October 1, 2026
DUBLIN, Ga. — More than 250 pastors, ministry leaders, and church members participated in the latest round of Engage 6 evangelism gatherings in May, bringing total participation in the Georgia Baptist Mission Board initiative to 1,272 so far in 2026.
The regional sessions, the latest of which were held in Jonesboro, Douglas, Columbus, Dalton, Dublin, and Duluth, are part of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s statewide evangelism emphasis aimed at helping churches reach the more than 7 million lost people in Georgia. Each gathering focuses on one of six key evangelism emphases identified through statewide listening sessions conducted in 2025.
At First Baptist Church Dublin on Tuesday, pastors and ministry leaders heard from Joel Southerland, pastor of Peavine Baptist Church in Rock Spring, whose message focused on maximizing the evangelism impact of the Sunday morning experience.
Southerland used examples from his church’s growth and evangelistic ministry to challenge attendees to think intentionally about every aspect of the worship service, from parking lot interactions to guest follow-up.
“The power is in the gospel,” Southerland said. “Our job is to remove distractions and make it as easy as possible for people to hear and respond to the message of Jesus.”
Southerland repeatedly stressed that evangelism must remain central to the identity of the church. “Evangelism cannot be a ministry of the church,” he told attendees. “It has to be the ‘why’ of your church.”
Southerland explained how intentional systems and consistent follow-up can help churches create a welcoming environment and strengthen evangelistic effectiveness. He discussed practical strategies such as connection cards, guest assimilation, invitations, and clear communication during worship services.
“A confusing and awkward situation creates a no or backwards response,” Southerland said, encouraging churches to think carefully about how first-time guests experience their services.
Southerland also challenged pastors to lead evangelistically themselves, arguing that congregational passion for reaching people rarely rises above the commitment of church leadership.
“The church will never care more about the lost than what you do,” he said. “When the pastor burns for souls, the church catches fire.”
He reminded attendees that fruitful evangelism requires perseverance and faithfulness over time. “Momentum eventually develops,” Southerland said. “Do not give up.”
Darrell Paulk, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Dublin, said hosting the Engage 6 gatherings comes from a desire to help equip pastors and churches for evangelism.
“Every pastor needs to grow, and every ministry leader needs an opportunity to grow,” Paulk said. “I’ve served in churches where I didn’t have opportunities to receive training and grow, and I certainly want to see pastors have that opportunity.”
Paulk said he has been encouraged by the response from pastors and church members attending the sessions. “I can see a hunger to better equip churches for the purpose of evangelism,” he said.
“Evangelism is one of those things we all know we should do,” Paulk said. “But how do we do so effectively is the question. I think people are eager for any help they can get regarding that.”
Mark Grinsted, senior pastor of Unadilla First Baptist Church, said the practical nature of the training encouraged him.
“As the proverb says, ‘iron sharpens iron,’” Grinsted said. “We can learn from one another.”
Grinsted pointed specifically to Southerland’s emphasis on connection cards and guest follow-up.
“Using the connection cards to follow up tells people two things: you matter, and we care,” he said.
Cecil Barden, pastor of Faith in Action Baptist Church in Eastman, attended with several staff members, hoping to sharpen the church’s evangelism efforts.
Like many attendees, Barden said the discussion surrounding connection cards stood out because of its practical application for smaller churches.
“We definitely want to try to implement that,” he said. “I think that having everyone fill out a card helps visitors not feel like they’re by themselves.”
Geoff Mangus, director of missions and evangelism at Lakeside Baptist Church in Milledgeville, said one of the benefits of Engage 6 is learning practical ideas that can immediately strengthen ministry efforts.
“I really do try to put at least something I learned from every single one of these events back into my ministry,” Mangus said.
He also appreciated hearing Southerland’s perspective on why his church still uses physical connection cards instead of relying solely on digital methods.
“I found it interesting that he was sticking with the cards,” Mangus said. “He said the digital thing just doesn’t work as well for them, and I thought that was really insightful.”
The Engage 6 gatherings are designed to provide churches with practical, reproducible evangelism tools that can be implemented immediately, regardless of church size or context. Topics throughout the year include personal evangelism, prayer, evangelistic events, reaching every home in a church’s mission field, high-profile Sundays, and the Sunday morning experience.
___
A complete schedule of remaining dates and locations is available at gbmbevangelismresources.com/engage-six.
Share with others
