There is nothing more exciting than seeing students make Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of their life.  There is a generation of students in Arkansas that is waiting to meet Jesus. In order for this to happen, the mobilization of youth ministries and the implementation of evangelistic events in our communities and in our churches must continue. Before conducting any evangelistic event, take into consideration the following:

1. An effective evangelistic event involves partnerships.

In order to have a successful event, you will need people to come alongside of you and support your efforts. It is very important to get the pastor, parents, church members, and students involved in your efforts and buy into your vision for the event. Just remember these key factors:

• The pastor must continue to be a voice and support.
• Involve parents in the planning and implementation.
• Mobilize students in the planning and implementation.
• Encourage total church involvement and individual involvement.

2. Attention to detail is very important.

If you are going to have a successful event, then you better make sure you have gone over every detail. Details will make or break any event you put on. Take a look at the thought process you need to go through:

• Budget - How much is allocated for this event?  Will you need to charge for event?
• Calendar - Is this the best time of year to do this event?  Did you check with school calendar?
• Timeline - Chart the course.  Effective evangelistic events are planned in advance.
• Promotion of Event - Newsletter, Bulletin, Facebook, Twitter, text msg, email.
• Follow up for Guests - Gather information on all who attend and make some form of contact within 24-48 hours. Thank them for attending and provide information about your church.
• Follow up for New Believers - Provide training for counselors prior to the event. If decisions are made, individuals from the church (SS teacher, youth worker) need to get into the home and make a visit. Build a relationship immediately.

3. Be prepared for last minute changes.

Just like any other event, there will always be some kind of last minute change. The best thing to do is to think ahead and try to be extra prepared for overlooked details. For example:

• Make sure you have enough parking lot greeters and door greeters. You can never have too many of these.
• Make sure you have a table setup for a guest center with information about the church and its ministries.
• Make sure you have plenty of door prizes and food and drinks. There is nothing more embarrassing than not having enough of something. It is better to buy more than enough because you can always use the leftovers for other events.
• Have a backup plan. For example, if you are putting on an outdoor event, you need to make sure you know what to do if it starts to rain.

Now that the planning is in place, a decision must be made as to what kind of evangelistic event should be planned. Below are some examples that you should NOW be able to prepare and plan the event.  For more details on any event, please contact the Arkansas Baptist State Convention at 501-376-4791.

• VBS Family Nights
• Harvest Fest
• Back to School Bash
• 5^th Quarters
• Youth Revivals
• Youth and Children Camps
• DNOW Weekends
• Sports Clinics
• Drive-In Movie