Evangelism and Outreach

You may already know this, but evangelism is the combination of two words, "eu" meaning good, and "angelion," meaning "news." Evangelism literally means being "good news." At Excelsior Covenant Church, when we speak of evangelism, we mean giving, receiving, and praying that we are the good news of Jesus Christ in the world.

What evangelism is

Evangelism is the ongoing gift of inviting people to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord (John 3:16). We pray for and invite people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ throughout all of our ministries. Second, evangelism is God's work. We participate with God to build and extend God's kingdom. We are constantly looking for where God's Spirit is at work so that we can join God there. The Bible is our guide (see Luke 4; Luke 10:1-11; Matthew 25:31-46; Matthew 28; John 3-5; and Hebrews 13:1-2). Finally, exactly how evangelism is practiced requires the ongoing discernment of our church. We continually discern how we might most faithfully share the good news of Jesus with our community and world.

Ministries of Evangelism and Outreach:

     •   Alpha
     •   The Marriage Course; a Ministry of Alpha
     •   Beta; A Post-Alpha Exploration in Scripture
     •   Dave Ramsey-Financial Peace University
     •   Vacation Bible School for Children
     •   Community Fair
     •   Open Gym-Thursday Night Men's Basketball
     •   Community Use of The Church Building
     •   Local, National, and International Outreach Partnerships (see Missions page)
     •   Annual Focus on Compassion, Mercy, and Justice-Homelessness (2007);
         Human Trafficking (2008)
     •   Bringing My World to Christ

Our hope is that every participant at ECC acts as an evangelist. Evangelism is not simply the work of a few "evangelists," though there is room for this, but it is a call to all Christians to "good news" our neighbors, friends, and strangers through thought, word and deed. Some of us do evangelism through preaching and one-on-one conversations, and others do it through acts of hospitality, compassion, mercy, and justice. The purpose of evangelism is to use our God-given gifts to tell the world of the saving power of Jesus Christ.

It is the prayer of Excelsior Covenant Church that we are always "good news" to one another and to the world. May Scripture and prayer guide us. May we feel free to expand our former understandings of evangelism in order that we will encourage one another to share our faith for the sake of wholeness, hope, and engagement in the joy of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you came to this page seeking more about a relationship with Jesus Christ, we invite you to call the church or come and worship with us.