Seven years ago, pastor and student of church effectiveness Thom Rainer identified several reasons why churches have become less evangelistic.[1]  Rainer had his Baptist constituency mostly in mind, since Presbyterians, as far as I have learned, never have been remarkably evangelistic, depending on what is meant by evangelistic.  It’s my impression that the Bible shows us, clearly, what evangelism is.  On our way to Pentecost, I’ll consider Rainer’s insights by way of the Acts of the Apostles.

In my impervious naivete, I had thought there was general agreement about what evangelism was.  I had thought that lack of enthusiasm for evangelism was just ingrained in us as fallen though redeemed human beings, sluggish mainline Christians in the great stream of life in this busy, rushing world.  Rainer’s first insight into lack of zeal for evangelism, however, showed me that I had mis-assumed, with the usual result.  He suggests that one reason—not the main reason, but a reason—for lack of evangelistic zeal is that “some churches have theological systems that do not encourage evangelism.”

Every group of Christians has a theological system, giving each its particular emphasis and way of doing worship, celebrating sacraments, and so forth: non-denominational Baptists, Catholic, Lutherans, Pentecostals, and, yes, Presbyterians.  Rainer suggests there are ways of being and doing church that do not encourage evangelism.  Yes, that’s us, alright.  We’re not opposed to it, of course!

Our denomination’s official communication channels, putting our theological system to work, want us to understand that people tend to be confused about evangelism.  The PC(USA) tells us that faithful living is evangelism.  Imagine that.  Certainly, if we are living faithfully, we are doing evangelism.  Evangelism doesn’t have to be sitting at a major intersection with a sandwich board and a bullhorn—though I will say she’s been doing more to call people to Christ than many.  But, God help us, if we have to do evangelism, we know it won’t be that way.

The Mission Agency of the PC(USA) tells us, “Evangelism is not a tool to gain new members for our churches.”  They tell us, “This ministry is not an instrument to help people gain access into heaven.”[2]  Well.  There will always be a focus upon and interest in the local congregation, because, here, we are an expression of the church, and we don’t want idly to watch Bethel droop, dwindle, and die.  We would love to have more people join us for worship.  We would love love love for more people to be baptized here, become members here, be people we see often, whom we help in their walk and who help us in our walk.  Holy Church, Batman!

I always thought of evangelism as sharing the Good News of salvation with those as yet outside the kingdom, so, I guess, in a sense, I did think of evangelism as “an instrument to help people gain access into heaven”—if by that is meant being a means of guiding lost people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  I’m not sure the Mission Agency thinks about evangelism that way, though.

We have been told what evangelism is not; that has been somewhat unhelpful.  Can they tell us what evangelism is?  If you can believe it, the PC(USA) has enumerated eight “Habits of Evangelism.”  I would think seven would have been adequate; they did God one better.  I agree that evangelism is a habit: it must be acquired by practice—regular practice.  It’s not a habit we like to practice.  What does Louisville say these habits are?  They are (1) Radical Welcome, (2) Worship, (3) Sacraments, (4) Prayer, (5) Justice, (6) Teaching, (7) Fellowship, and (8) Generosity.  In other words, the official line on what evangelism is amounts to doing what we are already doing each Sunday, what we have been doing for years and generations.  What was it about doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result?  You see—we’re doing evangelism when we have our Sunday worship service.  And here I was, all worried that I wasn’t doing any evangelism worthy the name.

So, I’m not convinced that the eight points of light catch the heart and life of evangelism.  This official breakdown directs our focus inward, within these walls, rather than outward, taking the Word to the world; that makes evangelism about us rather than those not here today.  We’d never have to go out from this building to practice these habits.  We’re evangelists right inside these walls.  Glory, hallelujah.  That saves me a lot of sweat and anguish.  Theological systems can be most helpful that way.

The Mission Agency asks, “Is there a way to practice evangelism without emotional manipulation and aggressive marketing techniques that lead to superficial decisions?”[3]  Manipulation.  Marketing.  Superficial.  Evangelism on the business model: targets, quotas, closings.  I get it.  I don’t believe that mouthing the Jesus Prayer saves sinners.  Jesus saves sinners.  The Word of God saves sinners.  Here is something quite venerable in Presbyterian circles: a distaste for evangelism.  It’s so, oh . . . Baptist.  There was a big Presbyterian split not quite two hundred years ago.  One school of thought was reserved about outreach, another was forceful, emotional, and technique-focused.  Can you guess to which school Bethel belonged?  I like to think that both schools, sides, were agreed on this, though: evangelistic effectiveness, finally, comes down to the Holy Spirit. I don’t save anyone.  You don’t save anyone.  There is no technique for saving anyone.  Salvation is not in technique but in the Spirit.  Evangelism is relationship.  Salvation is relationship.  The Father offers salvation; the Son opens the way; the Spirit conducts us through this life along that way to the Father.

I do give the Mission Agency credit for reminding us that “Our lives speak louder than our words and are the first Bible many people will read [. . . .] While words are necessary at some point in evangelism, our deeds, attitudes and lifestyle help or hinder evangelism.”[4]  We never want to let this way of thinking—just let your lives speak—become an alibi for foregoing words or leaving aside bringing the Good News to others where they are.  God gives us the words; He gives us the Word.  Faithful living is of the highest importance, certainly, and, just as certainly, evangelism—as commonly understood—is part of faithful living.  Evangelism as commonly understood is evangelism biblically understood.  Any definition, understanding, or conception of faithful, evangelical living that leaves out evangelism as commonly understood is hardly evangelical.

Jesus commands us to go, baptize, proclaim, and teach (Mt 28:18-20)—that sounds like evangelism to me, though we can and do remodel it into comfortable, low-demand, low-impact eight-point living.  God’ll take care of it, so why bother?  We worship our socks off inside these walls.  More people come to a saving relationship with Jesus.  You see the connection, surely: a plus (  ) equals X.

The Acts of the Apostles is an excellent guide for seeing evangelism—and evangelistic living—in action.  Peter’s words to the crowd on Pentecost come to mind.  Let’s consider Peter—he endured mistreatment and imprisonment on account of his evangelism.  No wonder we’re not enthusiastic!  But, over time, even Peter began to lose focus, began, maybe, to shift to faithful living as an acceptable synonym for evangelism—it’s not hard!  Then he had a vision.  It was the middle of the day.  He was hungry.  The hunger wasn’t only physical.  This hunger wasn’t only Peter’s.  He was joined to Christ, to God.  Beloved, believe me, God is hungry for His children to come to Him, know Him, receive His salvation, and be restored to the family.  Christ opens the way; the Spirit guides and works miracles of faith all along the way.

So, what is there for us to do?  What the Lord asks us to do, tells us to do!  What does He ask of us?  What does He tell us to do?  God tells Peter, hungry: “‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’  This happened three times” (10:15-16).  Peter wasn’t going to have anything to do with what was impure—he was striving to live faithfully, you see!  It was kind of a point of pride with Peter that he had never had anything to do with what was unclean.  Now, that’s odd, considering Jesus spent a lot of time—way more than the Pharisees would have liked!—among the unclean, talking with them, touching them, teaching them, helping them.  Curiously, Jesus often seemed to find a warmer welcome among the unclean than among the righteous.  I hope you and I have some good thoughts about why that might be.

Well, Peter didn’t understand what he was seeing, hearing, which was typical.  But he also knows God will show him, explain it to him, and help him.  Wonderful!  Thank you, Jesus!  “While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision,” some messengers come and ask for him (10:17-18).  They’ve come from a Roman military officer—a lost, impure, unclean man for sure.  Anyone but a Roman!  Spirit-directed, Cornelius asks for Peter.  You see, the Spirit is at work in the unsaved, too.  Wonderful!  The Spirit is also, still and always, at work among the faithful.  Amen?  The Spirit tells Peter to go with the messengers, go to the lost man (10:19-20), because the Spirit is at work.

Now, for what is the Spirit at work?  Condemnation?  Destruction?  Of course not.  Salvation!  And the Spirit is inviting—well, instructing—well, commanding Peter to go and be part of this Spirit work of salvation.  Here’s our theological system, God’s system, right in the Word of God.  Peter wasn’t instructed just to pray really hard, sing more loudly, change his facebook banner, take Communion, or put a little more in the plate.

But our venerable theological system!  Peter goes, and about the first words out of his mouth are, “it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile” (10:28).  The system!  We don’t do those things.  That’s not our way.  “But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.  So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection” (10:29)—not even a theological objection.  God is at work.  Agreed.  Amen!  God wants us to show up.  Agreed.  Amen!  Then what?

We know God is at work here.  We have come here.  But we don’t live here.  God has given us life: we celebrate that, here; we live it, here and out there, with them—all the unsaved, the lost sheep, lost souls who don’t know their left hand from their right, who know something is amiss in their lives, lacking, but haven’t been able to name it and don’t really know what to do about it, if anything can be done!  And what does God say about that?  What does He say to us and to every believer who claims the name?  Peter tells us: God in Christ Jesus “commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead” (10:42).  Salvation isn’t going to be found anywhere else, in or through anyone else.  Real hope isn’t in anything or anyone else.  Life, fullness, joy, eternity is in Christ Jesus, risen, victorious.

He calls us to faithful living, yes!  He tells us that proclaiming good news—evangelism—is part of faithful living, and no system we can devise can bury or close off this divine expectation, this sacred invitation.  Yes, that’s inconvenient and even uncomfortable for us—don’t think for a minute that I’m excluding myself—Paul really needs to hear this!  There is glory, grace, and life in inviting people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, even if they say no.  Even if they’re a little rude about it.  Let’s not let our innate reluctance hinder us from doing what God calls us to do, sends us to do, in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit.  God empowers and enables us to do what He sends us from here to do.

For the sake of argument and the Presbyterian way, let’s just say that we can do faithful living without evangelism.  I’ll agree it’s faith, but it’s not full.

May the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, give you a theology after His sacred heart.  To him be the power for ever and ever.

               [1] https://archive.thomrainer.com/2015/02/fifteen-reasons-churches-less-evangelistic-today/

               [2] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/theology-formation-and-evangelism/evangelism/

               [3] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/what-we-believe/evangelism5/

               [4] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/what-we-believe/evangelism5/  Our historic confessional documents reflect this same perspective: “Their [members’ of the church] witness is the church’s evangelism.  Their daily action in the world is the church in mission to the world.  The quality of their relation with other persons is the measure of the church’s fidelity” (C67 [9.37]).  We do good works so that “by our reverent behavior [we] may win our neighbors to Christ” (Heidelberg Catechism [4.086]).