Year in Review: Reaching People Far from God

Year in Review: Episode 722

Many church planters set out to reach people with the gospel but often find their new churches full of folks from other churches. Host Ed Stetzer talks with Heiden Ratner and Vance Pitman about the challenge of staying outwardly focused to reach people far from God.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• How to get a core team outwardly focused on reaching people who are not churched or not believers
• How God used Heiden’s “idolatry problem with basketball” to draw him to faith in Christ
• How a “divine appointment” gave Heiden an opportunity to meet a well-known UFC fighter and how they are trading text messages about faith
• What personal practices can help planters be more evangelistic and engaging people who don’t know Christ
• The best ways to help new believers grow in their faith and become fully devoted followers of Christ

Helpful Free Resources:

• Developing a Core Team
• Church Planting Primer
• Church Planting Masterclass

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Sharable Quotes (#NewChurches):

 Here’s a very practical tip for this idea of building bridges into the city: Every city has a city manager and every city manager has a list of problems on their desk that’s their responsibility to solve. Go meet your city manager, build a relationship, find out what of those items on that list you can take off the list. @VancePitman

I love the Major Ian Thomas quote: “The same life Jesus lived, he lives now through us.” If we’re allowing Christ to live in and through us, he’s focused on lost people. He’s seeking. He’s saving. @HeidenRatner

Engaging adults who don’t know Christ leads to some messy challenges, but we must encourage people to still value that. @EdStetzer

Yes, it’s messy when you when you reach people in a place like Vegas. But it’s also pure. There is a purity about the gospel from these new believers that is contagious. It creates a freshness in the body of Christ that is worth going after. @VancePitman

Have the authenticity to be yourself, not feeling like you have to be somebody else in their walk with Christ. Be you. Everybody’s got a unique leaning, unique wiring, and so we’re trying to help people champion the things that make you be authentically you in the body of Christ, and you’ll find your fit. @HeidenRatner