Home Leadership Ministries News / Events U.S.A. Stadium Projects About Us Partners New Life TV Products
Code of conduct

Evangelism

Worship Team

Kids Church

Revolution Youth

Virtuous Women

FIST

Missions Team

 

Yep, that's me, Pastor Jack. When I became a Pastor, I took to heart what Paul said to Timothy, "Do the work of an evangelist" 2 Tim. 4:5.

In 2002 God directly challenged me to take the message of the cross to the people of Belfast by doing a 40 Day Cross Walk through the streets of the Shankill and Falls and around the wall that has divided these communities since 1969. I was apprehensive at first, but it was so amazing from Day 1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evangelism

Timothy was the Pastor of a growing church in Ephesus, but Paul was wanting to ensure that Timothy did not become settled in his Pastoral duties to such an extent that everything else took a back seat, especially evangelism.

The fact is all pastors should be involved in evangelism, and sometimes they need to step into the role and take the lead as the church evangelist to ensure that reaching out to the lost remains a priority for the church.

Evangelism is not foreign to me. Preaching the good news and calling people to repentance is one of those things I do best. However, I fully recognise that nowhere in the Bible is the world commanded to come to church, but the church is commanded to go into all the world and preach the good news and to make disciples of all nations. In my early days as a Christian I spent many hours, sometimes on my own, walking the streets and talking to people about Jesus.

Now, as a pastor with an evangelist's heart, I consistently look for novel and significant ways to take the gospel to where the people are. So we would hire Leisure Centres where we present the gospel to people who would not initially come to church, but hopefully do so afterwards; we hold outdoor events and do prayer walks sometimes during dangerous days and nights in our communities; we knock on people's doors and distribute 1,000's of leaflets and cards etc.

Walking down the centre of the road, for up to 2 hours a day for 40 days, carrying the cross; stopping and talking with people about Jesus, was an awesome experience; but more than that, it was such a witness. As a church and as a city we are still benefitting from this 40 Day Cross Walk as we now have people from both sides of the dividing wall coming together in New Life City Church and are fully committed to Christ.

At New Life we highlight Paul's teaching that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female", but we would further add "There is neither Catholic nor Protestant", but that we (as committed Christians) are "All one in Christ Jesus". Galatians 3 v 28. Our calling is to reach those who are lost; and the reality is, the lost are everywhere.

We are excited to see new people come to the church or to our outreach events for the first time, but even more so to see them come to personal faith in Jesus Christ, and then to be part of helping them grow and develop to become mature in their faith and to become true disciples of Jesus Christ.