September 14, 2024
MAYSVILLE, Ga. — Maysville Baptist Church is a thriving fellowship of believers with two morning worship services that are characterized by many contagiously joyful Christians who believe in going into the highways and hedges with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
To some, worship should be the primary focus of the church. Others claim that discipleship should be the priority of a body of believers. There are also those who wish to make fellowship the principal feature of their congregation. All those emphases are important to the life of a healthy church. However, evangelism seems to be the clarion call of the Great Commission.
Georgia Baptists have some strong and vibrant churches that declare that their goal is souls. Maysville Baptist Church in Northeast Georgia is one of those churches that has made it a goal to win the lost at any cost.
Pastor Shane Roberson, recently acknowledged by the church for his 10th anniversary as pastor, declared, “At Maysville, we really see evangelism as a priority, and it is the cornerstone of everything we do.”
On Roberson’s anniversary celebration, the church noted that 593 new believers had been baptized during the first 10 years of his ministry, an incredible record for a church that is basically in a rural area.
Roberson concurs with missionary Hudson Taylor’s declaration that, “The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, but a command to be obeyed.” Furthermore, the Maysville pastor is convinced that the focus on evangelism begins in the pulpit.
While many churches no longer make visits designed to evangelize, Maysville still does. Roberson stated, “We have our outreach evangelism on Monday nights. It is a tradition that I have personally been a part of since I was 14 years old. The day I was saved, my pastor taught me the importance of visitation, saying, ‘I will see you on Monday night.’”
Roberson continued, “Monday night visitation holds a special place in my heart, because it shows how much we value people. When a guest visits our church, it matters to us and we make it a priority to return the visit and say, ‘Thank you!’ This practice has opened many doors for sharing the Gospel.”
Twice a year, in the spring and fall, the Maysville church offers F.A.I.T.H. evangelism training. It is a 13-week curriculum originally developed by former Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch. It is an approach to personal evangelism that effectively equips people to share the gospel.
The emphasis on evangelism permeates almost every facet of the church’s program. The church hosts a wild game dinner each year that attracts nearly 2,000 individuals. The clothes closet, the Fall Festival, the Back-to-School Big Event, the Toys for Joy Christmas event, the archery shoots, the Marriage Enrichment Retreats, Vacation Bible School, and the Pastor’s fish fry as well as other events are planned as opportunities to enlist prospects and present the gospel.
The church also continues to have spring revivals with evangelists who have the gift of drawing the net. “They provide the perfect opportunity for our congregation to invite lost friends, neighbors, and coworkers to a service that focuses on the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Roberson commented. “Our revivals are always well attended, and I can't imagine a year without one. Whether we see one person saved or fifty, it's always an encouragement and a challenge to our congregation to be more intentional about sharing the message of salvation.”
Charles H. Spurgeon, the great London pastor of years gone by, stated, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
Roberson believes Spurgeon’s admonition to reach the lost is not only relevant for the church in this present age of false religions and dangerous ideologies, but an absolute necessity for the sake of the heart, the home, and the nation.
