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 Letter
from the Missioner for Evangelism
 vangelism
is central to our lives as Christians and is the primary mission
of the Church! Archbishop William Temple declared, "The Church
is the only cooperative society on earth that exists for the benefit
of non-members."
As Christians, we have the great privilege of being what St. Paul
describes as "ambassadors for Christ since God is making His
appeal through us"
(2 Cor. 5:20). We have the opportunity to participate in God's act
of reaching out to those around us.
The term evangelism stems from the Greek word euaggelion
that means, Good News! The Good News — that God has made salvation
available to all people through Jesus Christ — reached much
of the known world within just 20 years of Jesus' death and resurrection.
The spread of the Christian message continues today through our
lives. St. Teresa of Avila noted, "We are the hands and feet
of Jesus." Each one of us serves an integral part of God's
plan of salvation. Jesus' charge to the disciples to "Go"
to all peoples everywhere and make them His followers stretches
to every Christian today.
In order to support its congregations in their evangelistic efforts,
the Diocese of Dallas has inaugurated the Diocesan Evangelism Initiative
that now offers many exciting programs to its 77 congregations.
It is our hope that you will take advantage of these incredible
opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with your community
and bring new people into your church.
As Missioner for Evangelism, I am here as a resource for you. Please
let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you.
Faithfully,
Carrie Boren
Diocesan Missioner for Evangelism
cboren@episcopal-dallas.org
Evangelism
Initiatives for the Diocese of Dallas
 he
churches of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas are engaged in bringing
Christ to their surrounding communities, the nation, and other parts
of the world! The Diocesan Evangelism Initiative aims to equip further
the churches in this diocese to continue in their work of personal
and parish evangelism.
The Evangelism Initiative expects to achieve its mission through
the following courses, consultations, conferences, and events:
 1.
Evangelism 101: 77 percent of those individuals
who come to church and make a commitment to Jesus Christ do so
because of personal contact with a friend or family member.
We may have the most incredible congregations. Too often, however,
they remain a secret. Many Episcopalians want to share their faith
but do not know where to begin.
Evangelism 101 is a one-day workshop that provides individuals
and congregations with tools for sharing the good news of Jesus
Christ with those in our communities. The three-fold aim of the
course is to enable participants: a) to recognize their
own talents and to know how to use these gifts to articulate their
story and the Gospel to others; b) to develop innovative
evangelistic programs within their parish that will reach non-Christians
and/or those who do not have a church home; c) to integrate
a mission focus with their lives and parish.
Evangelism 101 explores:
- What is the Good news?
- What is evangelism? Why do we do it?
- How do we share our faith without being afraid?
- How do we tell the Gospel story?
- How do we tell our own story?
- How do we engage in evangelism within our Episcopal context?
- How do we practice evangelism as a congregation?
- What ideas can the congregation make use of to promote
evangelism?
Sign up your parish today!
 2.
Evangelism Leadership Network: A diocese wide lay network
of those interested in evangelism currently numbers
80 individuals.
Those selected participate in special training and conferences
that will teach them skills in evangelism and infuse them with
enthusiasm both of which they will take back to their respective
congregations. The Missioner for Evangelism, Carrie Boren, will
equip these participants to become experts in sharing innovative
ideas for communicating the good news of Jesus Christ with their
communities and for bringing new people into their churches.
This Network will also meet periodically to exchange ideas and
share up-to-date resources
in evangelism.
It is important to note that the people selected for the network
do not have to be experts in evangelism. All they need is an interest
in evangelism and a desire to move their congregation to engage
in evangelism/mission.
 3.
ApologeticsTraining: 1 Peter 3:15,16: "But in your
hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope
that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect …"
Apologetics training equips members of our congregations to answer
questions about the Christian faith — e.g., "How
do we know God exists?" "If God is good, why is there
so much suffering in the world?" "Who is Jesus? What
is the evidence for His Resurrection?" "Do all paths
lead to God?" "Is there such a thing as truth?"
"Can we trust the Bible?" "Why is the Christian
message good news?" The workshops build faith and prepare
participants for evangelism/apologetics.
At present, the Missioner for Evangelism is available to speak
on a variety of apologetic topics that will equip congregations
to answer key questions of the Christian faith.
4. Conferences: The diocese will organize conferences for
the entire diocese that will feature experts in evangelism, apologetics
and church growth. The conferences will equip and motivate both
lay and clergy for evangelism and outreach. The diocesan website
and Esprit, the diocesan newspaper, will post the dates
of upcoming conferences.
5. Evangelistic Speaking: The Missioner for Evangelism
is available to speak at church services and/or evangelistic events.
Ms. Boren is also a valuable resource for motivating churches
to get involved in evangelism.
6. Evangelism Consultations: The Missioner for Evangelism
serves as a resource for providing congregations with strategies
for evangelism/mission. At the request of a congregation, Ms.
Boren will help them draw up an evangelism plan that will best
suit their needs.
7. Outreach events and Mission: The primary goal of the
Evangelism Initiative is to persuade congregations to engage in
evangelism. Therefore, it will provide presentations to parishes,
evangelistic home meetings, special-interest evangelistic programs,
and local missions.
Parishes throughout the diocese are sharing the Gospel in innovative
and exciting ways within their communities. If your congregation
is interested in any of these diocesan resources, please contact
Carrie Boren, Missioner for Evangelism, at 214-826-8310 or cboren@episcopal-dallas.org.
Bio of Missioner
for Evangelism
Carrie Boren hails from East Texas and is a recent graduate of
Oxford University with two degrees in Theology, Evangelism and Apologetics.
While at Oxford, she spent a year studying one-on-one with the world-renown
Anglican evangelist, Michael Green. Prior to Oxford, Carrie received
a BA from Yale University (major in history and minor in theatre
studies) and an MA from Harvard University in education with a focus
in Urban Poverty Policy.
Carrie has worked in public policy for the Texas State Treasury
and appeared in numerous television, film, and theatre projects,
including an ABC sit-com, Fox and CBS Movies of the week, and various
films. In addition, from the Hollywood Urban Project in Los Angeles
to the United Kingdom and Uganda, Carrie has taken an active part
in missions. She has been a speaker in numerous parishes and other
settings, such as Oxford University and Lambeth Palace. Recently,
Philo Trust — an organization formed by the well-known evangelist,
J. John — selected her as an associate evangelist. She is our
Missioner for Evangelism in the Diocese of Dallas engaging in evangelistic
speaking and equipping congregations to participate in personal
and
parish evangelism.
Suggested Resources for
You and Your Congregation
 For
books and Bible Study materials to equip congregations
for Evangelism go to www.philotrust.com.
For resources in Christian apologetics, any book by Peter
Kreeft at www.peterkreeft.com
and Ravi Zacharias — check out www.rzim.org.
For a great present, check out, The Life: A Portrait
of Jesus at www.amazon.com.
J. John's New Evangelism Course, Breaking News.
This is an excellent resource for an Adult Study to equip
congregations for evangelism.
UPCOMING
EVENTS (Missioner for Evangelism)
—
St. James, Kemp
— ECW, "Resurrection
Power for Everyday Living" (St. Paul, Waxahachie)
— Evangelism 101 (Good
Samaritan, Dallas)
— Dallas
— Resurrection, Dallas
— Seminar on prayer
(Incarnation, Dallas)
— ECW, St. John's
Pottsboro
— Evangelism 101
(St. Michael's Episcopal, South Bend, IN)
— "Back to the
Mountain," Center for Renewal (Camp Crucis)
— a.m., St. Paul's, Prosper
 p.m., Diocese
of Dallas Revival (St. Paul's, Greenville)
— Our Merciful Saviour,
Kaufman
— Evangelism 101 (Holy
Trinity, Garland)
— "Sharing our
faith" (All Saints, Dallas)
— St. John's, Dallas
— Holy Trinity, Bonham
— Speaker at International
Alpha conference (Holy Trinity Brompton, London, England)
— Speaker at Oxford Center
for Christian Apologetics (Oxford, England)
— Good News Initiative Conference (Southern
California)
— "Sharing our
faith" (San Jose, northern California)
For more information, contact Carrie Boren (214-826-8310
or cboren@episcopal-dallas.org)
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