Equipping people for Gospel talk

“The future of the world depends on the average believer being able to proclaim the message of the Gospel,” said John Meador during his Monday morning workshop at the 2017 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting. Meador, founder and president of One Conversation, a nonprofit organization geared toward kindling Gospel movements, helps pastors reignite their call to the Gospel, in turn starting a fire for evangelism in their church bodies.

Meador also serves as Senior Pastor of First Euless. As a pastor, Meador knows the demands of pastoring can become overwhelming, and that the work of the church cannot rest solely on the shoulders of those in ministry positions. The team at One Conversation works to bring evangelism back to the forefront of the church.

“A Gospel-centered church is not one where the pastor simply preaches the Gospel, but one where the people share the Gospel,” says Meador.

After effectively using the method to equip more than 750 in his own church, Meador felt called to start One Conversation to challenge and train pastors to lead and equip people to have Gospel conversations. He began the organization with the understanding that a pastor’s job is not only to lead in evangelism, but to also equip average believers with the ability to share the Gospel.

One Conversation created a program entitled “Can We Talk?” to train believers to share the Gospel. This program exists to assist churches in moving beyond their walls and sharing the Gospel in places they otherwise may not have. One Conversation utilizes both one-day equipping conferences and church-exclusive events to equip pastors, church members and staff to lead their congregations through the program.

After an event, One Conversation helps build a roadmap to helping pastors launch the training in six-week semesters geared toward training believers to share the Gospel in a simple, conversational method. These take place in sessions which begin with short teaching followed by  “on-the-job sharing.” At the end of the six weeks, trainees are equipped to share the Gospel in their everyday context with many returning to become trainers.

“Can We Talk?” uses a simple equipping model that has powerful multiplication effects. First Euless began the training with six trainers, but quickly expanded to 18 teams the following semester, then 45 and then 90 and in only four semesters. Now, three years into the equipping, First Euless has equipped 750+ witnesses to spread the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Those equipped, know how to get into a Gospel conversation in their everyday life and many hundreds have come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

One Conversation and “Can We Talk?” has seen great success and national spread to now 20 states, with 500+ pastors equipped, nearly 5,000 equipped and 3000+ people coming to know Christ. Churches of all sizes have implemented the training, from megachurches in big cities, to small town congregations. “Can We Talk?” has been endorsed by both the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB).

One Conversation has launched an entire suite of tools that provide pastors with strategies that help them make disciples while keeping them focused primarily on the Gospel. Can We…Walk, Grow and Teach help new believers learn first steps with Christ, develop a Gospel-centered life and lead in the church.

One Conversation has 30+ nationwide events planned for 2018, with 16 one-day conferences scheduled in Texas including San Antonio, Euless, Houston, Irving, Midland-Odessa, Dallas, New Braunfels, Corpus Christi, Georgetown and Lubbock. Several of the conferences will be for Spanish speakers. Event info and registration on their website at:oneconversation.org.