A few good ideas for the fishing hole...

Fishers of Men

by Richard Atwood

A few years ago, my brother-in-law took me fishing on a lake in Alabama. Several hours passed, and we caught no fish. I finally threw my pole down and said, “That’s it. I quit! There aren’t any fish in this lake.” (What I really said was, “There ain’t no fish in this stupid lake!”)

A week later, while flipping through the channels on my TV, I stopped at a fishing tournament. They were fishing from the same lake and pulling out boatloads of big fish. Obviously, the problem wasn’t the lack of fish in the lake.

In a similar way, it is easy to blame the state of the world today for the reason we aren’t seeing baptisms and church growth. It’s true the religious atmosphere has changed in America during the past 20 years, but some fishermen are still catching fish. The truth is more fish than ever are waiting to be caught.

The analogy is a good one because Jesus called some of His disciples by saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). One of the worst things that can happen is to give in to discouragement that leads to despair—to throw down the pole and quit fishing. I encourage you to keep trying. Try small steps to reach out to those people to whom God is speakign. Here are a few ideas that church planters are trying:

1. Facebook Ads. Where do people congregate today? Facebook. Nate Altom in Pennsylvania told me that their church has been purchasing ads in Facebook. They have a link to their church website that comes up for everyone in their geographical area. Jeff Goodman has begun trying this in Arizona, too. An average of six people a day visit their site. So far, it has only cost $35, and a recent visitor as a direct result of the ad.
   

2. Invite Cards. Several church planters create cards for their people to use when inviting others to church. It includes the church name, service times, a map, web address, etc. The card makes it easier for your people to invite others to come to church and makes it easier for those invited to visit.
   

3. Local Fairs and Festivals. Tim Riggs in Alabama hosts a booth at the local Azalea Festival. David Sexton and Marc Neppl in Suffolk, Virginia, have a booth at the Peanut Festival. They give away prizes that people have to sign up for and give away information about their church.
   

4. Doing Good in your Community. James Kilgore in California recently told his people that Jesus went about doing good, so they should, too. Eighteen people showed up at the church the following Saturday and went throughout the neighborhood mowing lawns for free and giving flyers offering to help in other ways. It snows a lot in Marquette, Michigan. Greg Floars and his church members clear driveways for free. While a volunteer from the church plows the snow, Greg talks to the people at the house.
   

5. Seminars and Ministries Meeting Specific Needs. Several church planters like Scott Warren in Utah have hosted Financial Peace University in their church. Brian Williams in Buffalo, New York, recently started a Divorce Care Ministry.
   

Of course, teaching the truth and loving people are our main objectives. People all around us need the truth about Jesus and someone to care for them. Recently, I was sitting in a restaurant with Len and Linda Blanchard in Alabama. He told the waitress that we were getting ready to pray and wanted to know if she had anything we could pray about. She did have a request, which led to a spiritual conversation and invitation to church.

Please pick up that pole and get back to fishing! You never know when you will get the next bite.

About the Writer: Richard Atwood is director of missionary assistance for Home Missions. To learn more about Free Will Baptist church planting efforts, visit www.homemissions.net.