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
A very honest list, especially numbers 4 and 5. However I find an interesting correlation between 7 (Church membership today is more about getting my needs met rather than reaching the lost.) and 8 (Church members are in a retreat mode as culture becomes more worldly and unbiblical.) It is clear that the western church is more selfish and this is reflected in the non-committal attitude that is so very pervasive in church today. (For example: Some people will not even want to join a church and would rather just come and not engage.) However, I do find it interesting that even with a non-committal attitude some people will leave a church because they state their needs are not being met. What are the “needs” they want met? Is it to be wowed and entertained by a slick band that gets a specific stipend from the church so they dress cool? All the while, the pastor encourages the “come and see” attitude, rather than a biblical “go and tell” approach. The pastor feels he does a better job and can “wow” the “audience” with a good “show” that includes shady non-church language coupled with the gospel. The church can become so worldly that sanctification is not even mentioned or pursued. All that matters is how many baptisms or re-baptisms are being recorded. Cultural relevance has often taken precedent over biblical truth
Good points, Sam.
Churches do what they are led to do. Everything rises and falls on leadership.
For our church, in my personal opinion, I would agreee with all except for 4, 9, 12, 13 & 14.
In the ministry I lead, we were blessed with 123 decisions the last calendar year. Over the course of that year we baptized 50+ and have baptized several this year and have several more scheduled. The key question for me is “Do I want to share His “bread” with fellow beggars, like myself, or am I content with keeping His seed all to myself?” Seed will never grow if it’s not broadcasted or spread.
Some day we will all be held accountable for what we’ve done to spread the gospel message and show His love to others.
Thanks, Chris.
This may or may not speak directly to this issue, but do people feel welcome when they actually do first enter the doors of a church? Or do they get the feeling they are in some kind of meat market in which because of their appearance, their finances, their marital status, their perceived neediness, or other social or personal issues they will be rejected by the core people in the church? And if someone enters a church and feels welcome at the start, is there anyplace that they will “fit in” over time?
That is a great question, and one we have discussed at different points on this blog.
I got saved in the late 80’s as a teenager and back then evangelism was at the forefront of everything we learned. We had to reach our family and friends for Christ. We were were taught to pray for them, talk to them, bring them…whatever it took.
I’m guilty as anyone, but today I think we are so focused on meeting Christian’s needs we’ve lost sight of the best way for getting our needs met and that is meeting someone else’s needs first. We are so focused on self and not sacrifice. We are not willing to lay our lives down for others which has nullified the kind of risk taking faith that sparks evangelism.
Great words, Dean.
I also fear we have made evangelism too difficult. People are fearful that they will say the wrong things or arent equipped with the right kind of training. Which leads to less evangelistic Christians. They think let’s just bring people to church and a pastor will share the gospel with them. When in reality they are equipped with the truth just as a pastor is and more than likely can relate more deeply to a non-believers life, especially if they are a friend or colleague.
Solutions:
1. Prayer, prayer, prayer
2. Let’s train church leaders and members to understand the ease of sharing the gospel.
3. Let’s stop expecting lost people to come to church.
4. Let’s stop telling church members what they’re doing wrong and start encouraging them to just have conversations with lost people!
5. Let’s encourage youth and children to share with peers how Christ transformed their lives.
Prayer is indeed number one!
Thank you for compiling and sharing these reasons, they are spot on! As for solutions, my church and I have found the training and resources available at http://store.livingwaters.com HUGELY helpful! The many free YouTube training videos by Living Waters (https://www.youtube.com/user/thewayofthemaster) help model and train personal evangelism. Their unique tracts are wonderful and fun bridges to the Gospel. Their method of using questions that expose the law of God that is written upon our hearts through our conscience (Romans 2:15; 3:19) is very effective and easy to learn. These would be great resources for Lifeway to add to their stores for practical evangelism resources!
Our church also includes evangelism as part of our final response songs in our services by sowing seeds into a jar at the front of our sanctuary to indicate gospel sharing the previous week. We also use this time of the service to pray over the gospel “seeds” that were sown in the previous week and pray for opportunities and boldness to share in the week ahead.
Good stuff, Jonathan. Thank you
I too have used the materials from The Way of the Master. Ray Comfort and crew are great. Their training methods have changed my life.
I use Way of the Master materials and tracts and this method of evangelizing. I believe it is biblical and it reaches the conscience of the unbeliever using the 10 commandments. It builds a bridge to the Gospel
I especially agree with 1., 2, 4 & 5. Ordinary Christians are blamed but not trained.
We send missionaries into other countries with a lot of training in evangelism, we need to do the same with ordinary Christians in their own neighborhoods. I encourage everyone to read “The Art of Neighboring” and just start getting to know and ministering to your neighbors right around you. “8 to 15, The World is Smaller Than You Think” is also recommended and will get you praying for those God has put in your sphere of influence and show you ways to share your faith. We are moving in that direction at our church and the initial results are encouraging. Not all will respond, but many will and God will bless those workers!
Thanks for the recommendation, Tony.
Sadly, I think we have to admit that the greatest reason that evangelism is not happening is that most pastors are not doing it. We are expecting the sheep to go where the shepard has not led. Until pastors and church leaders wake up and take part in intentional evangelism (door to door and street ministry to strangers included) the people will not do so. We have an unhealthy leadership in the SBC in regards to Great Commission work.
To many times the congregation sees and hears a pastor talk about Great Commission only in terms of missions. They give like the pastor does for missions, and they pray like the pastor does for missions, so they are good to go. We need to teach people that they are missionaries, and this is a mission field. Sending a missionary to the field, and not doing work yourself is failure to follow the Great Commission.
Thanks, Jacob.
Jacob, I don’t think that all people, even all pastors, are called to do the kind of evangelism that you are talking about (door to door/street evangelism). I think that is actually one of the reasons why people react so poorly to calls to evangelism in general. We are all called to spread the gospel, but I think that a relative few of us are called as evangelists, and to the work that you are describing. Most of us are called into relationships where we are to live out the gospel in both word and deed. I do believe that as Christians we have been called to a more social lifestyle (something I still struggle with) but for most of us it is within those relationships that we are called to spread the gospel.
I love the Lord, and I love his word, so if I go to a party and start talking to someone (friend, acquaintance, stranger) I might talk to them about baseball or Breaking Bad, but there is also a strong probability that I am going to talk to them about God. We can’t offer others what we don’t have ourselves. If we want to foster a lifestyle of evangelism, we need to encourage a passionate love for God and his word… if our hearts are overflowing with those things, it is only natural that they will come out in our interactions.
I would disagree that the only person in the church that should do evangelism would be the called evangelist. That seems to disagree with the entire New Testament. We only see one evangelist in Scripture and yet we see many doing the work of the evangelist.
My address was to pastors and church leaders, though, so even if the evangelistic work is limited the pastor is still bound by 2 Timothy to do the work of the evangelist which means he needs to be on the streets working and reaching lost people beyond his immediate social circle.
This might be a little out of left field, but I think that a lot of the men in our assemblies that we are calling pastor are actually more skilled and called as evangelists. That would also help to explain why many of our Sunday worship services have actually transformed into evangelistic outreach events. It would also serve to explain some of the misconceptions in #s 5 and 6 in the article.
To your point of 2 Timothy, when taken in context it is speaking directly to Timothy, so we should not jump right to applying it to all pastors, and I’m not even really convinced that I would describe Timothy as a pastor anyway. There may be some pastoral aspects to the role that he was playing, but it didn’t seem to line up perfectly in a way that I would call Timothy a pastor.
Dallas, when is the last time you lead someone to Christ and they were baptized?
I’m not trying to attack, I genuinely want to know.
I would disagree too. The scripture makes it clear, “do the work of an evangelist.” That is all of us. If we research the scriptures again, we will see that Jesus sent His disciples, (we are all disciples) out to the cities, to go door to door, to talk to people in the street, the market, schools, the highways and byways, basically where ever there are human beings. GO! We are commanded to GO! Their blood will be on our heads, if we do not GO! Apostle Paul makes this clear when he said that no one’s blood is on his head, for he went and preached, spoke and discussed the Good News of Jesus to all who would listen. This is a serious matter, we need to make it one. It is true the modern church discourages those who are evangelist to help others do evangelism. We are not short on discipleship classes, but we are short on allowing the other 3 of Ephesians 4: 11-12 do what they are called to do in the church. And He called some to be…. Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastors, Teachers. Many, if not most leaders of the churches in Western Civilization is either fearful of losing flock or they are fearful of doing what God commanded us to do. You can’t make disciples of all nations by sitting in your square BOX. People are dying and going to Hell! We are responsible.
Most churches have a budget item for missions, but nothing for local missions. Evangelism is not supported financially, and for those of who make it a lifestyle to go out into the harvest field, the local church does not know what to do with us.
At the church I attend, the elders do not want to know when we are going out into the harvest field, so I’m going to assume that they are not praying for us either.
This is because they give lip service to evangelism. Evangelism is the mission of the church, but they do not do it themselves and do not support those that do.
This hostility comes from pastors too.
However, do we serve God, or man. Despite to opposition, do what Jesus commands. Go, and make disciples.
The university students also point out that they live in something of a “don’t ask, don’t tell’ kind of culture which does not encourage talking about one’s faith. At the same time they have discover that their fellow-students are also open to talking about religious beliefs and practices.
Thanks, Robin.
I don’t hear pastors sharing stories of Christ conversations outside they had with unbelievers from the pulpit or wherever. We are very bad at celebrating things that don’t happen via program and cannot be quantified.
Hearing my pastor, Tom Elliff share about witnessing motivated and encouraged the same action with great example.
Church today prefer the come and hear, “Invest and invite” to the equip and send out (Ephesians 4) model.
You are so right. Leadership example is key.
As goes the pastor, so goes the church. In every organization, leaders take most of the credit and criticism. Since churches aren’t as evangelistic as they once were, it is primarily (not only) because pastors are not as evangelistic as they once were.
A big part of turning this problem around is owning it, then changing it. Many people will eventually follow their pastor’s lead if he will “do the work of an evangelist.”
Thanks, Mark.