Tim Dowdy told attendees at the Alabama Baptist State Evangelism Conference that the key to church evangelism is the heart of the pastor.

“A pastor once told me he was just trying to keep his head above water,” Dowdy said. “I was a pastor for 31 years, and I know the pressures are enormous. But the church is called to a culture of evangelism, and sometimes the pastor has to ‘aggravate’ the church to go into the world with the gospel.”

Dowdy, vice president of evangelism for the North American Mission Board, led a breakout session on “Creating A Culture of Evangelism” on Jan. 27 at Lakeside Baptist Church in Birmingham.

He said there are times when a church is more evangelistic than at other times, but the church must always be on mission.

Developing a new church culture

“Sometimes church members say their ‘sweet fellowship’ is what they love most, and this is good,” he said. “But having a sweet fellowship is not our primary purpose.”

Everyone is meant to be bringing more people into the family, Dowdy said.

“Though there is a gift of evangelism, according to Ephesians 4, the Great Commission was given to the church,” he said. “Jesus said, ‘As you go,’ so the church is on mission to make Him known. I believe old organizations can develop a new culture and focus on winning the lost.”

Dowdy said churches must embrace the communities they’re in.

“Often we discover the congregation doesn’t match the community, for example in ethnicity or in age,” he said. “And many in our neighborhoods don’t know anyone in the church, much less that the church cares about them. We must find a ‘gospel bridge’ to connect to our community.”

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.