Evangelism...

So, working in VBS has me thinking about the church and how it should evangelize. I'm going to write some thoughts here and I invite discussion.


First let me define Evangelism. Evangelism is the process in which a person is challenged about and brought into the Christian faith.


1. Evangelism should be hard!
It shouldn't be so easy that we can 'accidentally' find ourselves in this situation. This decision isn't something that we choose it is something that we are given. In that respect we should make it hard - cloud it in mystery. Tell someone who is about ready to accept this life about the trials. Jesus didn't beat around the bush. He told the good and the bad. People left him because of it. Why should we be any different.

2. Evangelism is for everyone!
I remember during a 7th grade Sunday School class on Evangelism and how our teacher told us flat out that she didn't need to Evangelize because she was a seed-planter and it wasn't her spiritual gift. We are all called to share the Good News of Jesus. We need to leave their decision to accept it to the Sovereignty of God.

3. Evangelism is relational!
Every 4th of July, Parade, County Fair, or for that matter any large public event I attend I can assure you that I will be stopped by someone with a very large bible who is handing out black and white tracts. They will talk very fast and I won't get a word in edge wise (to tell them I am a pastor) before they are at the end of their gospel presentation that may or may not condemn me to hell if I don't turn. It makes me sick. This person doesn't care about me; I hate to say this but its as if they only care about the number of people they 'bring with them into heaven.' Evangelism is a relationship that matures, and I assure you that this can be so much more valuable than large numbers (it can also be larger numbers of people - but that is another post). I remember a professor of mine telling those of us in his class about how a family moved into the house next door and he developed a relationship with the husband and it took 3 years of relationship building before he accepted Christ.

4. Evangelism should be small!
I really don't think that large evangelistic events aren't very profitable; at least not in today's society. We have several people accept Christ as savior at our VBS every year, but the fact is that none of them, unless their family attended our church prior to the program, start attending our church. In fact we lose contact with them until they show up next summer. Don't get me wrong I don't think we should stop doing these types of programs. I think that these programs would serve the church family better if they were an invitation to start attending a particular program or weekly event through the church. Thus beginning a relationship with them.

Those are just a few thoughts... I'm curious to know what you think