We sat down with Eric Watkins, pastor of Covenant OPC in St. Augustine, FL to talk about a wide range of topics related to outreach, evangelism, and the culture in which we live.
We are excited about this interview. It is packed with thought-provoking and practical content. We will be releasing the interview in smaller parts. Give Part 1 a watch and then a couple of questions to think about below:
Questions for Thought or Discussion:
1) Eric mentioned that people in the plant “were excited” about being an evangelistic church. If you were to poll the people in your church, what would they be excited about? What would be the top couple of answers? For many, maybe it wouldn’t be the top answer across the board, but like the church in St. Augustine, would there be some who would be excited about it? Who are they? In what ways is that excitement for evangelism being fostered and encouraged?
2) (primarily for leaders) Eric said that in St. Augustine it became clear to him that he was being called as an evangelist and not a “generic pastor.” How has the distinction of a church planter being called as an evangelist impacted you as a church planter? Your session? How your presbytery does church planting? Are there specific differences it has made?
3) What kind of connection does your church have with the broader churches in the area? Eric mentioned how important those relationships were for him personally and for the development of the church. Has that been true for your church–why or why not?
