Evangelism Experts Shaping the Future of Local Church and Community

ESJ Professors of Evangelism on web conference

In January, eleven E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism gathered in a web conference in which they shared how they are expanding beyond changing and equipping new leaders to focusing on evangelism in the local church. These experts in Wesleyan-tradition evangelism logged in from the U.S. coast to coast, as well as from Germany and Russia.

While the professors have gathered on an annual or biennial basis in the past, this virtual meeting was a first for the group, and future gatherings like it are planned. The participants shared that it was great to hear what their colleagues were working on, and at several times during the conversation encouragement was given, connections were made, resources shared, and suggestions given for collaboration.

Common Themes

Several themes became apparent throughout the discussion. A need to equip small churches was voiced, especially in areas where attendance is declining.  Several shared of their experience with students eager to try new models of evangelism applicable to their context such as “Dinner Church” and “House Church” as well as church gatherings that take place in and address the needs of the community.  Most of the professors shared recent publications or those in the works. In April, Rev. Dr. F. Douglas Powe at Wesley Theological Seminary will release, The Adept Church: Navigating Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Abingdon Press).

Rev. Dr. Stephen Gunter, director of the E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism program for the FFE, reflected that it was good for the professors to be able to connect in this way. By seeing one another and sharing more frequently, it helped them to feel less isolated and part of a larger cohort .

Changes In the Classroom

Technology has changed the way many of the professors teach. Several cited that their seminary has multiple campuses or offers online courses for students working remotely. This use of technology has allowed better engagement with students and has in some cases been a bridge for church leader training outside of the traditional seminary track.

Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale has been leading the “Evangelism for Non-Evangelists” online courses for several years now through Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Having helped Teasdale and other professors lead many webinars in her previous role as Director of Evangelism Ministries at Discipleship Ministries, Rev. Dr. Heather Lear noted that technology has enabled many second career pastors and local pastors to get the training in evangelism they need in an accessible way. Heather is now serving as Teaching and Research Fellow for the FFE and is working on more ways to engage the E.S.J. Professors in training the local church using media and technology as a resource. Last fall, she was able to engage three professors of evangelism (two of which are ESJ Professors) to expand on that webinar and explore the concepts more in-depth. “The E Word” webinar series was offered to previous participants in Teasdale’s webinar as well as a select group of church leaders, laity and Foundation for Evangelism partners and friends.

Connecting Church and Community

Increasingly, part of the work of the E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism is expanding to study and facilitate connection between church and community. Rev. Dr. Angel Santiago Vendrell at Asbury Seminary Orlando shared that he is working with a small parish near a difficult area of town to foster relationships between the church which is predominantly white, and the neighborhood which is predominantly Hispanic-Latino. Rev. Dr. F. Douglas Powe shared about his work with the Lewis Center for Church Leadership (he is currently the director in addition to his position as an E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism). There, he says, he works with students as well as church leaders, clergy and laity to help churches become more viable and engaged with their communities, taking the Gospel outside the church and not waiting for people to come to them.

The Foundation for Evangelism’s president, Jane Wood, shared that as a lay leader in her annual conference, it was great to hear the professors thinking beyond the academic institution and finding ways to prepare leaders – both clergy and laity –  for a culture of evangelism in the local church.

Collaboration for Greater Impact

The professors also discussed collaborative projects. Transforming Evangelism: The Wesleyan Way of Sharing Faith (written by Powe and Rev. Dr. Hal Knight) will be translated into Spanish in 2020 through a grant from the FFE. Rev. Dr. Santiago will be the reader on that project. The professors plan to share syllabi to help them shape their classes in evangelism to better equip students. Rev. Dr. Achim Hartner from Reutlingen Theological Seminary in Germany expressed his excitement about presenting alongside Rev. Dr. David Whitworth (Gammon Theological Seminary) and Rev. Dr. Daniel Shin (Drew Theological Seminary) at the 2020 Wallace Chappell Lectures tentatively scheduled for June at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga.

Throughout the conversations, it was apparent that The E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism are not just teaching in a classroom but are actively engaged in connecting to and equipping the local church through leadership training and resource development. Each one expressed a love for the local church and a desire to help equip them to be an authentic voice to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with their communities.

Learn more about the E. Stanley Jones Professors of Evangelism or connect with some of the resources they have developed or contributed to on our Resources page.

Allen Black to Chair FFE Board of Trustees

The Foundation for Evangelism is pleased to announce that Rev. Allen Black was elected as the chair of the board of trustees at its annual meeting on October 29, 2019. Rev. Black is an elder in the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church and serves as district superintendent for the Harpeth River District.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., Allen accepted the call to ministry at age 15. He served as Youth Director, Associate Pastor and Senior pastor of churches in Alabama while studying for his BS degree in Religion and Philosophy at Samford University in Birmingham. He received a Master of Religious Education (MRE) from New Orleans Theological Seminary and a Master of Divinity (M.Div) with honors from Memphis Theological Seminary.

Rev Black has served United Methodist Churches in Mississippi and Tennessee and has been a trustee of the Foundation for Evangelism since 2011. He is a representative to the World Methodist Council and is a member of the Order of the Flame and National Association of United Methodist Evangelists. He is married to Marjorie Black and they have five children and lots of grandchildren.

The “E Word” Group Study Guide

A new group study guide has been released for “The E Word” webinar which launched in November 2019. This study guide expands on the webinar and provides a way for small groups and congregations to dive deep into what evangelism means and explore ways they can use what they learn to better tell the Gospel story to their community. Written by Rev. Dr. Heather Lear, The Foundation for Evangelism’s Teaching and Research Fellow and former Director of Evangelism Ministries for Discipleship Ministries, the guide is broken up into four sections – an introduction, and three sessions based on the webinar speakers’ topics, Rev. Dr. Jack Jackson (Claremont School of Theology) with Faith Sharing & “Why Jesus,” Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner (Duke Divinity School) with Evangelism and Discipleship, and Rev. Dr. F. Douglas Powe (Wesley Theological Seminary) with Contextual Awareness. The sessions have a biblical and theological grounding in the Wesleyan tradition while asking culturally relevant questions to help your group look at current practices, motivation, and outcomes with exercises to challenge you to go beyond “what we’ve always done” and dream for what God is calling you to.

The guide is flexible and gives suggestions for groups meeting for different lengths of time, making it ideal for small groups, Sunday School, Bible Study groups, and even as a congregation-wide study. The questions are intentionally open-ended, and can be adapted for your particular ministry setting.

This group study guide and “The E-Word” webinar it is based on were both sponsored by The Foundation for Evangelism as a way to help local churches equip disciples to share their faith and the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International license, and may be printed/reproduced under the guidelines of this license. If you wish to reproduce this material for another purpose, please request permission by contacting our office.

The “E Word” Webinar Series

The Foundation for Evangelism, as part of a recent grant for evangelism resources, partnered with three Professors of Evangelism (two are current, and one is a former FFE-funded E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism) to conduct this three-part webinar. Designed for individuals or small groups to delve deeper into the “evangelism equation” concept from Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale’s book Evangelism for Non-Evangelists, this series explores a different topic in each video and includes Q&A at the end. A study guide is currently in development and will be available in early 2020.

[UPDATE 1/13/2020] A new group study guide is now available to compliment The “E Word” webinar series. It is available as a free download, and the videos can also be downloaded for off-line playback with the instructions in the study guide intro.

Session 1: Rev. Dr. Jack Jackson on “Why Jesus”

Session 2: Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner On Evangelism and Discipleship Systems

Session 3: Rev. Dr. Doug Powe on Contextual awareness

Evangelism Equation – Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale

Rev. Dr. Mark Teasdale, E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary, led the Missouri Annual Conference of the UMC through the “Evangelism Equation” from his book Evangelism for Non-Evangelists. In this two-part series, Dr. Teasdale starts at the beginning, examining the current, cultural (sometimes negative) understanding of evangelism, and looks at practices of evangelism that focus more on authentic faith-sharing and active listening that respects and cares for the whole person.

Grant Insights Video Series

Rev. Ryan Spurrier, Campus Minister for Wesley Campus Ministry at UNC Chapel Hill, shares insights from the Making Disciples on the College Campus grant – a three year grant for innovative campus-focused ministry that engages, forms and grows disciples of Jesus Christ on the college campus. Spurrier shares how, by focusing on three key areas, their campus ministry is seeing real fruit and transformed lives.

“Super Real Evangelist” Honored with Denman Evangelism Award

Matt Bistayi (at left), pastor of Valley Church in Allendale, received the Harry Denman Evangelism Award at the 2019 Michigan Annual Conference. After 10 years, Valley continues to “gain traction” with Jesus.

(This article originally appeared at www.michiganumc.org and has been reprinted with permission.)

BY KAY DEMOSS – Senior Content Editor for Michigan Conference of the UMC

None other than Billy Graham once called Harry Denman, “one of the great mentors for evangelism.” Denman lived a simple life, made friends with everyone he met, and shared the love of Jesus far and wide. Denman died in 1976 but his spirit lives on in an award that honors those who bring people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Dirk Elliott, The Michigan Conference Director of Congregational Vibrancy, presented the Harry Denman Award to Matt Bistayi, Pastor of Valley Church in Allendale, during ceremonies on Saturday evening, June 1 at the Grand Traverse Resort. 

In his introduction Elliott quoted Harry Denman saying, “The only way we can see Christ is to see him wrapped in a person. We need to become a package of love, a package of faith, a package of Christ. Then we will be a package of evangelism.” 

Matt Bistayi is such a “package.” He and his wife, Shellie, were sent to Allendale in 2009 to start a new church. “It was a parachute drop,” Matt says. “The pastor and family are parachuted into the community, and they say, ‘Good luck!’” He reports that 70% of parachute church plants fail in the first two to three years. But after five years Matt reports that Valley Church “had hit its stride,” and now, ten years in, “we are gaining traction.”

Valley Church is, “Real friends who laugh with you, worship with you, serve with you, discover Jesus with you, and take next steps with you.” ~ photo courtesy Matt Bistayi

Matt and his team launched Valley on October 10, 2010 with over 100 people in attendance. The church was totally self-sufficient, receiving no conference funding, by 2013, at which time they were chartered. The church is now averaging 175 in worship.

The pastor gives credit the community into which he was dropped saying, “We were blessed with people who came on board, and who wanted to do something different here in Allendale.” Plus, Matt had good instincts. “Part of my story in ministry is what I experienced in college … when I wished I had a community like Valley to surround me,” Matt explains. As they arrived in Allendale, “that was a big part of what was important to my wife and me. We wanted to care about the Grand Valley campus and its students.” The excitement of those young people about involvement in a local church became “a big part of why Valley succeeded in those early years.”

While Valley cared about the campus community, the young and growing congregation never met on campus. “We are not a college church,” Matt says, “though we do care about college students.” The infant Valley first met in the township hall and then moved to a banquet hall in the Main Street Pub. Outgrowing those spaces, the group leased space in the Chemical Bank building on M-45, and they have gathered there ever since. Eventually they would gut and repurpose the bank space to make it look like what it does today. “It’s a non-traditional space that fits our vibe and culture well,” Matt remarks. “Valley is not auditorium-style. We have more of a warehouse-feel. And God is moving in our space.”

The staff photo on Valley’s website expresses the “super real” vibe. Left to right: Lead Pastor Matt Bistayi; Jeremiah Shirreffs, Creative Arts and Worship; Elaine Ebeling, Office Manager; Zach McNees, Student and College Ministries; and Sharayah Clevenger, Valley Kids and Family Ministry. ~ photo courtesy Matt Bistayi

The vision statement of Valley Church, which grew out of Matt’s passion, is: “Helping Others live For God, For People, For a Change.”

Asked to describe the “vibe at Valley,” Matt says, “At Valley we believe it’s okay to have fun in faith. We are laughing with Jesus and with each other.” But the main hallmark of the Valley faith-style is “making a difference in practical ways in the lives and relationships around us.” In a phrase, Matt describes the Valley vibe as, “super real.” He continues, “That’s what a lot of people say. When we meet each month for Pizza with the Pastor, that’s often what we hear.” And it’s clear that “real” does not mean “easy.” “At Valley we are not fake. We are honest. And we are able to laugh even when we screw up royally.”

Perhaps the realness factor at Valley merges out of their radical openness. “We value stories,” Matt shares. “Everyone’s story matters, and that means you matter to us.” What Valley loves is spelled out in compelling fashion on the homepage of their website. The statement concludes, “There are an endless number of things that divide us in the world and we’re convince that God and the church shouldn’t be one of them.”


One of the highlights of the Valley year is “Beach Worship and Baptism” in Lake Michigan. In 2017 the church celebrated ten baptisms, with eleven baptisms in 2018. In 2018 the church experienced 33 professions of faith. ~ Facebook/Valley Church-Allendale

The stories of individuals are just the starting point for relationship at Valley. Matt says, “Jesus changes everything. When Jesus gets ahold of someone, their life and story changes. They become infused with hope. Then they want to share that hope with others.” Matt often reminds the Valley family that, “It is not about us. The most important person at Valley is the person who’s not here yet.”

When asked what exciting things are going on in the life of Valley in 2019, Matt mentions the “15 babies being born this year.” He notes that it’s scary, too. “Where are we going to put them if they all show up on the same Sunday?” he laughs. Valley Kids Ministry is already repurposing space. Go Groups is another ministry that generates energy. Go Groups are 8-12 people meeting regularly to build community and to go deeper with what was preached on Sunday. “Go Groups do life together,” Matt says. “And we like to say, ‘Go somewhere and make a difference.’” Three Go Groups each received $500 grants during 2019 to enable their creative service projects. With that support one of the college Go Groups sponsored a Family Fun Day for those not able to go away on spring break. Another Go Group is planning a Back to School Boutique, open to the community to do “school shopping on the cheap.”

Now a decade old, the pastor says, “We are still learning who we are, what that means, and how we can become more of what God wants us to be.” They continue to “lean into growth.” Matt poses the question, “How can we be momentous enough that we can keep being faithful?”

Valley Church, a ten-year-old congregation, is one of the youngest churches in the Michigan Conference in terms of age of members. Lots of 20-30-40-50 somethings plus 15 babies on the way in 2019. ~ photo courtesy Matt Bistayi

Valley looks head to the next ten years with a bold vision. SENT is a two-year big-vision-initiative for mission ministry, and multiplication. “It’s also about a home for our church in the future as a launching pad for Disciples to be SENT from.” The SENT outlook is expressed this way on Valley’s website: “We don’t want to be a bunch of saved people, we want to be a bunch of SENT people. Who send other people. Across the street. Across the city. Across the world.” Read more about SENT here.

Upon presenting the award at the 2019 Annual Conference, Dirk Elliott said, “Matt describes his ministry by saying, ‘Reaching more people for Jesus is the vision. Because, we know that God is crazy in love with people and the more people who know that; the more lives become filled with the hope, grace, and love of Jesus.”

A “Super Real Evangelist” is not doing what he or she does for personal glory. The 2019 recipient of the Harry Denman Evangelism Award in the Michigan Conference concludes, “God and Valley are in the zone.” And that is what brings Pastor Matt Bistayi joy.

Eastern PA Conference Honors Exemplary Leaders

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The 2019 Eastern PA Annual Conference gave its annual Harry Denman Awards for Evangelism to three leaders and its annual One Matters Award to one remarkably fast-growing church. But it also honored both a longtime, retired clergy member and a group of urban churches by presenting them all with a new urban ministry award named in his honor. (This story originated at www.epaumc.org)

Suzette James of the conference Congregational Development Team presented The Harry Denman Awards for Evangelism to:

  • The Rev. Steve Morton, North District Superintendent, who received the clergy Denman Award for his 21 years of pastoral leadership at Hopewell UMC in Downington. James credited his exemplary “team-based approach to ministry, commitment to community engagement and international missions, children’s and youth ministries, and Lenten Bible studies shared across the connection.” Morton left Hopewell to become a district superintendent in 2018.
  • Carrie Argro, a Certified Lay Minister at St. Daniel’s UMC in Chester, who received the laity Denman Award for leading prayer teams throughout the church’s community and “meeting neighbors where they are” to address their spiritual and social needs. She is helping to lead St. Daniel’s new Hope Point community development initiative at the former Trinity UMC Chester.
  • Jose Tirado Jr., of Cristo Rey UMC in Grove, who received the youth Denman Award for his “love and passion and radical hospitality” and for “sharing his personal testimony countless times,” said James. The personable high school senior is president of the Conference Council on Youth Ministry.

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