every person speaks, we stop right there and say, “What’s your questions,” to make sure there’s great clarity, make sure you walk away with some real helpful things in your own ministry when you get home.
Kevin Ezell: Exactly. We have several incredible practitioners. Every person that speaks, as you just said, every person that speaks is a practitioner. They’re actually doing it where they are in all different size of churches. Why don’t you just share some of the speakers that we’ve had and will have in these workshops?
Johnny Hunt: Let me do that, Kevin, and let me say this too even before I give those names. Every one of them take a little different approach, which makes it a very exciting, fast-moving time, and we’ll even share with you in a few minutes about what some people are saying that have been with us. Jimmy Scroggins, I sat on the plane the other day, and just simply Googled Three Circles and just sat there and listened to it over and over again, just to continue to keep a handle on those great truths. Last night, my wife and I at dinner shared with a couple about how everyone’s broken and how that is the whole issue of sin, but how the Gospel and forgiveness addresses it. Jimmy will help them. Gosh, he’s practical. He’ll show you literally a video of him teaching the Three Circles.
Johnny Hunt: James Merritt, James Merritt undoubtedly is one of the greatest personal soul winners in the pulpit in the Southern Baptist convention. If you follow him on social network, he has constantly got his arm around a gentleman that he shared the Gospel with on the golf course or where he’s out to eat or the hotel he’s staying in.
Kevin Ezell: You know Brother Johnny, I’ve kind of got a problem, though, with some of Brother James. He only witnesses to Georgia fans.
Johnny Hunt: I know you were going to say something that would resemble red and black.
Kevin Ezell: Yeah.
Johnny Hunt: He’s very bulldog-matic about sharing the Gospel there.
Kevin Ezell: It’s so funny, I was messing with him the other day. I was like, “Hey, every time you tweet about sharing your faith, there’s a guy that’s got a Georgia hat on. Do you only witness in Georgia?”
Johnny Hunt: Well, if he does win someone to Christ, he at least asks them to wear something from Georgia when they take their picture.
Kevin Ezell: What’s interesting about him, though, is he never turns it off. People often ask if they’re not around a guy like, or you, it’s just constant. I remember you and I, we’ve been to Waffle House, I guess I was buying that day, and I mean, the waitress comes up and thanked you for praying for her and you had shared with her the last time you were in there. I mean, the guys who do it the best, it’s not something they put on at certain times or pretend. It’s who they are, and so not only James, but another like Tim Dowdy and some others you mentioned.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, it should be our second nature. Tim Dowdy, gosh, done such a great job at Eagle’s Landing. Again, he’s got a passion for sharing the Gospel, and I mean everywhere. He’s got a heart for the nations and he’s got a heart for his community. Ted Traylor, he’s been doing it so long at Olive Baptist. He has a great way of presenting and he’s a great teacher of God’s word, but the major reason these men are there is because they’re modeling what we want everyone to walk away with. Ken Whitten at Idlewild Ken has been such a great witness for Christ.
Kevin Ezell: He’s one of the meanest guys in the SBC.
Johnny Hunt: He’s mean, but he can sure share the Gospel.
Kevin Ezell: Yeah, yeah.
Johnny Hunt: Ken, I have the material that he passed out that he uses at his own church, that he passes out to his people to place into the hands of the ones there witnessing to. Same thing with John [Metta 00:05:10]. John, everyone, you’ll walk away from and you’ll say, “Gosh, he was so much different, but yet spot on for exactly what we needed to hear.”
Johnny Hunt: We’re going to actually take topics that will help you to lead on mission by creating a vision and a strategy and a culture of evangelism. It’s a process, but we’re going to show you what you need to do, or what we’ve done that we found really works where we are or even other churches. How you’re gathering, even on Sunday morning, can be an experience that’s always, not every now and then, but always evangelistic in nature. Teaching your people to live on mission, and then hopefully it will become second nature for them at work as well.
Kevin Ezell: Wouldn’t you say evangelism and how you do evangelism kind of evolves in your own spiritual journey? I don’t know about you, but when I was a teenager, I went on Saturday morning visitation. I had a bus route when I was 15 and carried around a bag of Double Bubble looking for Big Wheels out in the yard. You know? Then I remember, I would use tracks, like those chick tracks I had.
Johnny Hunt: I remember those.
Kevin Ezell: I was a distributor of those throughout my high school. Then at the college and my first years of seminary, you know, I would use CWT and EE and then, I now use Three Circles is my favorite because I got the app and it’s just an easy thing to walk people through. Don’t you think sometimes it evolves? It’s about somebody understanding, you’ve got to have some tools, but there’s so many different circumstances and situations that call for different ways to connect with people.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, and again, when you’re just natural and it’s second nature, you sort of begin to have a feel for what you ought to share, how far you ought to go on the first visit, whether you have the opportunity to share the Gospel and ask for a decision right there. Absolutely, I loved Four Spiritual Laws. Someone may say it didn’t have enough emphasis on repentance. Well, put that emphasis there, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Johnny Hunt: Then I went through Faith, I went through CWT, I’ve learned the questions for Evangelism Explosion. There’s just been times that someone would say, “Well, what is it you’re trying to share anyway?” I’d just say, “Well, for instance, let me just ask you. Suppose you were to die today. What do you think you would say before God as to why He should let you into Heaven?” It just depends on where you may be that you can press in on the conversation. Most of all, you want to do your best to have a Gospel conversation.
Kevin Ezell: You know, the thing is, I wish there was some type of database where every pastor at least told us, “Okay, what is your preferred method?” I tell folks, “Look, if you don’t like Three Circles, do four squares, do five pentagons. It doesn’t matter. Find something and do it.” It’s the fact that you just use a tool. Your own personal testimony is the best tool, but whatever it is, just use something and do something.
Johnny Hunt: Exactly, and it becomes a whole process. I think why I’m trying to teach our people about witnessing, I mean, like it or not, there’s somewhere I need to remind them that people are going to spend eternity either with Christ or separated from Him. We got where the word almost frightens us, but people literally go to Hell. If you can think about your mother spending eternity from Christ or your dad, it’ll make you get in your car, it’ll cause you to get trained, and then to drive five hours to where they are to plead with them to give their life to Jesus, and leave the results to God. Try to share the Gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Kevin Ezell: To me, I think the problem’s not with the lost, the problem’s with the found. The found have forgotten what it’s like to be lost.
Johnny Hunt: Exactly.
Kevin Ezell: Tell me Brother Johnny, going to these workshops, what are three reasons why you think any pastor should attend the workshop other than the cool NAMB sway that we will give them?
Johnny Hunt: Number one, I really do believe everyone will be encouraged by the information, by what they hear, and they will be informed and instructed. I think there’s another ingredient that’s very important, and that is inspiration. They will be very inspired. I mean, it’ll warm your heart. You’ll hear some stories of how God has used them in recent days, maybe even in their travels to the conference.
Johnny Hunt: One thing I would say, whatever you do, don’t attend alone. Find that lady, that gentleman in your church that’s got a passion. Any staff that you may have, any board members, and plead with them, let them know in advance, that the cool thing about what we’re doing, it all takes place over 24 hours. Give one day out of the year and let us be part of, not only training you but some of your key lay leaders, so it can even start more exponentially when you get back.
Kevin Ezell: Exactly. That’s why I think one of the best things about Faith, if you remember the Faith, F-A-I-T-H, was so good, they just demanded that you bring at least 10 people from your church so you could multiply much faster. That was one of our favorite ones that I had use when I was a pastor and went over best with our people. Some of the pastors who have gone to some of these workshops have sent in just some notes, and I wanted to share a few things some of those guys said.
Kevin Ezell: One guy said, “My passion for evangelism was rekindled as a result of this workshop. I needed this. This workshop re-sparked my enthusiasm to reach the lost and engage our city.” I think the fact that, not only they hear great content with fantastic, practical, and practitional speakers, but that they’re around guys who are all after the same thing. We’re all wanting to push back losses and reach people. It’s just encouraging to hear guys share what works, and honestly for me, when I attended these as a pastor, it helped me and encouraged me to hear some things that didn’t work.
Johnny Hunt: Yeah, I am confident, and I wrote it down a long time ago, that encouragement fuels enthusiasm. Here’s what I believe. I believe every pastor that will attend, there was a time in their life they were enthusiastic about evangelism. They were confident their church would grow. They were confident they would reach people. They were confident that others in their congregation would join them. But, they’ve lost their enthusiasm.
Johnny Hunt: Now, if we can help re-spark it, and I heard it said once by a great theologian, he said, “Johnny, never forget, you do not have the capacity to light a man’s fire. Only Jesus can. You can fan the flame of that fire.” That’s where the encouragement comes in. That, a young man, an older man, a middle aged man or lady can become very enthusiastic again, sort of returning to your first love, of what you embraced when you first got started. That can happen at our Engage 24.
Kevin Ezell: Well, we’re hosting three Engage 24 workshops in the spring, so visit www.namb.net/engage24 for more information. We would love to see you there. As always, if you have any questions on evangelism, send them to us at evangelism@nam.net and we will try to answer them on a future podcast. Brother Johnny, thank you so much for your insight today, and just grateful to partner with you.
Johnny Hunt: Thank you Kevin, and I’m hoping that many of our listeners will join us at our next Engage 24.
