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NEW CANEY—“I want to be forgiven, but I don’t think I can,” said a young homeless man at the Open Door Mission in Houston. He was only in his thirties, but looked much older due to a lifestyle of excess and addiction.
Professor Bobby Worthington and five students from Criswell College ministered to the man, sharing that forgiveness is possible, no matter what a person has done. “I shared scripture with him,” said Worthington. “He thought God couldn’t forgive him because he had done too much. We prayed around him and he accepted Christ. You could see the Holy Spirit helping him to understand.”
The annual Crossover evangelism practicum at Criswell College takes students out of the classroom and brings them to the Southern Baptist Convention host city to give them practical evangelistic experiences, helping them take classroom theory into the real world.
This year Worthington, who serves as director of Applied Ministry Projects, director of Urban Ministry and adjunct professor of evangelism, brought five students to Houston for the practicum. The group worked with Pastor Ron Rogers at Forestwood Baptist Church in New Caney. “We try to work with alumni of Criswell,” said Worthington.
The group began its work by going door-to-door. “We canvassed 160 homes in two days, helping the church reach out,” said Worthington.
In addition, the team ministered at the Open Door Mission in Houston where they saw five professions of faith. “I wanted the students to experience ministry to the middle class as well as to the poor.” Students led worship and preached at two different services at Open Door. “They led. I guided them,” said Worthington.
Trey Holmes was one of the Criswell students who preached at Open Door and had the opportunity to lead a man to Christ. Holmes shared The Parable of the Wedding Banquet from Matthew 22. “I read the Word and preached the Word,” said Holmes. The man, who was at Open Door for rehab, approached a Criswell team member. “He said, ‘I realized I am the guy who is going to be kicked out of the banquet.’”
Holmes shared the plan of salvation with the man and asked if he was ready to repent. The man said yes and gave his life to Christ.
“All the glory goes to the one who really does it,” said Holmes. “You get excited, but it is a serious thing. I have hope and he grasped hope tonight. It was exciting to see a new creature birthed right in front of us. That’s what I’m here for.”
Brice Johnson, another Criswell team member, also had the opportunity to lead a man to faith in Christ. Using his own testimony, Johnson shared how God radically changed his life. He was approached by a young man in need. “He was in a place where he was really broken,” said Johnson. The man struggled with alcohol, drugs and criminal activity. “I shared my story and he prayed to accept Christ.”
Johnson was touched by the encounter. “It’s encouraging in the sense of seeing these guys – the idea of rock bottom. They have nowhere else to go. They are pointed to Jesus.” Johnson was also challenged by the heart of Christ. “I was reminded that Jesus spent the bulk of his time with the poor and outcast. It’s easy to be around people who know the right things to say. It’s refreshing to see the humility and eagerness to hear what we have to say. It helped me develop a deeper heart for the lost and broken.”
Worthington believes the Crossover Evangelism Practicum provides a valuable opportunity for his students to see ministry in different contexts, preparing them for their futures. “They learn theory in class and then have practical ministry experience,” said Worthington. “It’s one thing to talk about it in the classroom. It’s another to do it in the field.”
