On the Front Lines of Evangelism

As representative elder to The Presbytery of London, I initiated an evangelism committee at the presbytery level. I find myself in a massive learning curve where the more I learn, the less I realize I know.

Over the past year I have attended an Alpha seminar in Toronto, an Evangelism Conference in Hamilton, and have been a leader in two Alpha programs. Locally I've picked the brains of Rev. Terry Ingram of Oakridge (he's grown a church from 200 - 800 and is looking to go even bigger), met the head of urban planning at the City of London, attended a church restructuring meeting at Metropolitan United (the largest United Church in Canada) and met with an official of the Roman Catholic Church in regards to the process that denomination went through to asses closing a number of different churches. Recently I've undertaken the challenge to sit on a new Synod committee called "church planting." I have yet to learn what that commitment entails.

Truly what have I learned? One: there are a million ways to bring people to God and there is no one, single right way! It is very much trial and error. I still wish there was a sure-fired method for success.

Two: churches often fail to grow because they are unwilling to accept the pain of growth. This comes in two main ways; the fear of how new, passionate Christians will change us and how we will have to change to accommodate them. Churches dedicated to the great commission - that of bringing people to Christ - must cease being Pharisees where the way their church has always done things is sacred. They must be willing to do different things to welcome the unchurched. Christ came to destroy the law and the rules and to help us to reestablish a loving, personal relationship with God.

Three: Some great people will not flow with the change and they will leave their church and we're afraid to let them go in order to grow. And this becomes even more practical because I've learned that it takes five new Christians to equal the offering of one established Christian. Evangelism takes faith. Evangelism is frightening. Evangelism is what the church should be about. Church is not about us, it is for God.

Four: Growth has to be about bringing people to God first. Benefits like having more operating funds and more diverse programs must come second. The intent behind the growth must be bringing people to God. The other good stuff will follow.

Five: We live in an unprecedented time in our recent history where people are more willing to examine their spiritual lives than ever before. They want off the treadmill of climbing the ladder to be someone and of buying their way to unhappiness. They've done these things repeatedly and have not found peace. They realize there has to be something more and Christianity has the answer... if we but know how to share it with them. This has been confirmed in my journey over and over again, by Rev. Chuck Congram (another church-growing guru) at REAP in Hamilton, and by Greg Schinkel, lay-leader at Metropolitan United.

Six: Evangelism must become personal. If I say I care about the people pictured in my wallet, I must care about their spiritual well-being. It is intolerable to me that some of my family members are lost. It is intolerable to think of a reward in eternity and not find them there when it is their time. It is intolerable to me that they seek things to make them happy and cannot find it. I have asked them to come to church and Alpha. I have not the power to do this alone. Only God can help me in this, and through prayer I hope to bring them to Christ.

And still there is so much to learn, so many people to meet and so many more books to read.