Evangelism Intelligence: Why Adventist Churches Grow Differently

MIKE CAULEY

In my estimation, Roger Walter’s book on the strategy for effective of public evangelism is without peer in the Adventist Church. Roger has ministered in some of the most un-churched portions of the United States and has repeatedly seen great results in churches where he has pastored. Dr. Walter views public evangelism from a system’s perspective. He addresses the engagement of the members and the climate of the congregation in terms of receptivity to new believers. He has done meticulous research and has pertinent statistics to back up his claims. Approaching the subject from the perspective of a church planter, as well as a traditional pastor, Roger views the work of evangelism from the perspective of a shepherd. And by proclaiming the Adventist message from a grace-oriented perspective, he creates safety and authenticity.

RUSSELL BURRILL

“Public Evangelism simply does not work anymore!” So say those who never do public evangelism. Talk to any pastor or evangelist that still conducts meetings and they will tell you it works for them. Should we listen to those who never conduct meetings or to those who still do? Roger Walter is a pastor who still believes in public evangelism. He uses it each year in his church, either by conducting a meeting himself or bringing in a public evangelist. His church is one of the fastest growing churches in the Oregon Conference that is growing by convert growth rather than “transfer” growth. Not only does he still conduct meetings, but he has kept records that reveal what happened in each meeting. He also has kept record of retention and reveals a remarkable retention record. Evangelism Intelligence will tell you all this plus much more. In it he reveals how he has made public evangelism a reaping event, not just an event and how it dovetails into a year round process of evangelism. This is must reading for every pastor, evangelist and administrator. Adventists in North America in recent years have seen a decrease in baptisms. The only year in the recent past that saw a spike in public evangelism was 2009, when every church was encouraged to hold a public meeting. It is time to reignite our growth by reinstating public evangelism as a major part of our evangelistic process. If you sow but do not reap, you will have no harvest. This book is a major step in helping restore the reaping event as a indispensable part of the evangelistic process.

RAY HAMBLIN

Evangelism Intelligence takes a fascinating look at actual happenings in Adventist churches. With a lively writing style Walter debunks popular myths and shows from experience how to create a culture of evangelism in YOUR church. With over 30 yrs of pastoring & public evangelism, this book provides an excellent outline for planning, organizing and executing successful evangelism. This book is very easy to understand & provides guidelines on how to successfully share the good news of Jesus, His saving love & grace. If you want your church to grow, you definitely need to read and follow the proven methods of success in this book.--------Does Adventist evangelism still work? Most people say the beasts and images no longer work. However the real numbers, beyond the misunderstandings show differently. USA Today declared the Adventist Church the fastest growing denomination in 2011. The heartbeat is still the very relevant messages of Jesus. In this book, Dr. Walter seeks to provide a level of intelligence that moves beyond the urban myths, and show why it can still work and to give the reader a significant amount of wisdom as they seek to share Jesus in their communities. He delves into the science of evangelism and how to do it so that it's effective in reaching people for Jesus. Chapters cover such timely topics as 8 Myths of Evangelism, Adventist Churches Grow Differently, Creating a Culture of Evangelism, and much more that show how to bring out the message and get decisions for Christ.