Gospel proclamation resources

According to the BCNE 2021 annual meeting goals, we want to intentionally encourage Gospel proclamation. Consider the following resources as you pray about how to more effectively lead your church in proclaiming the Gospel locally and beyond.

Action steps for “Encouraging Gospel Proclamation”

A. We pray that God would enable us to reach and baptize at least 2,000 new believers each year. Churches would commit to joining God in this effort by:

Teaching the importance of believers’ baptism by immersion through sermons and Bible studies.
Action steps: Explore the baptism resources below. Plan a sermon to discuss the meaning of baptism and its biblical pattern.
Creating a culture of evangelism in the church through the pastors’ and leaders’ examples of personal evangelism and through the realignment of church schedules, ministries and budgets.
Action steps: Watch our recent BCNE webinar on cultivating a culture of evangelism in the church. Make sure your church members know how to share their testimony and explain the Gospel to a friend. Sit down with church leaders to discuss ways you can emphasize evangelism during Sunday services, through church ministries and in your church budget. Ask yourself whether the way you are spending time and money really reflects your desire to see more people come to know Christ. Consider starting a new evangelistic ministry for the community like English as a Second Language.
Offering public invitations for salvation and baptism.
Action steps: Watch this webinar with Pastor Chris Geoppner about sharing the Gospel in online church services. (Around 37:20 Chris gives an example of a 3-minute Gospel invitation which could be tweaked slightly for in-person use.) Consider what type of invitation would work best in your church setting: an invitation to come to the front of the church, an invitation to pray silently in one’s seat, an invitation to fill out a card, an invitation to stand or raise one’s hand, an invitation to meet with a leader at the end of the service, etc.
Encouraging evangelistic prayer efforts through organized plans such as Bless Every Home and Disaster Relief chaplaincy ministry.
Action steps: Explore how your church members can pray for their neighbors through Bless Every Home. Read more about Disaster Relief chaplaincy or email Tim Brown with questions.
Hosting quarterly “testimony and baptism” services and inviting other churches and church plants to participate that do not have access to indoor baptismal pools.
Action steps: Explore the baptism resources below. Connect with your regional coordinator to find out what churches in your area have or need access to indoor options for baptism.
Participating in at least one mission trip a year to another region in New England.
Action steps: Explore our list of churches that have requested help from mission teams. Contact your regional coordinator about connecting with another church to help with a mission project.

B. We pray that God would increase our fervency to reach, baptize, and disciple 12- to 25-year-olds so they can enjoy a lifetime of serving the Lord. Churches would commit to joining God in this effort by:

Relentlessly evaluating all activities to ensure a Christ-centered focus.
Action steps: Review your church’s mission statement. Evaluate your church’s activities for young adults in cooperation with leaders and volunteers. Ask yourselves: What is the goal of this activity or event? Does it help young people know Christ more? Does it line up with our church’s mission statement? How does it lead to opportunities for a Gospel witness? Discuss replacement activities or ways to alter events in order to stay focused on Christ. (This is a great action step for all church ministries, not just those focused on young adults!)
Teaching volunteers best practices for protecting young people from sexual abuse and helping volunteers understand the importance of following the reporting rules for their state.
Action steps: Find out the mandatory reporting rules in your state, and establish safety training, including background checks, for every volunteer who works with minors in your church. You can find ideas and resources on our safety and security page, and we’ve also created a safety and security video series to share best practices.
Praying for Next Gen members by name.
Action steps: Enlist youth and/or collegiate leaders to help you make a list of young adults who regularly attend your church. Gather a small group of leaders (elders, deacons and/or prayer warriors), and make a commitment to pray for each person on the list (plus the leaders!) at least weekly. You’ll find some ideas for ways to pray for young people here and here. If you know the young adults personally, ask how you can pray for them.
Equipping parents to take responsibility for discipling their own children.
Action steps: Share this guide to helping parents set goals with teens by Next Gen co-director Allyson Clark. Consider purchasing a church subscription to Parent Partner, a discipleship resource for parents of teens. Explore more discipleship resources in the youth discipleship section below.
Creating a pipeline that begins in grade school and flows through young adulthood that incorporates the Next Gen into congregational life through intergenerational worship, service, mentoring and disciple-making.
Action steps: Brainstorm with your church’s young adult leaders and volunteers to consider how you can more intentionally incorporate the Next Gen into the life of your church. Invite young adults to actively participate in services, perhaps as part of the worship team, by serving as greeters, through sharing testimonies or by reading Scripture. Contact BCNE staff members to discuss ideas and suggestions for ministering to specific groups: Sandy Coelho (preteens/tweens), Allyson Clark (middle and high school), Andy Haynes (college students) or Joe Souza (second generation in ethnic churches).
Engaging with other churches, regardless of size, by partnering with the BCNE through Next Gen events.
Action steps: Mark your calendars now for YEC winter youth conference (Jan. 28-30, 2022), CrossWalk summer camp (July 18-23, 2022), Cultivate college retreat (April 1-3, 2022), and Fusion college conference (Oct. 21-23, 2022). Find out more about upcoming BCNE youth and collegiate events.
Offering public invitations to accept Christ and be baptized at various events that target this age group.
Action steps: Watch this webinar with Pastor Chris Geoppner about sharing the Gospel in online church services. (Around 37:20 Chris gives an example of a 3-minute Gospel invitation which could be tweaked slightly for in-person use.) Consider what type of events could have an invitation and what kind of invitation would work best: an invitation to come forward in front of the group, an invitation to pray silently in one’s seat, an invitation to fill out a card or send a text, an invitation to stand or raise one’s hand, an invitation to meet with a leader at the end of the event, etc.
Posting videos on social media of Next Gen testimonies and baptism experiences.
Action step: Most young adults today are media-savvy. Ask a leader or volunteer for help creating and posting videos (or even setting up a social media account).
Offering financial support to cover ministry expenses for youth/collegiate workers, especially volunteer youth leaders.
Action step: Youth and collegiate leaders invest their time (and often their own personal finances) into the spiritual formation of young people in the church. Talk with your church leaders about setting aside a line item in your budget or gathering a love offering to pay for their expenses when chaperoning events or attending ministry training.

C. We pray that annual mission giving to the BCNE would increase by at least 10% a year so that together we can achieve these Great Commission goals. Churches would commit to joining God in this effort by:

Educating congregations on the value and effectiveness of cooperative giving.
Action step: Explore the Cooperative Program and stewardship resources below.
Prayerfully considering moving to a percentage giving basis if the church is not already doing so.
Action step: Traditionally, churches have given a percentage of their undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program through state conventions like the BCNE. The percentage giving model allows churches to celebrate God’s financial provision with generous mission giving. It also helps the state convention and the SBC to increase ministry budgets as churches grow. In cooperation with your finance team, discuss percentage giving as a way to demonstrate generosity and a commitment to mission work in New England and around the world.
Setting a goal for giving at least 6% of undesignated gifts to the BCNE, with a starting point of at least $600 per year.
Action steps: Share the benefits of being a member of the BCNE with your church leaders. Use the Cooperative Program resources below to educate church leaders and members of your finance committee on the purpose of the Cooperative Program. Pray together about how you can use the financial resources God has provided to invest in the BCNE’s ministry, as well as national and global missions, by giving to the Cooperative Program through the BCNE.
Demonstrating generosity by going above and beyond the 6% level as the Lord provides.
Action step: If you are already giving a percentage of undesignated gifts to the Cooperative Program through the BCNE, start a conversation with your church leaders and finance committee about raising your commitment by 1% in your next fiscal year.
Demonstrating extreme generosity by also supporting specific BCNE-related mission causes in addition to cooperative giving.
Action steps: Learn more about the New England Mission Emphasis, which supports local church grants for outreach and emergency needs. Make plans to give through your budget and/or by taking up a special offering in the fall.