The pastors at Mt. Pisgah Church recognized the importance of empowering their students to share the message of Christ with others.

Through careful planning, prayer, and comprehensive training, they decided to host a DNow event that served as a catalyst for transformation and ignited a passion for evangelism within the hearts of the students.

Planning and Prayer

The decision to organize the DNow event focused on evangelism training was rooted in a genuine desire to align the youth ministry with the teachings of Jesus Christ. The youth pastors understood that they couldn’t lead their students to embrace a lifestyle they weren’t living themselves. The overflow of Jesus’ transformative work in their own lives fueled a longing to guide their students to a deeper relationship with Christ and empower them to effectively share His love.

Located in Easley, SC, Mt. Pisgah realized that if the event would be a success, they would need the Lord’s guidance and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. “It is important to note here than prayer should always take priority over planning,” Collin Wilson, Mt. Pisgah’s Youth Pastor, said. The church developed a 30-day prayer plan involving the entire congregation. They prayed specifically for every aspect of the DNow event. This emphasis on prayer created a foundation of dependence on God and ensured that His work would take precedence over human efforts.

From prayer to planning, the church “then strategized and developed a roadmap for taking this vision from God’s Word, instilling that vision in our leaders, allowing them to instill it into our students, and then allowing the Gospel to explode into our community,” Wilson said.

Equipping Leaders

To equip their leaders, the youth pastors conducted training sessions focused on sharing the Gospel and formulating personal testimonies. Wilson emphasized the importance of leaders living out their faith and engaging in personal evangelism before leading students in evangelistic efforts.

By leading from the front with confidence and boldness, the leaders served as role models for the students. “As youth pastors, we simply cannot lead students to pursue a lifestyle that we are not living ourselves. You cannot lead where you have not been,” Wilson said.

Equipping Students for Evangelism

During the DNow event, the students underwent training through small group sessions facilitated by equipped leaders. The training covered the “3 Circles Method,” personal testimony development, and dealing with various responses to the Gospel. Students were given the opportunity to practice with their peers and engage in prayer, preparing them for outreach activities in the community.

Overcoming initial apprehension, students witnessed their leaders and peers engaging in conversations about faith, which emboldened them to step out in faith themselves. The students’ testimonies reflected a newfound understanding of their role as ambassadors of Christ and the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit within them. “Our students were able to talk to 217 people, pray with 110 people, share the Gospel with 25 people, engage in 3 positive responses, and invite 25 people to church within a small window of 2 hours, and they were disappointed when we had to wrap it up!” Wilson said.

Reaching Gen Z for Christ

“Generation Z is actively seeking identity and purpose,” Wilson said. He admitted that the Church as a whole has not always done a perfect job at teaching students and pushing them into their purpose in Christ. By offering practical training, real-world opportunities, and faithful Bible teaching, the church can engage young people in their purpose of sharing the love and message of Jesus Christ, meeting their hunger for belonging and meaningful lives. “Young people today desire purpose, and Jesus gifts us with HIS purpose, which is to take His love and His Gospel to the ends of the earth,” Wilson said.

For Wilson, one of the coolest stories was hearing a middle school girl share her experience of being saved that morning, attending training later that same morning, and being sent out to experience her first Gospel share all in the same day.

Impact and Ongoing Mission

The DNow event at Mt. Pisgah had a profound impact on the students. Many continued to share the Gospel in their schools and communities, demonstrating a lasting transformation. In the weeks after the event, the church sent out teams of middle schoolers and high schoolers into our surrounding neighborhoods to prayer walk and share the Gospel. “Once students begin to live on mission, a switch is flipped that stays on for the rest of their lives,” Wilson said.

Wilson encourages other youth pastors to invest in evangelism training. “Evangelism training gives your youth ministry an identity and a culture that is markedly different from the world,” he said. “It teaches and shows students that the church is about Jesus and His mission, not about us and our desires and wants.” By investing in evangelism training, youth pastors can equip their students to embrace their calling as ambassadors of Christ, leading to lifelong impact and fulfilling the Great Commission.