At Calvary Baptist Church, people are learning to share their faith in simple ways. Through those witnesses, people are coming to faith in Christ.
It’s what Pastor André Dobson calls “connecting the dots”—Christians learn to share their faith, those who hear the gospel and respond are saved, and God grows his church through the ministry of his people. At Calvary, evangelism training has played a key role. The church’s recent training process was led by Larry Rhodes, an IBSA zone consultant supported in part by giving to the Mission Illinois Offering.
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Developed by Southern Baptist leaders, 3 Circles is a simple way to communicate the truths of the gospel within everyday conversations.
Rhodes led the training on a Sunday evening, and around 150 people showed up, Dobson said. Since then, the pastor has seen “aha moments” happening in his church—people who had been uncomfortable or inexperienced in sharing their faith now have the tools to do so readily.
“People are coming to Christ because our people have been engaged to witness, simply because somebody took the time to say, ‘Here’s how you can do this,’” he said.
In April, Calvary baptized nine people on One GRAND Sunday, a statewide baptism emphasis that resulted in more than 650 baptisms. They’ve also been focused on small groups ministry, Dobson said, and have been able to start new groups this year, with more in the works.
One of Calvary’s leaders recently trained his group members in 3 Circles and then took the gospel—and a group of ready witnesses—to a local assisted living facility. They connected the dots, Dobson said.
“They were able to see, ‘This is what I need to do. Here’s how I can share the news that’s so important to me with others.’”
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