Events like Go Summit, Crossover brought the gospel, training to thousands

Tony Mathews, senior strategist for the SBTC’s Missional Ministries department, wasn’t sure what to expect when the convention hosted the inaugural GoSummit on the campus of North Garland Baptist Fellowship in September.

He was thrilled when around 140 people representing more than 20 churches showed up to learn how to be more effective in evangelizing their friends and neighbors. 

“It just exceeded our wildest expectations,” Mathews said. “This event was multicultural and the discussions were just so rich. It was really exciting.”

The summit featured diverse speakers who worked together to break down many of the barriers that hinder personal evangelism. Session topics included how to overcome common hesitations people have when they hear the gospel, effectively reaching younger generations for Christ, and understanding the demographics and diverse cultures in your community. A women’s session encouraged attendees to point other women to Jesus by looking for ways to engage them.

The GoSummit was one of many efforts designed to equip SBTC churches with resources to advance the gospel. In 2025, leaders received training on how to conduct their own evangelism workshops, organize door-to-door evangelism, and cultivate a culture of evangelism within their churches. Multiple grants were provided to support community outreach events where the gospel was shared. Those grants enabled churches to distribute over 1,200 Bibles and 6,000 gospel tracts. 

 An increasing number of resources were also made available online to train churches and individuals. The Stand Firm online apologetics course, with more than 20 videos, equips believers to share the gospel while addressing culturally relevant issues such as human sexuality, atheism, and world religions. Evangelism Connections, a series of live virtual trainings presented by experienced evangelism leaders, served participants around the state and will continue in 2026.

SBTC churches also mobilized for the cause of evangelism in June during Crossover Dallas, the weeklong North American Mission Board evangelistic outreach held in conjunction each year with the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. About 60 churches participated, delivering the gospel to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the nation. 

Some churches did door-to-door evangelism and hosted block parties, while others used a pickleball instruction camp and a Christian comedy show as vehicles to tell others about Jesus. Crossover also included a pair of student rallies—one at Cross Church DFW and the other at First Baptist Church in Rockwall—that drew hundreds of students and led to a number of decisions for Christ.

All told, over 17,000 people heard the gospel through one-on-one and group conversations during Crossover. More than 700 made professions of faith in Christ. 

—Jayson Larson