Dakota Baptists Challenged to Create a Culture of Evangelism
By: Segun Adeyemo
The first of two Dakota Baptist evangelism and church growth conferences was held April 18-20 in Sioux Falls, SD. It was a rewarding and enriching experience for everyone. Workshops and morning devotionals led by Dakota pastors and messages from keynote speaker Ryan Strother provided the church leaders with practical tools and a fresh perspective to evangelism. The theme was, “Creating a Culture of Evangelism.”
Evangelism is more than just a religious duty; it is a spiritual discipline for godliness (2 Tim. 4:7) and a profound calling to share the story of Christ with the lost. Evangelism is the cornerstone of spreading Christ’s message of love, hope, and salvation. The DBC conducts annual evangelism conferences to encourage and equip Dakota Baptists with tools rooted in authenticity of the message of Christ.
The six workshops focused on key areas of evangelism and church growth: Building Gospel Communities by Chris Wallace (Bismarck, ND: Hope City), NextGen Evangelism by Joe Savery (Belle Fourche, SD: Connection), Helping Children Come to Jesus by DBC Executive Director Fred MacDonald, Size Dynamics by Jonathan Land (Sioux Falls, SD: Connection), and Evangelistic Events by Andy Daniel (Box Elder, SD: Mercy Gate). I led a workshop on Telling Your Story.
Ryan Strother, the Executive Director for Indiana Baptists was the keynote speaker. His messages were “The Heart Behind our Witness,” “The Help Behind our Witness,” and “The Hope Behind our Witness.” Each captured the essence and delved right into the heart of evangelism.
Mike Lindsay (Mitchell, SD: Cornerstone Baptist) and John Fisher (Fargo, ND: Journey Church) provided morning devotionals that were spirit stirring, soul searching, and inspiring. Powerful worship was led by the Connection Church Worship Team. Breanna Terzic (Sioux Falls, SD: Connection Church) led the team.
The second conference will be May 2-4 in Jamestown, ND. It will focus on reaching the reservations across the Dakotas with the gospel.
Segun Adeyemo serves as the evangelism intern for the Dakota Baptist Convention.
