Mission and Purpose

Heritage RBC Outreach Ministry exists as a formal expression of our local church’s efforts to glorify God by proclaiming the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ and to advance the Kingdom of God by making disciples and teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded. This ministry is under the care and supervision of the elders of Heritage Reformed Baptist Church (HRBC) in Canton, Ohio. It was formed with these express goals in mind:

• To disseminate the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to those unbelievers who would otherwise not enter the local church
• To assist the elders in the work of mentoring newer Christians and those less mature in the faith
• To equip the saints for a lifestyle of evangelism
• To bring the Gospel to the City of Canton and vicinity through intentional evangelism

Formal Outreaches

Heritage RBC Outreach Ministry is responsible for planning and executing certain formal outreaches both at a variety of locations, both on an ongoing basis and as certain occasions may arise. These included but are not limited to:

• Abortion Clinics
• Festivals
• Fairs
• Neighborhood Outreaches
• Parades

Outreach Roles

These outreach events have a variety of roles that will suit the disposition of every churchman.

They include:

• Open Air Preachers who are particularly gifted at the public proclamation of the Gospel
  
• Tract Distributors to distribute approved gospel tracts and other literature to passers by
  
• Intercessors who can pray for the preaching, the outreach, and others who may need particular prayer
  
• Conversationalists who are to engage in one on one conversation with those willing to engage
  
• Servants who are able to assist in any and all remaining needs of the outreach activities
  

Criteria for Partnering with HRBC Outreach Team

The following criteria have been established for those participating in an outreach conducted by the Heritage RBC Outreach Ministry:

• Individual Churchmen— Each individual churchman must meet the following criteria:
  
  • Participants must be a church member in good standing
    
  • Participants must have the commendation of their pastor/elders
    
  • Participants must give substantial agreement to the 1689 London Baptist Confession or other reformed confession
    
  • Participants must hold to complementarian or patriarchal view of gender roles
    
  • Participants must have a cessationist view of the revelatory gifts
    
  • Participants must have firm confidence in the ordinary means of grace as they pertain to evangelism, namely the Word and prayer
    
  • All conduct at the outreach will be under pastoral oversight and each participant must have accountability directly to their elders
    
  • Participants must have a willingness to submit to authority, which includes designated HRBC evangelists leading the outreach and the local civil magistrate
    
    
• Open Air Preachers— Those seeking to participate in one of our outreach events as an open-air preacher must meet the following criteria:
  
  • All open-air preachers must be able to demonstrate, with their pastor’s/elder’s attestation, the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3:2-7
    
  • All open-air preaches must have pastor’s/elder’s commendation as one who demonstrates giftedness and clear-mindedness in the public presentation of the Gospel
    

Heritage RBC Outreach Ministry Position on the Civil Magistrate

Whereas the civil magistrate is God’s minister for those who do good and His avenger who brings wrath on those who do evil, participants in one of our outreach events must exhibit wise submission to governing authorities in all direct orders unless to do so would necessitate disobedience to the LORD or would unduly inhibit the dissemination of the Gospel.

• All inquiries by local law enforcement should be directed to the designated HRBC evangelist leading the outreach
  

Matters of Special Consideration

The following matters required special note and consideration:

• Evangelism Signs— Although signage can be a useful tool in evangelism, all signs used at a Heritage RBC outreach must be either provided by Heritage RBC or given prior approval by an HRBC elder or designated HRBC evangelist leading the outreach.
  
  
• Women’s Roles— Women are strongly encouraged to participate in the Heritage RBC Outreach events and may have unique gifting’s that allow them to reach some that the men may otherwise not reach. However, female open-air preaching is strictly prohibited.
  
  
• Unbiblical Means of Conversion— Heritage RBC relies on the Word of God and prayer as the ordinary means of God’s extending saving grace to sinners. Conversion takes place in the human heart only through the Holy’s Spirit’s effectual application of Christ’s redemption to the individual sinner. As such the “Sinner’s Prayer,” “Asking Jesus into one’s heart,” and all other unbiblical means of conversion are strictly prohibited.
  
  
• Known Heresies— Throughout church history certain heresies have emerged and been dealt with by faithful men. These are matters have been fully resolved, many times by the ecumenical councils of the early church. Holding to or propagating any such views will result in immediate dismissal from outreach activities.
  
  
• Preaching Testimony as Though Gospel— While a personal testimony may be a useful component in tilling the soil of the hardened heart, the story of one’s personal conversion is not the story that converts the soul. It is best in every and all circumstances to keep the focus on the story of Christ and His work.

Back to Home