It starts with ME: The inspiring success of Memphis First and Raleigh Churches' evangelistic series

In a passionate effort to spread the Good News in their community, members of the Memphis First and Raleigh, Tenn., Churches, came together from January 12 to February 10, 2024, for an evangelistic series that concluded in 14 baptisms and two professions of faith. The initiative, which was spearheaded by the recently created Memphis Evangelism (ME) committee, was preceded by months of intentional outreach and friendship evangelism.

The ME committee was conceived through the vision of Tory Bennett from the Raleigh Church and Kieth Noll from the Memphis First Church back in October of 2022. From there, the vision took shape, emphasizing the simple yet powerful principle of "It starts with ME." The committee now comprises of 13 members and receives full support from both churches.

In February of 2023, committee and volunteer church members participated in a series of efforts to get to know their community. These events included health seminars, cooking classes and personal training sessions. In addition, from September 1 to September 10, the committee seized the opportunity to engage with the wider community by joining the Memphis Delta Fair, where they distributed literature and provided free water to attendees. This was made in partnership with Gold Lead Outreach, a ministry operated by the conference’s publishing department. The fair led to 422 community leads, which served as the foundation for subsequent interactions and Bible studies.

“[The community] thought it was just wonderful that there was a church working during the fair and engaging with them,” said Noll, who previously served as the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference (KYTN) Ministerial Director. “We gave out boxes and boxes of Steps to Christ, The Great Controversy, Desire of Ages, and other literatures. We only had one direct baptism that came from that fair, but we praise God for that one.”

To compliment the efforts of the ME committee, 17 student canvassers also worked in the Memphis area during the summer of 2023. Throughout their 10-week program, they sold $125,000 worth of books and generated over 100 Bible study leads. These leads, which were followed by local church members, also led to baptisms.

“I see that literature sows the gospel seed and prepares the heart,” said Ivan Martinez, KYTN Youth outreach publishing coordinator. “By reading our literature, people in different communities are either prepared to listen and receive the messages … or they are affirmed to believe what they have already heard by some of our evangelists.”

Finally, in January of 2024, the two churches came together for a month-long evangelistic series, hosted at the Memphis Hispanic Church and featuring evangelist Dakota Day. By the conclusion of the series, 16 individuals made life-changing decisions to either be baptized or profess their faith. Noll says these results are tangible evidence that evangelism coupled with personal connections yield results. 

“There were some people that came thru the flyers we had shared,” Noll said. “But virtually everybody that was baptized or had a profession of faith came through personal contact – either Bible studies, health seminars, literature evangelists, or because of a friend. To me, this shows that evangelism works, but it starts by showing people tender and loving care.”

Looking ahead, the ME remains strong in its commitment to nurturing these newfound relationships. Plans are already underway to continue hosting Daniel seminars and Bible marking classes.