THE TREND TOWARD EVANGELISM

The topic of evangelism has been receiving a great deal of attention in recent years. New materials dealing with the subject appear annually, and a host of seminars and conferences explaining the how’s and why’s of evangelism have been conducted. There is no reason to suppose that this trend will soon disappear.

There is good reason for us to appreciate this trend. Evangelism is an essential part of the task our Lord has given to us as His people. We cannot shirk this responsibility without being unfaithful to the God who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9b) Accordingly, we can only applaud this trend to the extent that it helps us fulfill our obligations in the area of missions.

“RELUCTANT EVANGELISTS”

In the ongoing discussion about evangelism, a good deal of attention has been given to those church members who are less than enthusiastic about this task of the church. The presence of such people within the church is so obvious that no astute observer would deny their existence. As a general rule, the motives imputed to our “reluctant evangelists” are unflattering, to say the least. They are accused of being blind to the truth of Scripture, having no concern for the souls of others, having no vision for the extension of the church of Christ, and so forth. Without question, some of those who “drag their feet” on evangelism deserve to be reprimanded, but there is more to be said about the matter.

Not all of our “reluctant evangelists” are opposed to evangelism as such. Often they object to the tactics and byproducts of evangelism as it has been carried out in recent years. It is no secret that evangelism has become the “in–thing” in the last decade. Since mission work has become so “fashionable,” it is almost considered heretical to raise a question about anything that is done in the name of evangelism. Those who harbor any doubts as to the propriety or effectiveness of a given approach had better be prepared to be labeled “anti–evangelism” if they voice their opinions.

INNOVATION IN THE NAME OF EVANGELISM

Unfortunately, some people posing as champions of local mission efforts, thereby attempt to introduce a multitude of innovations, both in doctrine and in practice, into the church. Often these changes have little to do with genuine evangelism, but they are pushed through nonetheless for the sake of our witness to the world. Here are some examples:

In order for our worship services to appeal to “outsiders,” it is said that they must be more informal than they have been in the past. This means too that the sermon must not be so “heavy” and “doctrinal.” Instead the minister must learn to be more “entertaining” in order to hold the interest of prospective converts.

Much of the agitation for open communion, a permissive stand on the lodge, and a more lenient view of divorce has arisen under the pious cloak of evangelism. The appeal in these, and many other matters, is not to the Word of God, but to simple pragmatism: “if we adopt this position we can bring more people into the church.”

It is plain for all to see that there has been a marked change in our church educational materials in the past ten years. We no longer have a “two track” system, catechism and Sunday School. Instead, we have a “unified curriculum” for what is now referred to as “church school.” This change, too, has, in part, been justified because of a need to appeal to evangelism prospects. But in the process of combining Sunday School with catechism, catechism has largely gone by the board.

A byproduct of our emphasis on evangelism has been increased contact with people from a variety of church backgrounds. This has led to a new attitude among us that generally minimizes differences between denominations and church traditions. How many times haven’t you heard someone excitedly announcing his discovery that “there are Christians in other denominations, too?”

Other changes and consequences could be mentioned, but those listed are sufficient to illustrate the point. Many innovations have been and are being introduced into the church in the name of evangelism, when in reality they often have little to do with genuine evangelism.

ENCOURAGING REFORMED EVANGELISM

The point of all this is NOT to discourage local churches, and individuals within those churches, from doing mission work; the opposite is in fact true. Evangelism is too important for us to allow any part of the church to remain on the sidelines because  their input has been ignored. Tragically, the liberal element within the church has been in the forefront  of our evangelistic discussions. That has not only “soured” many conservatives on evangelism as practiced; it has also meant that often our efforts as a denomination have been based on assumptions that  are from a Reformed viewpoint, dubious. It is easy and convenient to parrot the views and copy the  methods of a variety of Arminian para-church organizations.

Let me urge you, if you are one who has been “turned off’ on evangelism by the tactics and assumptions of others, please don’t give up! Get involved! Challenge un–Reformed assumptions and methods when and where you see them. Don’t allow practices and teachings that are un–Biblical to be introduced under the guise of evangelism. Evangelism is too important a task for any of us to ignore for any reason.

For further reading:

R. B. Kuiper. God-Centered Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1961. 216 pages.

Morton H. Smith. Reformed Evangelism. Clinton, MS: Multi-Communication Ministries, Inc., 1975. 32 pages.