ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — Less than a year after North American Mission Board (NAMB) president Kevin Ezell introduced the 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide at the Southern Baptist Convention in Baltimore, NAMB is releasing a Spanish version of the guide and giving it away.
“It has been a priority to provide more Spanish resources,” NAMB’s vice president of evangelism, Al Gilbert said. “I’m thankful that we are now able to offer these evangelism tools to our Hispanic churches. It’s our prayer that pastors will use this to train their members on how to turn everyday discussions about brokenness into conversations about Christ.”
The Spanish 3 Circles guide is available for free through the end of 2015.
The guide is part of an entire suite of resources designed to help believers live on mission, all available in Spanish for the first time. The resources include the Life On Mission book, video tutorials, a printed 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide and a 3 Circles app that is available for both Apple and Android devices. The Life On Mission Study Guide is also available from LifeWay.
The 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide, developed by Jimmy Scroggins, pastor of First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, Fla., was created to train and mobilize the church for personal evangelism in today’s context. The tool provides a simple way for believers to effectively share the Gospel through an easy circle drawing that can be done simply on a napkin. The app version is just as simple and includes Scripture references to accompany each point.
“We have been amazed at how many individuals and churches have utilized the 3 Circles since we introduced it last year in Baltimore,” NAMB president Kevin Ezell said. “The Spanish translation means even more people can use this resource to share Christ. It works with anyone, anywhere and we hope every Southern Baptist will learn how to use it so they can be ready for the opportunities God brings every day.”
The Spanish edition was written in standard Spanish, leaving out any slang, to fit as many Spanish-speaking contexts as possible. The Life On Mission suite will allow the 3,000-plus Hispanic Southern Baptist churches in North America to better engage their members in their own context to point everyday conversations toward Christ. This resource not only provides church leaders and individuals with in-depth study but also the tools to apply what they have learned to everyday life.
“We love our Hispanic pastors and churches,” said NAMB national mobilizer Ramon Osorio. “They face challenges, and then some. Their families are usually far away, which often leads to loneliness, and their lack of language skills and other cultural barriers makes life difficult sometimes. We want them to know the SBC can be their family in the United States.
“The Gospel message is the same but the way we bring it to others has changed,” Osorio noted. “The old ways have served their purpose, but to reach the next generations, it is important that our methods form to their context.”
The printed 3 Circles: Life Conversation Guide is free through NAMB until December 31, 2015. The Life On Mission book is available for purchase through Amazon and www.editorialmh.org. Use discount code TODO20 at www.editorialmh.org to receive 20 percent off when purchasing 20 or more Spanish Life On Mission books.
Visit the new Espanol tab at www.lifeonmissionbook.com as well as the added Espanol feature at www.nambstore.com for additional resources provided in Spanish by NAMB.