If you ever have the privilege of eating lunch with Pastor Clive Bell, you will more than likely hear him share the gospel with his server. Pastor Clive serves as the senior pastor of Livermore Baptist Church and is passionate about evangelism. He doesn’t limit his evangelism to servers, but attempts to bring evangelistic passion into his church.
Kenny Rager
Recently I attended a revival service at Livermore Baptist Church to hear Dr. Todd Gray preach. When Dr. Gray spoke, he drew emphasis to a string of cards strung on the choir loft. These cards contained the names of lost people in the community who are being prayed for by the church. The visible presence reminds Livermore Baptist that the commission is not complete. Pastor Clive wants to keep evangelism before his people.
I texted Bro. Clive to ask him about his favorite method of sharing the gospel, and he did not immediately respond. About a half hour later, my phone buzzed with a message from him.
The message read, “Sorry about the delay, Chunky (a church member) and I were visiting.” Pastor Clive didn’t immediately respond to my message because he was sharing the gospel at that moment. Pastor Clive is committed.
Clive eventually did respond with his favorite method, utilizing the Share Jesus Without Fear approach. Though several years old now, the Share Jesus Without Fear method uses thought-provoking questions in an attempt to lead the lost person to the scriptures. The process then relies on the Spirit’s convicting power through the Word of God. It is an excellent method that all pastors should consider training their people to do.
Submitted photo
Pastor Clive Bell stands next to a string of notecards with the names of lost loved ones written on them. The string visually reminds the church that the job is not done.
Pastor Clive can serve as an encouragement to other pastors. Churches all across Kentucky are strategically placed by the Sovereign God. The Lord wants to utilize these churches to spread the good news to the community around them. Sometimes those communities are trailer parks or apartments within walking distance. Other times these communities are sparsely located and require driving. Nevertheless, our churches must be passionate to reach the communities around them. This passion for reaching the community can come through pastor.
The Lord told Ezekiel to be a watchman over the house of Israel (Ezekiel 3:17). Pastors can contemporarily apply this verse to their ministry by leading their church to sound the gospel call.
Pastors can lead their churches to become more evangelistic in many ways. Churches can conduct evangelistic ‘big days,’ community outreaches or prayers for the lost. Churches may also participate in front door evangelism or offer evangelistic training. Regardless of what they choose, the pastor can be the watchman by leading the charge.
Pastor Clive is doing his part to remind people in Livermore that Jesus still saves. I would encourage pastors to ask God to give them a passion for the lost in their community. The Holy Spirit can burden a pastor’s heart for the lost. When the pastor is burdened for the lost, then the church may also become burdened for the lost.
The evangelism team of the Kentucky Baptist Convention is here to assist any pastor or association in developing an evangelistic strategy. The team can help with front door evangelism, revival planning, evangelistic trainings and much more. Feel free to contact me, Kenny Rager (Kenny.rager@kybaptist.org), or Andy McDonald (andy.mcdonald@kybaptist.org) if we can be of any assistance.
Kenny Rager is a church evangelism strategist for the Kentucky Baptist Convention, covering the western half of Kentucky.
Kenny Rager