One of the most common concerns we hear when talking with pastors about public evangelism is a very practical one:
“We would love to do evangelism—but how are we going to pay for it?”
It’s a legitimate question.
A quality evangelistic series costs money. There is advertising. Printing. Mailing. Facility expenses. Children’s programming. Technology. Equipment. Follow-up materials. Staffing. And depending on how the meetings are conducted, there may be additional expenses for an evangelist or other personnel.
Before long, a church can be looking at thousands—or even tens of thousands—of dollars.
For a church already working with a tight budget, that can make public evangelism seem financially impossible.
At EvangeLead, we believe there is a better way.
Evangelism Should Be an Investment, Not Just an Expense
We don’t believe churches should approach evangelism recklessly. Jesus Himself taught the importance of counting the cost.
But we also don’t believe the cost of evangelism should keep churches from fulfilling the mission Jesus gave us.
That is why part of the EvangeLead approach is helping pastors and churches think through how to fund evangelism responsibly and sustainably.
We don’t simply ask:
“How much will this evangelistic series cost?”
We also ask:
“How can we structure this so the evangelism helps pay for itself?”
That changes the conversation.
We Help Churches Develop a Financial Plan
Long before the opening night, churches need a realistic evangelism budget.
What will advertising actually cost?
What materials will be needed?
Where should the church spend more?
Where can it spend less?
What expenses produce results—and which ones simply consume money?
EvangeLead helps pastors think through these questions so they aren’t simply spending money and hoping something happens.
Good evangelism requires good stewardship.
Every dollar represents resources God has entrusted to His church. We want those resources invested where they will make the greatest difference for the kingdom.
We Help Churches Build Evangelism Into the Church Budget
One of the healthiest things a church can do is stop treating evangelism as an occasional emergency expense.
Evangelism should be part of the church’s regular financial planning.
Rather than suddenly discovering that the church needs thousands of dollars for an upcoming series, churches can begin setting aside evangelism funds throughout the year.
A church that consistently invests in outreach develops something incredibly valuable:
an evangelistic culture.
Evangelism stops being an event the church occasionally tries to afford and becomes part of what the church exists to do.
We Help Churches Recover the Cost of Evangelism
This is an area many pastors have never been taught.
A well-planned evangelistic series can include appropriate opportunities for attendees and church members to financially participate in the mission.
People who are being blessed by the meetings often want to help.
But they have to be given the opportunity.
EvangeLead helps pastors think intentionally about when and how to communicate the financial needs of the meetings, how to receive offerings appropriately, and how to explain the mission behind those offerings without making money the focus of the event.
The goal isn’t pressure.
The goal is participation.
When people understand that their gifts are helping share the gospel with their community, many are excited to become part of it.
Those offerings can help offset the actual expenses of conducting the meetings—making it possible for the church to continue doing evangelism again and again.
We Help Pastors Think Beyond One Evangelistic Series
This may be the most important part.
Our goal isn’t simply to help a church afford this year’s evangelistic meetings.
We want to help churches develop a system that makes next year’s evangelism possible too.
Imagine a church conducting evangelism without financially exhausting itself.
Imagine recovering a significant portion of the actual cost of the meetings.
Imagine taking those resources and placing them back into evangelism.
Then doing it again.
And again.
And again.
Now evangelism isn’t draining the church’s resources.
Evangelism is helping generate the resources for more evangelism.
That is sustainability.
Stewardship and Mission Belong Together
Sometimes we unintentionally separate financial stewardship from evangelism.
But they belong together.
The Great Commission requires resources. Printing costs money. Advertising costs money. Ministry costs money.
The question isn’t whether evangelism costs something.
The question is whether we are going to develop a financial model that allows us to keep doing it.
That is one of the things EvangeLead helps churches accomplish.
We help pastors plan evangelism.
We help them prepare their churches.
We help them develop effective meetings.
We help them follow up with the people who attend.
And we help them think through the financial side so that fulfilling the Great Commission doesn’t have to mean creating a financial crisis for the local church.
Because ultimately, the goal isn’t simply to conduct an evangelistic series.
The goal is to build churches that can keep doing evangelism.
Again and again.
Until Jesus comes.
Leave a Reply