Saturday’s speaker at DRIVEN07, Jim Brown (pictured at right during the morning session), was profiled in DrivenWorld, the daily newsletter for the conference. The story is reprinted below.
Make Your Mark With Evangelism
Jim Brown, senior pastor of Grace Community Church, Goshen, Ind., will challenge us today to make our mark in the area of evangelism.
“Don’t take Jesus to the grave all by yourself,” he says. “Give him away.” Currently moderator-elect for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, he says there is no greater gift than to pass the news of Jesus on to others.
“When people stand before God one day will they remember you as the person who shared with them?” he questions.
Jim is passionate about sharing the Gospel. Just this week, he saw two young men whom he coaches in baseball give their lives to Jesus. But he’s also saddened by those individuals who reject the Gospel.
“Last week I had a conversation with a local drug dealer who said he would rather go to hell with his friends than to go to heaven with people he didn’t know,” he recalls. “Conversations like that break my heart. Have we been so unapproachable as Christians that this guy wants nothing to do with us?”
What book is he currently reading? Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.
“This book unfolds the ways people remember things,” he says. “We must be communicators who present truth in such a way that sticks,” noting that the book is a great resource for preachers and marketers. “The authors give great discussion on the Curse of Knowledge and that section is worth the price of the book,” he adds. “(It is) so true and very convicting. It is a must read!”
A graduate of Grace College and Grace Theological Seminary, Jim has been pastor of the Goshen church for 10 years. For the last 18 years, he has been married to Anne and they have three children, Joshua 14, Hannah 12, and Isaiah 7.
Oh, and recently, he rode a mechanical bull!