Twenty or so years ago, NorthRidge Church Lead Pastor Brad Powell was leading an orientation for prospective new members when he shared an anecdote on individuals’ witnessing efforts. [1,2]
One of the most common requests he received, he said, was from parishioners with appeals that he take a meeting to make the case for Jesus Christ as sole means to eternal salvation. “Get together with my friend,” “loved one,” “neighbor,” or so forth, and ….
Never once had he done so — nor could he imagine that he ever would at any point in the future.
This was based in keen understanding that relationship was the most powerful basis for witness. It would invarably trump dedicated training or ability to quote on-point passages of scripture in real-time.
His appreciation of this personal element was incredibly prescient for the time; consider it all the more powerful for having been conveyed within the walls of a megachurch. “Small groups” were, of course, already seen as “essential to meeting members’ needs and creating a sense of cohesion.” [3,4]
But one-on-one? And led by any one?
The Southern Baptists North American Mission Board (NAMB) addressed this according to its charter by providing both a toolkit and call to action, initiated four years ago this month. [5]
Early coverage described it as evangelism that “asks believers to pray for and focus on one individual in the hope that that person may come to Christ.” It was conceived of as “a special resource for pastors,” to provide “simple tools to call our people to join us in personal evangelism.”
Who’s Your One? certainly was and continues to be that. From the one-minute NAMB overview video, to a richly presented website, Who’s Your One? appears as readily applicable to the most mega of megachurches as it is to the emerging “minichurch” congregations. [6-8]
None of that is prerequisite, however. Anyone can get started by looking to the NAMB “Prayer Guide,” available in a number of formats through dedicated website. A 33-page PDF is available for download at no cost. “Prayer is at the center of every great evangelistic movement,” it states in opening, “and every movement is made up of everyday people.
Use this guide over the next 30 days to pray for someone you know who needs the hope of the Gospel.
Allocating one page to each day, then, this guide focuses on a single passage from the Bible (excerpted from the Christian Standard Bible, or “CSB” translation, for convenience). This is followed by a model prayer, and additional space is provided beyond that for journaling. [9,10]
A streamlined one-sheet listing of passages alone is available in “Bookmark” format for those who desire a less channelled process. [11]
Thirteen months after Who’s Your One? launch, COVID-19 shut down America and closed the doors of its churches along with it. The dust has yet to settle in terms of what that means for brick-and-mortar church attendance as SARS-CoV-2 begat varients en route to endemic. Online worship services are no long “a novel concept …. [12-16]
‘The distance to one’s nearest church has changed almost overnight,’ said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. ‘A form of communication that was not even used by most churches before the pandemic has now reached almost half of Americans.’
In addition to its main campus and three satellites, NorthRidge appears to have embraced that momentum with vigor. Although NorthRidge names a Detroit Baptist church as its root, Who’s Your One? is solely the work of the Southern Baptists North American Mission Board. [17,18]
Notwithstanding, Who’s Your One? would seem the very sort of silo-reducing approach advocated as a core theme at the Baptist State Convention of Michigan Annual Meeting held last November. [19]
And just last month, NAMB announced “that more than 50,000 people had, through the Who’s Your One evangelism campaign, represented their commitment to pray for and share the gospel with at least one person” over the course of forty-seven months. [20]
Notably, each connection was made one by one.
References
- NorthRidge (home page).
- bradpowell (Instagram Feed).
- “Megachurches Continue to (Mostly) Grow and Not Just in Size” Aaron Earls (December 15, 2020) Lifeway Research.
- “Trends among mega-churches: Success, characteristics and direction” David Ward (October 5, 2012) Deseret News.
- “‘Who’s Your One?’ emphasis officially launched” Brandon Elrod (February 26, 2019) Baptist Press.
- “Who’s Your One” North American Mission Board (February 18, 2019) Vimeo.
- Who’s Your One? (home page).
- “Why the minichurch is the latest trend in American religion” Bob Smietana (November 16, 2021) Religious News Service.
- “Prayer Guide” Who’s Your One?
- “30-Day Prayer Guide” Who’s Your One?
- “Bookmark” Who’s Your One?
- “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” CDC.
- “Novel Coronavirus Reports” CDC.
- “Life in US Religious Congregations Slowly Edges Back to Normal” (March 22, 2021) Pew Research Center.
- “Christians Are Going Back to Church — But Maybe Not the Same One” Melissa Morgan Kelley (January 18, 2022) Christianity Today.
- “Online Services Expanded Reach of Churches During Pandemic” Aaron Earls (October 14, 2021) Lifeway Research.
- “Ministries” NorthRidge.
- “NorthRidge Church” YouTube.
- “Baptist State Convention of Michigan Annual Meeting redoubled call, path, and investment in thriving Christian church growth” Dell Deaton (November 9, 2021) Saline Journal.
- “NAMB celebrates more than 50,000 ‘one’s’ posted on Who’s Your One map” Brandon Elrod (February 2, 2022) North American Mission Board.
