at lunch By Annette Bender
Ronnie Collins:
Evangelism exploder
Ronnie Collins has only been part of the United Methodist Church for three years, but heʼs already won the Denman Evangelism Award and is concerned about the denominationʼs future.
I had a pastor tell me recently that never, in eight years, did anybody in his charge get saved.
That just bothered me, Collins said recently over chimichangas in a Hillsville, Va. restaurant.
I believe our denomination is dying. I think weʼve lost that zeal to go out and evangelize.
Weʼre waiting for them to come to us, when we need to go to them. Although he realizes that some United Methodists are hesitant about the word .evangelism,ʼ the former Baptist youth minister is anything but hesitant about speaking up for his faith. .Iʼm a fanatic for Jesus,. he admits.
In the last two years at First Hillsville United Methodist Church, Collins has trained 30 church members to visit homes and share their faith. In more than 300 home visits, 98 professions of faith have been witnessed. Last fall, Collins also trained four Wytheville District clergy members in the program known as Evangelism Explosion
Ronnieʼs greatest passion is reaching the unsaved with the Gospel,. the Rev. Ramon Torres wrote in a letter of nomination for the 2004 Denman Award for Laity. .Because of what he is doing in our church, men, women and youth are becoming bold witnesses. Collins accepted the Denman Award at last yearʼs Holston Annual Conference.
Unwinding after Sunday worship in a Mexican restaurant, the 39-year-old marathon runner talks about his path to First Hillsville. His 19-year-old son, Michael, whom he adopted three years ago from Joy Ranch Home for Children, listens at his fatherʼs side, enjoying the chips and salsa.
A single parent, Collins raised two other sons before Michael came along. His sister was killed in 1989 by her second husband, leaving two boys behind. Today, Collinsʼ nephews are 21 and 24. Collins worked at hotels and as a youth minister until he became director of development at Joy Ranch. He became executive director in 1999. Three years ago, Collins and son began looking for a church that was closer to home. Collins knew Torres, Hillsvilleʼs former pastor, from Rotary meetings. However, he initially resisted Torresʼ invitations to visit the local United Methodist church. Finally, the pastor told him, .Youʼre afraid to come to First Church because youʼre afraid youʼll like it.. Collins laughs at the memory. He was right. It was a dare. So we went the next Sunday, and weʼve been there ever since.. He says he was impressed by the congregationʼs outreach ministries and welcoming nature.
On Jan. 28, Collins left Joy Ranch to become full-time Ministry Coordinator at First Hillsville. He is attending Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and beginning the process of becoming an ordained deacon. His dream is to expand his evangelism teachings beyond Wytheville District and into Holston Conference. I donʼt know if I want to preach to the churches as much as equip the churches,. he says. .Itʼs the pastorʼs job to equip his or her people to go out and win the lost. But itʼs not happening..
Annette Bender is editor of The Call, available at
thecall@holston.org or (865) 690-4080. ■
