At least 15 Southern Baptist evangelists have died within the last 10 years.
The list, according to the Southern Baptist Evangelists fellowship group, includes Roy Fish in 2012; Freddie Gage and Larry Walker in 2014; Rick Ingle, 2015; Gene Williams, Sam Cathey, and Vernon Stephenson, 2016; Billy Graham, Leon Westerhouse, Tom Cox and Ron Herrod, 2018; Bailey Smith, 2019; Joe Allbright and Joe Murray, 2020; and Eddie Middleton, 2021.
The remaining 62 members of Southern Baptist Evangelists actively look for the next generation of evangelists āthrough personal contact, mentorship, one-on-one relationships and encouragement,ā Amy Stockwell told the Texan recently. The high-soprano vocalist and her preaching husband, David, from Katy both are long-time members of Southern Baptist Evangelists and members of Second Baptist Church in Houston.
āThe worth and work of the evangelistāa unique and specific calling in the body of Christāis rarely taught, encouraged, or presented in our churches, colleges, and seminaries as a calling to ministry that has validity, priority, or importance,ā Stockwell said.Ā āIt is vital that we as Southern Baptists decide that Godās priorities in this area should also be our own.Ā It is our responsibility to win people to Christ, but also to train them to reach others with the gospel, and to teach, train, encourage, equip, support, and send out the next generation of God-called evangelists.ā
Preston Nix, professor of evangelism and evangelistic preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said that while pastors are shepherds of one flock, evangelists āhave a passion for souls but also a passion to train others how to ādraw the netā or lead people to faithĀ in Christ. Also, as recorded in the book of Acts and throughout Christian history, evangelists tend to want to go where people have not heard the gospel message. They want to give everyoneĀ an opportunity to be saved.ā
While pastors receive income from the church and perhaps one or more other sources, āevangelists have to build a base of support and become āexpertsā at all aspects of ministry and business, build a board, and put together functioning ministry offices,ā Stockwell said. āThis takes a great deal of money, for staff, travel expenses, living expenses, health insurance and more.ā
International evangelist and Southern Baptist Sammy Tippit of San Antonio agreed.
āIn many ways itās harder to be an evangelist than a pastor,ā said Tippit, now in his 51st year in vocational evangelism. āIt requires solid faith, trust that God will provide everything, from finances to speaking engagements to effectiveness in ministry, and to a spiritually, mentally and physically healthy family.ā
Tippit suggests the new evangelists he mentors first set up as a 501c3 non-profit, with a board of directors for ideas and accountability. His core group has been with him for at least 30 years.
āCombining the boardās and Sammyās ideas has been very helpful,ā Tippit said. āWe have the kind of relationship that enables me to receive them when they speak into my life honestly and truthfully.ā
Who are some of those God has called out more recently in this field?
Ryan Fontenot, 45, a member at BT Church in McAllen, started RAGE Ministries in 2003, an acronym for Reaching a Generation Endangered. Reared in church and a Christ-follower since age 18, Fontenot was 27 when he responded to a call to vocational evangelism during Amsterdam 2000, a nine-day conference for preaching evangelists heād unexpectedly been invited to.
āWe go after the next generation, Gen Z,ā said Fontenot, who serves as personal and event evangelism consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. āWe preach the gospel and we prepare the next generation to do the same.ā
Gen Z refers to middle school and high school students. Fontenot leads weekend conferences, camps, and ministers online, as well.
āWe partner with churches, associations, camps, conferences. Sometimes Iām there to give the gospel; other times itās how to share their faith.,ā he said. Fontenot usually is invited to nine camps during the summer and about 25 other engagements throughout the year.
āItās a passion of ours,ā Fontenot said of his family, which including his wife Heather and their three children. āIf we donāt tell the generations after us about Jesus, well, theyāre the real endangered species in the world.ā
Garrett Wagoner has served in ministry 18 years, the last two as discipleship pastor at Fivestone Community Church in Garland. Last year, Wagoner responded to a call to full-time vocational evangelism despite the fact he and his wife Rachel are parents to 1-year-old twins and a 4-year-old, all boys.
āI had a good friend, a vocational evangelist, who died of COVID,ā Wagoner said. āWeād have conversations years before about my passion, my desire, for telling people about Jesus. The day he died God started stirring my heart. The Lord made it very clear: āThe time is now.ā
āWhen I preach I see people respond, a physical response,ā Wagoner said. āOver time I realized I always wanted to be intentional in sharing the gospel, giving an invitation when I preach.ā
His pastor, Jerry Zucha, and Fivestoneās leadership team recognized his evangelistic giftedness, encouraged him to pursue vocational evangelism, and gave him a launch plan.
āThe Lord has blessed,ā Wagoner said. āWeāre living on faith and we havenāt missed a meal. Heās given us a full schedule through spring.ā
Wagoner is setting up a donor/partner team, heās in the process of legalizing his 501c3 non-profit status, and heās ālearning how to run the non-profit with integrity, in a way to honor God.ā
āAnd, as evangelists, weāre there to encourage leaders, so Iām learning the ins and outs of that, too,ā he added. āGod has brought the right people around us to help us.ā
Wagoner preaches in churches, at camps, and at youth events. With 57 million teens who donāt have a relationship with Jesus, there is a great need for people to respond to Godās evangelistic call on their life by walking faithfully with Jesus, serving in their local church, and in Godās timing, surrendering to full-time ministry, Wagoner said.
āIf you think about lost people all the time, think about how you can get them to respond to the gospel, and want to train others to share their faith, to mobilize believers to articulate the gospel to people in their lives, then God is probably calling you into full-time evangelism,ā Wagoner said. āPray about it. Read John 15, Ephesians 4. Find mentors.
āWhat weāre seeing is a hunger for Godās word,ā the evangelist continued. āThey respond to authenticity. Theyāre hungry for the truth. Engage them with stories of your life that connect with Scriptures and they respond.ā
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