Published May 24, 2022
About 750 leaders were encouraged and trained to advance the Good News through two “On-Target Evangelism Conferences” in May.
New York Times bestselling author Lee Strobel shared stories to inspire those attending to engage their communities and build relationships with lost folks while his friend, Mark Mittelberg spoke about “Contagious Faith,” the title of one of his books.
Mittelberg said, “the Great Commission was given as a command to all Christians. And yet, forcing all Christians to conform to one type of evangelism technique is not only counter-effective, it simply is not biblical!”
He added it is “refreshing to see how we are” built differently for evangelism, yet to see how “we all are designed to share the gospel through our natural style.”
Shawn Beaty, pastor of Clovis Hills Community Church in Clovis, taught attendees how to create an evangelistic culture in your church, and Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board, encouraged Californians to stay focused on sharing their faith.
While the headliners spoke about the need for evangelism and winning people to Jesus, 12 breakout sessions, led by California practitioners, offered practical resrouces for those at the events held at Clovis Hills Community Church in Clovis and at Magnolia Church in Riverside.
Jason Blankenship, leader of the CSBC Evangelism Initiatives Team, said the host churches “provided a wealth of technical staff and volunteers that spent months in planning and preparing for the events. This year’s On Target conferences were successful because of these churches and their support.”
Both On Target conferences were sponsored by the North American Mission Board, California Southern Baptist Convention, The Baptist Foundation of California, multiple associations, and Gateway Seminary.