On Evangelism

In two days, I'll begin the new term at Rockbridge Seminary and start the core course on Evangelism.

The Theology & Practice of Evangelism E5301
This course is a study of the doctrines of man and redemption and of God's purpose to reach the peoples and nations of the world for His glory through the church. Emphasis will be given to the biblical mandate, the church's outreach in history, the mission task today, and how mission translates to the level of the individual believer. Learners will design a mission's mobilization strategy for their congregation, ministry, or small group.

I've already taken an elective under the evangelism banner -

Next Steps in Planting and Growing a Missional Church E6408
This course is for those who are in the initial stages of a church plant and need to know how to take their new work to the next level. The course will address the spiritual formation process of leaders, expanding the church's influence, multiplication through evangelism, weathering crisis points, measuring health, and knowing when and how to leave.

As well as having taken Personal Evangelism at New Orleans, participated in the trial of an evangelism strategy program for the FBC,(the Intentionally Evangelistic Church - spearheaded by Dr Don McCutcheon) learned and taught EE, Contagious Church, and will soon be teaching "Just Walk Across the Room".

And yet, I am not an evangelist.

If anyone should be, by virtue of training and experience, I should be. But I do not have the gift of evangelism, I just do the work of an evangelist and hope to train others to do the same.

The singularly hardest part of evangelism is to keep after it in prayer. No it's not the program, and it's not in my view the actual work. It is to open yourself to correction and instruction, to petition God to give you opportunities even if those opportunities put you far outside your gifting and your comfort zone.

I am so very aware that I need God in this.

Years ago, I thought that this was a skill I needed to master, and that once I had the skill set, I would be blessed with amazing tales of evangelistic success and would one day be trotted out on stage at the convention to applause.

Little did I realize that the skill is useless without the Holy Spirit's empowerment.

My background was in sales, and I was successful there. Here, I was giving away the keys to heaven, and though I delivered the "pitch" perfectly, most of the time either nothing happened, or the person made some weak profession not followed up with life change.

My most successful period occurred while I worked at a ministry center and gave out the gospel to people who were in need. I would come home fired up and amazed at what God was doing. That little house was seeing more conversions than the mega church across the street. But we weren't a church, and though we tried mightily to get the converts placed in churches, our track record was horrible.

So over the last few years I have come to see that the Holy Spirit's work of evangelism does not require trained evangelists, just available people. And that if the spark of spiritual awakening is to become a flame that consumes the converts self, it requires community to make it so.

Here at New Hope, we've pushed out into affinity groups and small group Bible studies, as well as taking the message to parks, community events, and points of contact such as schools. It's in the spirit of Francis of Assisi who wrote "preach the gospel everywhere - if necessary, use words." We'll be ready when the Holy Spirit says go.

I hope I'll learn more in the course, but really, I hope the people I serve and I will do more of the work of evangelists in 2008 - in our homes, our workplaces, and in the community. We need to share our faith, not try to sell it.