[1]ONTARIO, Ca. (BP) — What began in 2024 as a national women’s evangelism conference hosted by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) in Alpharetta, Ga., has now expanded across the country to serve women on the West Coast. More than 300 women gathered on Gateway Seminary’s campus in Ontario April 25 to be equipped to create a culture of evangelism in their own lives and ministry contexts.
NAMB, in partnership with the California Southern Baptist Convention (CSBC) and Gateway Seminary, offered women a one-day conference that included times of worship, three main sessions, a panel discussion, and a time for attendees to network and discuss how they can live on mission for Christ in their day-to-day lives.
“Creating a culture of evangelism isn’t about a campaign or emphasis,” said Catherine Renfro, national director of women’s evangelism at NAMB. “It’s about the DNA of who we are, followers of Jesus, living intentionally to know Jesus and make Him known.”
Renfro, who organized the event alongside the CSBC and Gateway, and spoke in main sessions, first challenged women to examine their own souls as ministry leaders. “Ladies, we can’t give what we don’t have, and if we are not healthy spiritually and encountering Jesus personally, then we won’t intentionally focus on sharing Him publicly with others.”
One woman in attendance accepted the challenge to examine her own soul. As Renfro continued her message, she shared the hope of the Gospel, reminding women to always assume that someone in the room may need salvation. She was right. By the end of the conference, that one woman had given her life to Christ.
Sharonda Cooper, content coordinator for women’s initiatives at The Gospel Coalition, also gave a main session message on overcoming the fear of evangelism. She shared that relational risk is what most keeps women from sharing the Gospel.
[2]“It’s less risky to share the Gospel on a mission trip than with our neighbor, who we will continue to make eye contact with, but relational risk is more about me and my comfort than love for the person who needs Christ,” Cooper stated. “We must become more concerned about what will happen to them and less concerned with our discomfort.”
Panel discussion members included: Elisa Medina, a church planter’s wife and director of community groups of the women’s care team at Salvo Por Gracia in Pomona, Calif.; Tracy Speers, president and executive director of After Hours Ministry; Elizabeth Flores, who started a food pantry during the pandemic and attends Magnolia Church in Riverside, Calif.; Caytlin Smith, a high school student who attends First Baptist Church, Nipomo, Calif.; and Sharonda Cooper from The Gospel Coalition. Each panelist shared how they have created a lifestyle of evangelism in their unique ministry settings.
About the sex-trafficking survivors she serves, Speers said, “We provide an open door to meet a need. The ladies we meet are in survival mode, so meeting needs opens them up to be able to hear about God’s love. We offer them compassion so they can feel the love of Christ.”
Renfro gave the final session, challenging the women present to be intentional in encouraging the believers they influence to keep making Christ known.
“Encouragement and celebration pour fuel on the fire of evangelism in our lives,” she said. “When we hear stories of the Gospel being shared or people coming to faith in Christ, we get excited about it, and we want to have more and more of those types of conversations.”
Pete Ramirez, executive director of the California Southern Baptist Convention, said the partnership among NAMB, Gateway and the CSBC is the “perfect example of how we live out being better together for reaching people for Christ.”
[3]“The state of California truly needs women to be empowered, equipped, and sent to reach our state,” Ramirez said.
Gateway President Adam Groza said, “Gateway is passionate about training women to teach other women God’s Word and to reach the lost. The evangelism conference was a beautiful example of ministry partnership for the Gospel.”
Groza’s wife Holly, who attended the conference, called it “one of the most engaging and equipping I have experienced.”
“The day was rich with Scripture, practical tools, and powerful personal testimonies, all woven together to cast a compelling vision for living a life of daily obedience to the Great Commission,” Holly Groza said. “The emphasis on cultivating a culture of evangelism, both personally and within the ministries we serve, made the conference especially meaningful and impactful.”
Attendee Rheba Mister-Johnson from Mesa Church in San Diego said the conference changed her outlook. “I no longer live in fear of sharing the Gospel. My testimony matters,” she said.
Dora Deng from Journey Christian Fellowship in San Luis Obispo was reminded of her worth in the kingdom of God. She said: “God loves women and desires them to be equipped to walk in love, Gospel truth, and carry out His Great Commission. This event reminds us of that wonderful truth!”
The next Women’s Evangelism Conference will be Sept. 26 in Ohio. Registration is available here [4].
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