3:16 on 3/16 . . . A unique gospel opportunity

I shared in my article last month about the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) initiative, 3:16 on 3/16. With March 16 (3/16) falling on a Sunday this year, we have been challenged to focus on John 3:16; perhaps the most well-known Bible verse: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” The 3:16 on 3/16 initiative provides  a great opportunity for us in the Dakotas and across the nation to share the love of Christ with the lost. So, leading up to and on Sunday, March 16, 2025, we invite you to join churches and communities across the nation to intentionally share the good news of Jesus Christ.

To assist churches in developing a 3:16 on 3/16 strategy, NAMB has developed a website dedicated to the initiative, www.316on316.com. The website provides resources and suggestions to assist churches in sharing the message of John 3:16.

I have attached a copy of the planning guide, which you can find on the website, to my column. Some of the website’s specific resources and ideas include:

Social Media Kit: These are graphics and samples of social media post we could use. These can be published regularly on our social media pages (Facebook, X, Instagram, linked-in, etc.). The exciting thing about these graphics is that we can also use them to make T-shirts or other items that point people to the gospel.

Guides and Sermon Prompts: The website provides sermon prompts that can be used to help prepare to preach John 3:16 for an evangelistic emphasis at our churches.

3:16 on 3/16 Prayer Guide: This is a devotional guide to encourage you to read Scripture and pray three times each day for sixteen days, concluding on March 16, 2025, when John 3:16 will be preached in churches across our nation. There are three aspects for reading and prayer each day, taken from the first phrase of John 3:16: “For God so loved the world …”

Outreach Ideas: You will also find useful outreach ideas like Block Party,  car wash, city serve day, door-to-door campaigns, Spring “Invite-a-Friend” emphasis, etc.

Other Suggested Helpful Evangelism Resources

The website also links to other helpful tools for training in personal evangelism and creating a culture of evangelism within the church.
• Who’s Your One?
• 3 Circle
• How to Create a Culture of Evangelism
• Life on Mission App

As you look ahead to the 3:16 on 3/16 on March 16th, 2025, here are some initial thoughts:

Pray: Prayer is key and at the center of every great evangelistic movement. I encourage each of us to engage in earnest and fervent prayer. Ask God to open doors of opportunity to reach out and for the hearts of lost Dakotans to receive the gospel. Calling on the Father is always the first step in any preparation.

Sermon preparation: In addition to the sermon prompts provided by NAMB and other sermon outlines that the DBC office will be providing, take time to re-read and re-study Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus as though it were your first time and consider preaching on this text on March 16.

Planning: Begin exploring and preparing for ways that could uniquely impact your community for Christ on March 16 using the resources provided by NAMB, the DBC and other ideas you could develop to make the initiative more impact.

Share: Continue to share this initiative and vision with the church and the community as we approach the date. We would also love to share what you will be doing in your church and community. Please send us your ideas so that we can add that to our list for others who might find them useful.

Additionally, to keep this date and opportunity on our radar screens, I will occasionally send more tools and updates.

Yours in Christ,

Segun Adeyemo