Proclaiming the Gospel in Mandan and Dickinson, North Dakota

Praise and Proclaim arrived in Mandan/Bismarck, North Dakota to launch an outreach initiative with Redeemer Lutheran Church and Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Dickinson. This was an opportunity to help enhance the gospel ministry of an established church and assist efforts to plant a new WELS church.

Redeemer – Mandan

Redeemer Lutheran Church is an established congregation that has been serving the Mandan-Bismarck area for over 85 years. Property was purchased on a main road leading south of town. As the population continued to grow, a preschool and child-care center was built on the property to serve the needs of families in the area. The ministry center, with a beautiful sanctuary, was completed and dedicated in 2015. They have smartly positioned themselves to be a beacon of the gospel for years to come.

Amazing Grace – Dickinson

Amazing Grace has been serving as a gathering place for WELS members who move into the area. A small core group have been meeting at a hotel conference room each Sunday to watch live streaming of worship services at Redeemer. A few months ago, they received wonderful news from WELS Board of Home Missions. They were one of four locations approved for funding as a new mission start. The district mission board has started the process of calling a new pastor to come and serve as their shepherd-leader.

The core group of members at Amazing Grace live-streamed the Praise and Proclaim training on Friday evening. Two of its core members drove an hour and a half the next day to participate in the evangelism activity in Mandan. Next weekend, several members from Redeemer will drive to Dickinson and help Amazing Grace members put their training into action. Praise and Proclaim will lead a video teleconference to refresh their training and help organize the evangelism exercise of going door-to-door in Dickinson.

Battling Record-Breaking Temperatures!

At Praise and Proclaim, we strongly believe in providing a meaningful experience with every outreach initiative. It’s an opportunity to conquer normal fears and trepidations about witnessing, gain experience talking to people, and learn to confidently proclaim a short gospel message.

The Lord provided record-breaking temperatures during the outreach initiative which made our evangelism activities more challenging.

Friday, June 4th	104° (Previous Record: 98°)
Saturday, June 5th	102° (Previous Record: 96°)

Incorporating a New Dynamic in Evangelism

Since many congregations are struggling to gain traction in their outreach efforts, Praise and Proclaim introduces ways to take advantage of a new dynamic in evangelism strategies to communicate the Word.  Instead of relying heavily on inviting families to come to church to hear the Word, it’s becoming imperative to bring the church to the community by proclaiming the Word.

This can be done both personally and digitally.

Praise and Proclaim produces a digital campaign that incorporates digital advertising, landing pages that include short video messages by the pastor, and an automated follow-up system.  Members learned how to utilize a printed tool to engage and invite people to the landing page, plus comfortably transition to proclaiming a short gospel message.

Evangelism Exercise

“I know it’s difficult to come to church these days, so we want to bring the church to you.”

On Saturday morning, members carried out a grocery outreach initiative by delivering free bags of groceries at nearby mobile home parks close to the church. It seemed that people in Bismarck and Mandan are very generous. Though they may be reluctant to accept a bag of groceries, they quickly suggested homes in their neighborhood that would appreciate some food at this time. Many people appreciated our efforts and thanked us for our concern.

Since the afternoon was extremely hot, plans were made to have members meet friends of Redeemer instead of walking through the neighborhoods. The pastor generated a list of families who were considered “prospects” and each team was assigned five names to visit. They were given an opportunity to employ the same methodology in a different setting. Another point with this exercise is for members to discover the joy of meeting people who are considered friends of the church and to provide a face for the congregation.

The Lord generously provided fruits of encouragement by having several prospect families respond to our personal invitation and arrived at church the following Sunday morning.

Praise and Proclaim thanks Pastor Ryan Wolfe and the members at Redeemer Lutheran Church to allow Praise and Proclaim to come to Mandan, ND to launch an outreach initiative.