Did you know that 4.9 billion people are unreached with the gospel? In the face of this bewildering number, two-thirds of Christians say they are unfamiliar with any method of evangelism, half of Christians say that it's offensive to encourage someone to change their religious beliefs, and less than a quarter of Christians say they are prepared for an opportunity to share the gospel. Yet, two-thirds of Christians also say evangelizing the lost is the most loving action a Christian can do. There is a vast schism between these two mindsets. That schism was forged by evangelism becoming increasingly abnormal for the average Christian.
A movement to address this schism has emerged—March316.
March316 is a movement to see every Christian active in evangelism. The difficulty that exists, though, is that merely starting a movement for mass evangelism doesn't make evangelism any less abnormal for the average Christian. What normalizes evangelism comes from two leadership adages: "What's scheduled, gets done" and "What's talked about, gets done." March316 exists to create those two avenues for a mass evangelism movement to begin on a global scale.
The label "March316" starts with a date in mind: March 16th or 3/16. In scheduling a day for an annual International Day of Evangelism, there is no date more logical than 3/16 as it is readily associated with John 3:16. Sunday, March 16th, 2025, will be the inaugural International Day of Evangelism, and every pastor, preacher, Sunday school teacher, or life group leader can preach or teach John 3:16 on that day to share the greatest message with lost people, while also emphasizing and normalizing the necessity of evangelism for every believer. March 16th can be a natural date to schedule an annual emphasis on evangelism. The scheduling of the date isn't to isolate evangelism to one day a year, but instead to give a simple date to plan for an evangelism emphasis.
March316 also gives every Christian leader a launching point to talk about the necessity of evangelism with other Christians. Statistics show that 66% of non-Christians are open to having a conversation about faith with a friend, and 52% are open to having the same conversation with a stranger. March316, as a movement, can educate Christians about how evangelism is not a high-stress conversation but instead is something non-Christians actually desire. Also, the ministries and churches most active in evangelism are the ones that readily and easily talk about evangelism. March316 gives churches and ministries an impetus to educate believers on evangelism and encourage them to be active in winning the lost.
Amazingly, 65% of Americans surveyed don't know John 3:16. The most popular verse in Christianity is unknown by the majority of Christians. The use of John 3:16 is an incredibly powerful tool in evangelism. That's why we're inviting every pastor in the world to preach John 3:16 on Sunday, March 16th, 2025, and use it to emphasize the need for personal evangelism. Then, we also are challenging every Christian to share John 3:16 with someone on that same day.
It's simple: more than 157,000 people die daily without the gospel. If Christians continue to view evangelism as abnormal, that number will only increase. The normalization of evangelism can only occur with a cooperative and rhythmic movement of evangelizing the lost. March316 desires to be the connection point for ministries, churches, and individuals to take the basic idea and create material, methods, strategies, and events to take the gospel to the lost.
W. A. Criswell once told a story of a boy who was lost in a cornfield. The community came together to search for him but could not find him. Finally, someone suggested that everyone link arms and walk through the cornfield together. Upon doing this, they were able to quickly find the boy's lifeless body. The mother of the child cried out, "Why didn't we link arms sooner?"
Our world is in disarray, and the only hope is for Christians to link arms together and intentionally seek to win souls. March316 desires to be the common link between hundreds of Christian organizations who are all taking March 16th as a day to emphasize evangelism through the preaching of John 3:16. With hundreds of thousands of pastors already participating, imagine what could happen if ever Christian joined together to share John 3:16 on March 16th.
If you'd like to join the movement or would like more information or graphics to share with your local church, visit March316.com.
Written by Klayton Carson
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