How do you get church members involved in evangelism?

I think many pastors and leaders get this wrong because they tell people to go and evangelize before they have actually prepared them for evangelism.

If you simply announce, “Everybody, Saturday is evangelism. Make sure you come,” some people will come, but many won’t. And it isn’t always because they don’t love God or don’t care about souls. Some are shy. Some are afraid of being rejected. Some don’t know what to say. Some are worried about what their friends will think. Others are simply not used to having conversations about their faith.

So before you ask people to evangelize, teach them how to evangelize.

You can even dedicate a period in the church to it. Make evangelism and outreach a teaching focus for the month. Teach them why we evangelize, how to start a conversation, how to share their testimony, how to explain the gospel simply, how to respond when someone asks difficult questions, and how to invite someone to church without making the person feel pressured.

And don’t just teach it once and move on.

Pray with them.

Before the teaching, pray. After the teaching, pray. Let the church pray together for boldness, compassion and opportunities to reach people. Paul himself asked the church to pray for him that he would have boldness to make the gospel known (Ephesians 6:19–20). So if Paul could ask for prayer for boldness, we shouldn’t be surprised when ordinary believers need it too.

Then give people small, practical steps.

Don’t make evangelism sound like everybody has to stand on a street corner with a microphone. Someone can start by intentionally talking to a colleague. Someone can check on a neighbour. Someone can invite a friend to church. Someone can share what Christ has done in their life. Someone can join the church’s outreach team.

As people begin doing it, their confidence grows.

And I think leaders also need to create an environment where people can learn without being embarrassed. If someone tried to evangelize and didn’t know how to answer a question, don’t ridicule them. Help them learn. If someone says, “I was too afraid to talk to the person,” don’t immediately condemn them. Ask what happened and help them think about what they could do differently next time.

Evangelism should become part of the culture of the church, not just another programme on the calendar.

And yes, deal with fear and timidity spiritually, as you mentioned. Pray about it and teach people the truth of God’s Word. But also give them practical training, because sometimes what looks like a spiritual problem is partly a lack of preparation.

Paul told Timothy, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Notice that evangelism isn’t only about boldness. It’s also about love. When people genuinely care about the person in front of them, evangelism becomes less about “I need to perform” and more about “I want this person to know what I have come to know.”

So if you want more members involved in evangelism:

Teach them → pray with them → train them → give them opportunities → encourage them → let them grow.

Don’t just keep announcing evangelism. Build evangelists.