Southwestern Seminary students lead people to Christ, kindle passion for evangelism during Crossover at SBC

NASHVILLE – Twenty Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary students representing 11 degree programs participated in Crossover in Nashville, held the week of June 7-11 before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. The students made 940 visits, engaged in 188 gospel conversations, and led six people to salvation in Christ while simultaneously kindling their own personal passions for evangelism and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Carl Bradford, assistant professor of evangelism at Southwestern Seminary, served as the faculty leader. Bradford recognized many of the “students had never done Crossover before, and some had never witnessed before.”

The Crossover experience allowed students to learn in daily teaching time led by one of the evangelism professors from one of the five Southern Baptist seminaries that participated. Following classroom instruction, the students heard from a guest speaker and then divided into their smaller seminary cohorts to review the day’s lessons. The teams then dispersed across Nashville to begin knocking on doors to share the Gospel.

Sufnat Wasti, a PhD student in systematic theology from Lahore, Pakistan, said he was “skeptical and scared” about going door-to-door to share the Gospel and “didn’t think it was the best way to do evangelism.” Wasti, who has participated in evangelism outreaches previously, felt knocking on doors was an intrusion. However, this turned out to be the biggest lesson God taught him during the week.

“I think doing [door-to-door evangelism] and seeing how people actually want to talk about these things even if they don’t accept Christ, but they want to have spiritual conversations with somebody, that was something new for me,” said Wasti. “And, just realizing maybe we are disturbing them, but it is better we are disturbing them now than after they die.”

Michelle Huckleberry, an online Master of Theological Studies from Jacksonville, North Carolina, agreed with Wasti’s observations regarding intentionality in evangelism. Through Crossover, Huckleberry said God taught her how to naturally incorporate the Gospel into conversations.

“Sometimes we talk about [intentional evangelism] in church, but I think our society has pushed us to this relational thing where we have to have extensive conversations and get to know people on a personal level before we … begin to share,” said Huckleberry. She learned to ask people how she could pray for them and was able to incorporate the gospel into the prayers.

In teaching the students, Bradford emphasized relying on the Holy Spirit because “we can easily get discouraged based upon numbers. We want to have our final reliance upon God and not upon what we actually see.” This emphasis culminated at the end of the week when the students saw God move in the lives of people.

The Thursday afternoon of Crossover, members of Southwestern Seminary’s team went door-to-door in a small neighborhood. The team met Jane*, an older woman whose daughter had recently died and who experienced a divorce from her husband, who was a pastor, after he had an affair. Jane, who was depressed and hurt, had not been back to church. Jiwon “Sophie” Kim, a Bachelor of Music student, who is originally from Korea, began to share the Gospel with Jane though Kim was “scared and afraid.” Kim realized, “You have to share [the] Gospel with the people because the only hope and peace comes from God.” 

Friday morning, the final day of Crossover, several students and Bradford prayed, “Lord, give us just one.” Bradford told the Lord, “If we don’t get that one, it won’t be because I didn’t ask.”

Seven students and Bradford went to a Nashville neighborhood where they split into two groups, with Bradford leading four students to one area and three other students, including Wasti, visiting a different area. When Wasti and his teammates finished their visits, they found Bradford and the other students talking with a girl in the doorway of her home.

Wasti and his group, who had not seen anyone come to faith in Christ that day, walked a distance away. He encouraged his teammates by reminding them, “Fruitfulness doesn’t matter to God; our faithfulness matters to Him.” After he shared, a young man, Markel, appeared behind them.

Wasti asked Markel, “Do you consider yourself a Christian?” to which he responded, “No.” Wasti began to share the Gospel and Markel indicated he wanted to pray to receive Christ. The group led him in prayer and he left with a gospel track and New Testament and went in the direction where Bradford and the other students were still talking to the young girl.

One of Wasti’s teammates commented, “It would be really funny if this guy lived in the same house where they are sharing.” As they watched Markel, he paused in front of the house where the team was sharing and went into the house from the back. A few minutes later, Bradford and the other students arrived and said, “The girl in that household just accepted Christ.” Markel and his sister came to faith in Christ through the witness of the Southwestern Seminary teams.

Bradford said opportunities like Crossover allow students to “begin to understand the culmination of seminary preparation.” Students recognize “the theology that we learn, the music for worship, the evangelism, it all comes back to saving a soul, raising up that soul for Christ and having that soul worship Christ,” he added.

“People begin to see what Southwestern is very strong about; our faith being practiced,” Bradford added. “Students had a chance to see that. As a result, many students have a passion for sharing their faith and are now more comfortable in sharing their faith.” 

*Name changed for privacy.