Southern Baptist seminary graduates feel well prepared for evangelism—right up there with biblical studies and theology. But, perhaps like many of us, they do not practice it frequently.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Missional Research of the North American Mission Board asked recent masters graduates of seven seminaries about their seminary preparation for evangelism, as well as their beliefs and practice of evangelism.1

More than 7,500 graduates who received their degree from 1998 to 2004 were invited to participate in the study by completing the New Millennium Minister's Survey on-line. The full methodology of the study will be included in the future release of the full report. More than 1,300 respondents identified themselves as having a ministry position in a Southern Baptist church, and they form the basis of this part of the analysis.

Prepared?
The vast majority (88%) felt adequately prepared for evangelism upon graduation from seminary. Evangelism slightly trailed Biblical studies and was tied with systematic theology in the self perceived level of preparation. You can check out the percentage that felt prepared for ten areas of ministry in the figure below.

Motivated?
How does a feeling of preparedness upon seminary graduation transfer into theological beliefs and sharing one's faith? Almost all respondents (98% and 96%, respectively) agreed that "prayer is foundational to effective evangelism" and that "every Christian is called to share Christ with every person they can." Also, 7 of 8 expressed agreement with "non-Christians usually will not come to us to find God." In spite of those professed beliefs, less than half of the graduates "give a verbal presentation of the gospel (outside of church) at least once a week." Being prepared for evangelism and believing it is a Christian duty does not necessarily result in a practical commitment to share the gospel weekly.

The following table provides the percent of the millennium ministers who strongly or somewhat agreed with selected statements about evangelism.

Percent of Millennium Ministers who Agree with the Following Beliefs about Evangelism

• Prayer is foundational to effective evangelism. 98.2%
• Every Christian is called to share Christ with every person they can. 95.5%
• Because evangelism is central to the mission of the local church, funding evangelism ought to be seen as a part of the regular church budget rather than an area to be financed by special offerings. 94.1%
• Non-Christians usually will not come to us to find God. We have to go to them. 88.3%
• A culturally relevant style is important for a church to be evangelistically effective. 76.8%
• Evangelism occurs when people are matched with their spiritual skills and gifts for service. 58.6%
• I give a verbal presentation of the gospel (outside of church) at least once a week. 47.4%
• Because God is highly committed to the lost, almost any evangelistic approach will work, given enough time and commitment to sharing the good news. 45.7%
• Effective evangelism requires little training. 24.5%

Context?
Three-fourths of the ministers agreed that churches need to be culturally relevant in order to be evangelistically effective. About 9 of 10 also believe that we must go to non-Christians rather than wait for them to come to us to find God.

Methods?
Methods do make a difference. Fewer than half of the graduates hold the view that any evangelistic approach will work due to God's commitment to lost people. Another question asked for the types of evangelism materials used in their churches. One of 4 said they use the FAITH materials, another fourth reported using no materials. Forty-one percent reported using other materials in their church. Less than 10 percent use The NET, Continuous Witness Training, Evangelism Explosion, and One Day Soul Winning Workshop.

Training?
Ministers affirm the need for evangelistic training in their church, since only 1 in 4 agreed that evangelism requires little training. One of 3 reported that personal evangelism is taught as part of their overall church teaching. Twenty-nine percent have separate special evangelism training experiences, and 24 percent incorporate evangelism training in small group settings. One of 8 either admitted that they offered no evangelism training or did not answer this question.

Conclusions

• Seminary graduates feel that they have been adequately prepared for evangelism.
• Most agree that every Christian has a responsibility to witness.
• Fewer than half give a verbal witness once a week.
• Methods and materials are important, but many turn to other materials than those produced by the denomination.
• Training is deemed necessary, and takes place in small groups or in the overall emphasis of the church.

PowerPoint® Slides 

Richie Stanley serves as Director of Research at the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta, Georgia.

1 Graduates from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary were included in the study, along with those from Golden Gate, New Orleans, Midwestern, Southeastern, Southern, and Southwestern.