At Hillvue Heights Church, sharing the gospel “is a way of life,” says lead pastor Steve Ayers of the Bowling Green, Kentucky, church. That has resulted in the church baptizing 703 people this year — the highest yearly total in the church’s history.
“There’s no magic formula,” said Ayers. “Our people have become convinced about sharing the gospel. It’s not a program, but a way of life.”
Adding to the excitement is the involvement of the younger generation in witnessing. “We have a group of kids who have grown up knowing they are supposed to share the gospel.
“Vacation Bible School has been very instrumental in discipling that. We have young people who go to the mall to share the gospel. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit. God is doing really cool things.”
Fervor
Ayers looks back at Godstock last September, a weekend evangelistic effort that resulted in 120 baptisms for the weekend.
He compared it to the camp meetings that were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
“That was a reframe of the brush arbor revival — it was young people, teenagers getting anointed by the Holy Spirit — they had a fervor that led to adults having fervor.”
Ayers, who has been lead pastor since 1991, said the church culture is that the congregation expects people to get saved.
“In the last eight years we’ve talked more about ‘believing’ than ‘doing.’ People actually do what they believe. We believe hell is real and heaven is real, and Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.”
The 703 baptisms exceeded the previous yearly high of 641 recorded in 2019. “We were on a great run and then COVID hit,” Ayers recalled.
“We are really appreciative to God — during COVID we wondered if this is ever going to come back together. But it has exceeded it.”
Since 1991 the church has had more than 13,200 baptisms.
“The core of the church is built on Acts 2,” Ayers said, noting the five faith practices of that text are worship, getting in God’s word, fellowship with believers, praying constantly and serving.
“Every believer gets involved in all five, and sharing the gospel becomes a natural byproduct of their faith.”
Multiplication
Ayers said the ultimate goal of discipleship is multiplication.
“If there is no multiplication, there is no way to be a discipling church. Discipleship is not information and knowledge; it is the experience of truth. If you experience and believe truth, you are going to share the gospel and people are going to be saved.
“One of the things that we teach strongly is that wherever you are, you are standing near someone who is disconnected to Christ. Everywhere you are is an opportunity for a gospel conversation. Wherever you are there is a lost person standing there — I don’t think we understand how lost the world is.
“At Hillvue, we are very aware we live in a lost culture. From America we send missionaries to more godly cultures than the one we live in.”
Ayers said when he consults with churches, he asks the simple question – why are they not growing? “If the mission is to go into the world and tell others about Jesus Christ, how can you not grow?”
He suggested that if every Kentucky Baptist Convention church would be committed to share the gospel every week, and if each church won one person to Christ each week, the gospel would flourish.
“Saved people think differently than lost people — it would make different decisions on social issues. We try to change the social climate through political activity, but the impact of the gospel will result in more genuine change.”
‘Mouthpiece for the gospel’
Ayers urged believers to be focused on being laborers because “the fields are white unto harvest.” At Hillvue, Ayers said the laborers have increased.
“The preaching hasn’t changed; the music hasn’t changed. What has changed is people have said they would be a laborer, a mouthpiece for the gospel. They are bringing their friends to church, and when they come to Hillvue they are going to hear the gospel.”
Also, he said believers who display the fruit of the Holy Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control — will cause people to want to know more about Christ.
“People are drawn to it — that is a mark of discipleship. Do you exude these spiritual realities in your life?”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Chip Hutcheson and originally published by Kentucky Today.
