A Strategy of One-On-One Evangelism in the Nyamira Conference

Problem Public evangelism has been a successful way of bringing converts to the church, and by using public address systems the church has been able to reach those who are afraid or too skeptical to come and sit in the meetings. Some have actually made a decision and have been baptized as a result of listening from a distance. But with time the public address systems have been misused with people complaining of noise pollution. This concern has forced the government to pass a bill in parliament banning loud noises in public places. This change calls into question the public evangelism mode of recruiting members. There is a need to come up with a new way of doing evangelism that will not conflict with the law against noise pollution. Method The development of a new way of doing evangelism in the Nyamira Conference was explored through the introduction of one-on-one evangelism in the Nyambaria pastoral district. Results The intervention resulted in 188 church members being trained as Bible instructors who are actively involved in giving Bible studies to friends and neighbors. This method replaced public evangelism in the district as the primary way to recruit new converts. After two years that the Bible instructors conducted Bible studies on a one-onone basis 410 people have been baptized and only 8 have backslidden. Conclusions One-on-one evangelism is a strategy that can be used to bring many to faith in Jesus Christ. It is effective in that not only does it recruit new members, but nurturing and retention is also positively affected by this approach. The method is less expensive and it is conducted throughout the year without having to worry about the need for good orators for public evangelism. Many more members are now involved in the recruitment process.