By almost any metric, the churches in our nation are much less evangelistic today than they were in the recent past. In my own denomination, we are reaching non-Christians only half as effectively as we were 50 years ago (we measure membership to annual baptisms). The trend is disturbing.
We certainly see the pattern in the early church where “every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). In too many of our churches today, the congregations are reaching no one for Christ in the course of an entire year.
The Poll
I conducted an unscientific Twitter poll recently to see what church leaders and church members thought of this trend, My specific question was: “Why do you think many churches aren’t as evangelistic as they once were?”
The responses arrived quickly and in great numbers, both in public tweets and in direct messages to me. Indeed, I was still receiving responses four days after I sent my Twitter question.
The Results
The response was highly informative for me. Here are the top fifteen responses listed in order of frequency:
- Christians have no sense of urgency to reach lost people.
- Many Christians and church members do not befriend and spend time with lost persons.
- Many Christians and church members are lazy and apathetic.
- We are more known for what we are against than what we are for.
- Our churches have an ineffective evangelistic strategy of “you come” rather than “we go.”
- Many church members think that evangelism is the role of the pastor and paid staff.
- Church membership today is more about getting my needs met rather than reaching the lost.
- Church members are in a retreat mode as culture becomes more worldly and unbiblical.
- Many church members don’t really believe that Christ is the only way of salvation.
- Our churches are no longer houses of prayer equipped to reach the lost.
- Churches have lost their focus on making disciples who will thus be equipped and motivated to reach the lost.
- Christians do not want to share the truth of the gospel for fear they will offend others. Political correctness is too commonplace even among Christians.
- Most churches have unregenerate members who have not received Christ themselves.
- Some churches have theological systems that do not encourage evangelism.
- Our churches have too many activities; they are too busy to do the things that really matter.
So What Is the Solution?
I received hundreds of responses to this poll. There is obviously widespread concern about the lack of evangelism in our churches and among Christians.
First, let me hear what you think of these responses. Second, and more importantly, offer some solutions to the challenges. Make certain those solutions include what you can do as much as what they should do. I look forward to hearing from you.
photo credit: people talking in paris via photopin (license)
Posted on February 23, 2015
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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325 Comments
Even we are Elder’s of this time we need more guidance from God that created us and live the life as we wants and being always protected and guided by Him above. May we all calling and praise Him as what we are doing and receiving as we continue living in His world. I am thankful that I found your blog Mr. Rainer for today that I feel I am so blessed to read about Disability Assistance not only in physical but most of all for the spiritual. You did a good job, and He may always shower you the knowledge to share to those who are weak and thirsty of the words from God!.
Hi brethren ,
I am blessed today to have visited your web site; I thank God for His divine direction to you and your ministry. The web site is full of instruction based on the Bible. We pray that you will continue supporting us with more teaching materials and bibles to help us to grow spiritually in our ministry. Pray for the suffering children amongst us [orphans] that God provision may be felt in their daily course.
We will keep you in our prayers and we ask God to open up for you the means that will help you to come to Kenya to minister to the thirsting soul.
God bless you abundantly. Love from Kenya
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Samuel
Hi, I’m in Brazil, and here a visible phenomenon in the church in nowadays is what is described in #14. Since the church are “self-occupied” with his own activities, a bunch of courses, meetings, campings, coral , spiritual retreats, that only have in common one thing– Is always made between four walls. The Church of nowadays is more related to a social club, where only active members, faithfull tithes, can participate (most times) and enjoy the benefits of belonging to this or that institution. The Mountain Sermon and all teachings of the Master of masters had been used in a virtual maner. In the most times the songs of praises inside churchs walls are only a pathetic shadow of what means been Christian. Let me tell you why: The church had became sycophants of the Lord, “she” only search Him to achieve benefits. Because “she” has loved this world more than Jesus Christ. The church of nowaday is just a non-governmental organization, wich have his own codes of living inside his doors. It is a Shame. Forgive us Lord and save us from ourselves.
Dear Brethren in Christ
Greetings in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.Actually it’s joy to find out that you are serving the LORD right from what I read from your website on the internet. And I am pleased with the good job that your ministry is doing and I really love to be among you mostly in prayers and in ministering together.Pray for the Lord’s ministry down here in KENYA that GOD will empower us and provide resources for us to get out to reach to many out here who have not received Him as their LORD and savior for we as Christians are convinced that only agreed upon prayers bring forth breakthroughs.Finally doors are open for you and your ministry to come and minister to us and start your ministry here in KENYA. Read psalms 133. Your kind approval and consideration regarding this matter will be highly appreciate. Thank you. God bless you and more power in your ministry we request to pray our orphans ,disability and blind people. We love to hear from you soon.
God bless you and yours,
in service
Most churches or event driven churches. I believe that people have to be trained in soul winning and in an on going basis. There is a course I studied a few years ago put together by Pastor Tommy Barnett out of First Assemblies of God in Phoenix, AZ. I will always remember it. Its a thirteen week course taught every Saturday morning and then go out and win souls. Very powerful. The head of every Christian Church in America should be a soul winner. Gods Word says “Those that win souls are wise” I’m looking at opening a Soul winning training center (REACH) to train people on a “Soul Winning Plan” Illustration: In all professional sports the athlete is trained and trained again and again, to win Baseball Championships, Super Bowels, Tennis matches, Gold medals, which don’t mean too much into eternity. All Jesus said in His most important last words was to – GO into all the world and preach the Gospel. Matthew 28:18-20 It’s called the Great Commission. Some may say it’s a gift, no it’s a command, were just late for work. A good measurement is to look at the book of Act where it says that the Lord added to the Church those that would be saved. I figure it this way if there is 365 days in a year, so if I have not lead any number of people closer to His number 365, then I’m late for work. Amen.
The problem today in the “Church” is simple. It’s not believing that the true believers in Christ are to do what He says in the Bible, they think that’s legalistic. What ever happened to living out the Word as being true and essential and holding each other accountable to that with love and support for God’s glory out of duty and gratitude? You can’t say duty anymore, that’s considered legalism too. The problem is simple, out of the pulpits and in the World we hear in a subtle or direct way, that the goal is to feel good, not to live out the Word that God graciously provided and more blood was shed for than anything else. The problem is feeling good as a Christian here and now has replaced the relevance and sound truth of doing what God says instead. Btw: the “church” is not the Church or the Body today really either. Where It is actually a family of God and not a place. And the pastor is Jesus, not any man, this is part of this same selfish warped non-biblical plan of putting our feelings over God’s truth. Gathering as a group of beloved children of God under the only Shepherd, Jesus, the only Father, the only Head, the only Senior pastor, or Presbyter, or Overseer, or whatever word you need to use, besides the the term fellow elder or just a vessel of God, or the little same person as everyone else status wise, under Christ, or besides a man in the holy-priesthood, and instead elevating a man to be the “pastor” and call a building the church is absurd and not true. We are so, so programmed to follow men and this off goal of not submitting to the actual Word and words of God, may we now do that alone and in gathering times, and every day! Readers and DOERS, not just saying sure I believe that, but do you really?
Here is a cure for this:
jw.org
God have mercy on your soul , Bobby. JW will take you down to hell faster than the pharisaical RC church.
Look at this list. How many exist in your church. Look at reason #7. Top of this point is praying for illnesses. But suffering and dying are far less critical than going to Hell – unless you’re not saved (in which case you have extra time to ask Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior). I will admit there’s one reason that’s not in this list. The unsaved world is not only ignorant of the Gospel but often hostile. The only effective way to evangelize in this case is by living a transformed life (until we do our words are only adding to the discontent with the Christian message).
People in churches need to listen to other people more than they need to preach. I believe that other people may be offended when Christians try to evangelize because they use a poor approach and don’t consider where the other person is from. Be respectful of other people’s space and time. Also, remember that if one person wants to reach out to people with their faith, it is a two-way street. For lack of a better term, “Shut-up” and let the other speak his mind about what he believes, or why he doesn’t go to church (anymore). Listen to what they have to say about their experiences, and don’t make excuses that it isn’t like that in all churches because it probably is. Just knowing that the church has faults is not enough, we need to find ways to remedy them so that it’s not always the case. Get get rid of the spiritual clutter and activities in church that are a waste of time.
The problems in the churches today is multi-faced, some preachers don’t want to do anything but preach and expect people to come in droves, there is no outreach for recently saved, they are virtually ignored. Moreover, the preachers don’t preach a conviction message regarding the perils of sin sand the end result is an eternal death that is torturous and forever without Jesus. The preachers don’t preach, they give a short sermonette, pass the plate invitation and dismissal. They preach a neutral sermon so as not to cause church members to leave the church.
Preachers don’t want to go out and seek new members and lead others to Christ outside the church. I have even heard that we can’t go door-to-door after working eight hours because people “don’t want their supper interrupted.”
Preachers have a solemn responsibility to Sheppard men’s souls and it is not wise to entrust any preacher with our souls. As such, preachers are held to a higher accountability than laymen and I shudder to think what will happen to them on Judgement Day, the Great Day of Reckoning, where all men Great and small, rich and poor will receive their just reward from a just God.
I agree with all 15 points listed above . Leonard Ravenhill said, “the early church was married to poverty, persecution, and prison. And the modern church is married to prosperity, personality, and popularity.”
William Booth, founder of Salvation Army, had a vision of the lost. C. t. Studd , missionary, was passionate about reaching the lost.
Sad to say even Christians are caught up in our narcissistic culture.
forget web
My dear I found this topic to be interesting, I would assisst in solution proposal,
1 I propose that each and every local church should have a training training center for the mission. Such that every individual Christian pass in it to have an understanding of relevence of mission
2 pastor should be appointed based on the level of understanding the mission
Thank you