Just before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus commissioned the local church to preach the gospel. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

Because reaching our community with the gospel is so important, I believe it should be approached with both passion and organization. The 4Outreach program is an organized plan that we use at Lancaster Baptist Church to help us share our faith passionately.

How 4Outreach Works

At Lancaster Baptist Church, our desire is to be more effective in reaching our community for Christ. So we have divided our valley into four quadrants to help maximize our outreach times. Each of the soulwinning meetings is conducted by one of our pastoral staff. These meetings are exciting but brief. Each soulwinning member of Lancaster Baptist Church chooses a location closest to his home. The soulwinning leader has doorknocking maps and visits available for them and their partners. Childcare is only provided for those attending the church location for their meeting.

The church schedules multiple outreach meetings each week, but the 4Outreach program meets Thursday evenings at 6:30. When a member arrives at his location (a Starbucks has been individually chosen within each location), he can expect to find the following items:

Doorknocking Maps
Before the meeting, city maps with select streets highlighted (covering approximately forty doors each) are ready for soulwinners to use. This is a strategic way to systematically saturate the community with the gospel throughout the year.

The Soulwinner’s Prayer and Prospect Booklet
This booklet is a great tool that helps a soulwinner track the progress of his outreach efforts. For example, a soulwinner may receive an assigned visit on Saturday morning but find no one at home. He would then place this name on his prospect list and continue following up on that individual until there has been a decision made for the Lord or the prospect becomes a dead end. This list can also be used when a soulwinner meets a prospect through door-to-door outreach or personal contact. The goal is to consistently share the gospel and to follow up with a person until he is saved and added to the church.

A Card to Record Each Convert’s Salvation Decision
The salvation card is the size of a credit card. After leading someone to Christ, a soulwinner can have the new believer sign his name to the back of this card and keep it as a reminder of his decision to accept Christ as Saviour.

Gospel Tracts
Gospel tracts and special invitations are available for soulwinners to use. They are usually divided in bundles of twenty-five.