The mission of every local church is, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15; see also Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8). But to break it down further, the personal order to every Christian is to be, “Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us.” Our job is to stand “in Christ’s stead” imploring sinners, “be ye reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

To obey our personal orders we must personally be soul conscious. If we depend on conferences or latest strategies to keep us engaged in personal evangelism, we’ll be sporadic in our efforts at best. But if we discipline ourselves to focus on our mission, we’ll see every person with whom we interact as an individual with an eternal soul. We’ll make and schedule time for purposed soulwinning, and we’ll be responsive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to witness as we go about our regular business.

Being a faithful soulwinner and building a soulwinning church only happens by intention. It must be purposeful, and it must be a priority.

What would it take for you to commit to lead your church to become more fervent in its soulwinning efforts? Here are a few practical suggestions:

1. Lead by Example

Soulwinning is better caught than taught. People do what people see, so model soulwinning yourself by being faithful. Plan quality gatherings for evangelism on a weekly basis, and be sure to attend these gatherings and to lead in the outreach efforts.

2. Train Faithful Men

The most valuable gift you can give another person is a good example with personal mentoring. I encourage the trained soulwinners in our church to find and train a new partner every several months. In this way, more Christians are personally invited to begin soulwinning, and at the same time, they are given hands-on training.

3. Motivate Soulwinners

Encourage your church family to develop and maintain a heart for soulwinning by having soulwinning testimonies shared in church, writing personal notes of encouragement to those who are communicating their faith, and preaching on the eternal priorities of the gospel.

4. Provide Multiple Soulwinning Opportunities

You don’t have to be a large church to be an effective soulwinning church. But you do need some organization. Schedule times throughout the week when church members can pair up at church with another soulwinner to systematically bring the gospel to every home in your community. At these meetings, share Scripture and have prayer.

5. Be Diligent in Tracking Contacts

For many years I have maintained an active soulwinning prospect list, and I have taught our church family to do the same. On my list I collect names and addresses of people I have met or visited who have shown an interest in visiting church or in hearing the gospel. I strive to call, visit, or write every person on my prospect list at least once a week. Scores of the people in our church today were once on my or another soulwinner’s prospect list. I’ve seen the Lord bless this diligence over and over again.

Launching out into the deep is not just an idea—it is the action of personal, passionate, and compassionate soulwinning.