The new on-line course “Relational Evangelism using It’s All About Relationship” is making an impact. It works.
I no longer do a 5 hour training!!!! It doesn’t work. This takes more than 5 hours to learn how to do this effectively.
Let me repeat again; less than 1% of our churches are doing any kind of on going, effective personal evangelism training. We are doing A LOT of programming trying to get people to walk onto our property or attend our events but we won’t reach most the world that way. Most of the world isn’t interested. And continuously telling our people to ‘share your story’ isn’t going to change that for many.
Most Christian have 2 problems. They don’t know how to bring up the issue of their faith with those they know, and if it comes up they don’t know what to do or say other than “Why don’t you come to church with me?”
Here is a comment by,
Dr. Roy Lawson.
“When he was on the staff of Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona, John Hendee developed the Peace Treaty. With this simple tool he prepared Central Christians to share the Gospel. Much of the church’s rapid growth must be credited to John’s Peace Treaty. I still don’t know of a more effective evangelistic tool being used among our churches.”
All the following comments are from people who have taken the on-line course in 2014.
If you are interested, write Phil at pbtowne@hiu.edu
The next course is October 13. Don’t delay.
Elder from a mega church.
I look back and wish I had this tool over the past 23 years, since I became a Christian. There have been 100’s of people that I wanted to share my faith with, but didn’t know how. Then, when I figured out that it was just a process of talking with them and having a relationship, I still didn’t have this calm and casual tool to use. My approach to some was harsh and others may have seemed insincere. I have family, friends, church members, divine encounters to share with and now I have the IAAR/PT to use.
Preacher who has helped plant 35 churches.
The IAAR material is actually an answer to prayer. Let me explain. For the past several years I have made it my prayer to invest in things that will allow me to help make disciples who make disciples. This is a crucial part of church planting (evangelizing in places where there are not a lot of Christian Churches [under-churched], or that lack ethnic opportunities [most of our congregations in the Christian Church are Caucasian, middle to upper class, suburban], and places that are strategically ready for rapid community growth and development. In this ministry environment it is imperative that one has a systematic, reproducible, easily transferable teaching instrument. The It’s All about Relationship material meets the needs that I have to be more effective in personal evangelism plus help others do the same thing. I foresee these studies having a huge impact in our ministry as we equip others to share their faith.
Pastor
2 Timothy 2:2 talks of taking what you have learned (gospel and being a disciple) and giving it to others who will be faithful to do it and pass it along also. This course has challenged me in that I have not made teaching a priority. I have not shared with another believer how to have conversations, how to explain the gospel or what Christianity is really about, and how to lead someone in becoming a disciple of Jesus. I feel that this is something God wants me to make a priority. I feel silly and embarrassed saying it because one would think that this is a standard requirement for anyone in the pastor role. (But it’s not!)
Pastor
I became a Christian and have served in dynamic and contemporary churches that focus on evangelism since 2003. Yet in all that time and my ministry experiences in these places I was not trained in “How” to do evangelism. Yes I took classes that addressed the subject, but never once did I leave with a tangible or practical “how to.” We always discussed doing it in Group Models, or organically by letting actions speak louder than words. This course has made me feel much stronger about having an applicable and teachable way of evangelizing rather than the ambiguous routes of modern examples. I also feel strongly that it is part of the job of a believer to teach another disciple how to make a disciple. This is even more crucial for those in ministry leading as well.
Pastor
IAAR is a great study that both stands on it’s own, but also is just the entry point into the Kingdom for people. Because of this it is more than just a seminar to satisfy the intellectual, or educational needs of a congregation. On the other hand, it is not an event that ends with session four. The IAAR must become a piece of the entire relational discipleship process in our ministry. Therefore, I would like to train a number of apprentices who in turn can take people through the IAAR, and then help them to take the next steps as they become fully assimilated into the ministry of the congregation. In other words, we are praying for workers who will not only be capable of sharing their faith, but also serve as mentors who help people to become fully mature followers of Jesus. The ultimate goal is for mature believers to reproduce themselves!
Pastor
Let’s face it, we live in a high pressure world! We as church staff are expected to produce visible results! Sometimes our paycheck is partially determined by the number of additions that our church has had in the past year. Fact of life!
What I appreciate about IAAR is that, properly understood, it takes the focus off of me as a person and off of my performance as a “professional”. This allows me to take a deep breath and rest in the Lord. It also allows the person that I am sharing it with to do the same. I do not have to use behavior modification techniques, pop-psychology, manipulation, peer-pressure, and sales tricks to coerce people to “become Christians.” All I need to do is share the study with them and let the focus to be on being in right relationship with God and others. It allows people to become a part of the body of Christ because of His leading, and in all probability, they will stick for a longer time
Pastor
I was previously trained in FAITH evangelism in another church. We’d try to get into the home of every person who visited the church. We’d call ahead to set up an appointment. Once we were there, our mission was to determine if they had any needs, and if they needed to hear the gospel message. If there were no needs, we were there to share, even though the other person wasn’t expecting it!
What I really like about the IAAR, is the “ask.” Visit with them first, then tell them about the IAAR and set up a time to meet again to start it. If they’re not sure if they want to hear it, give them a couple weeks to think about it.
Pastor
One of the best parts of the peace treaty is the fact that it truly is a concentrated vaccination of good doctrine. The awesome thing about vaccinations is that they are equally good for both adults and infants. The It’s All About Relationships study can help anyone to have clarity in their understanding of what Christianity is all about.
Pastor
One of the videos talks that impressed me the most was the first one. “It’s a Calling, not a Course”. I have associated with any number of people who want to reduce evangelism to an event, and who do not see it as a process. In other words, the goal seems to lead people to the water and then drop them and go get another. One of my minister friends even named his evangelistic team “The Cherokee Scalping Party.” Yes, he was hugely successful in getting decisions. He was not so good at making disciples! As a matter of fact, due to attrition, the church actually never grew very much. But they sure had a lot of baptisms!
The reminder that evangelism isn’t a program, it’s a lifestyle. It’s not an event, it’s a process. It’s not measured by wet robes on Sunday afternoon, but by transformed lives on Thursday afternoon. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We are not allowed the indulgence to be off again, on again! We must always be ready to give whomever asks us, an answer for the hope that we have within us!
Pastor
My gift is not evangelism.. In today’s politically polarized climate I learned to be hesitant when expressing Christianity. I am usually wary of “pushing” my faith on people. This course has helped me understand that that the great commission is for everyone; regardless of culture or gifting. It has started in me, a desire to see others know Jesus.
Pastor
I have come to the conclusion that the IAAR is a product to be used in what could be the most productive form of investing in new, and renewed Christian lives. I believe all this material is what produces the best and most fruitful results overtime. I have studied much for a long time and have not felt so motivated over anything else I have learned. This is a must for me to pursue, and so I shall.
Pastor
The difficulty with gaining momentum very quickly with IAAR is that so many of the large churches are heavily invested in the attractional model. There is fruit with the attractional model but it relies not only on getting people to come to your building but to have the dollars to invest to compete with the worlds entertainment. Destination architecture, great music, amazing gathering halls with fountains… bookstores, a cafe and the like. These are great supplemental, secondary venues to catch people on campus, but most churches have written off training people to evangelize one on one. I have been part of several churches where this has been the case. The staff are encouraged to evangelize in the process of running the church programs designed to do most of all this in classroom settings or in small groups.
Comments from some who have used the old Peace Treaty for years.
Pastor
I attended John Hendee’s Ambassadors for Christ training at a convention in Cincinnati about 25 years ago. At that time I was fully convinced this evangelism tool would work well in the congregation I was serving in Elizabeth town, Kentucky. I used Peace Treaty with several nonmembers and saw immediate success. After I had gained some experience with it I trained our Associate Ministers and some Elders to use Peace Treaty. Over the years we found it to be a most effective approach to lead people to Christ. I am still using Peace Treaty and will be converting over to the newer version. The results continue to be confessions and baptisms for Christ. I expect even greater results with the new version.
Pastor
Awesome! I am so excited to see this in print again! Literally I have seen hundreds begin their relationship with Christ through this tool! And it provides the best retention rate of Christians staying firm in their walk than any other method I know! Thanks for this tool.
Pastor
We have had baptisms every week for about ten weeks! 4 last week and 3 lined up for this week (so far!). I baptized 2 ex Mormons and a 21 year old young man Sunday after using the Peace Treaty Studies. I try to have at least one study going every week. Just finished one with a 45 year old woman who has been mad at God for the last ten years. She told me, “I told God for the first time in my life this morning, I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son and I want Him to be my savior.” I am on my way to Africa, but I have The Peace Treaty in Neur (S.Sudan and parts of Ethiopia) sitting on my table. Thanks for the wonderful tool you created so long ago in the Peace Treaty.
Former youth pastor
The Peace Treaty is the ONLY thing that I got in my Masters degree/program that I have continued to use. It works.
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