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
While I’m sure a lot of these are true, if we are measuring evangelism success by baptism rates, then probably the biggest reason we don’t have as many is that we aren’t having as many kids. The average family had 4 kids in 1950, now it’s 2. If we are seeing a decline, then that could explain a lot of it, since we know that most people come to Christ through the influence of their family:)
There is a plethora of pathetic pantywaist pastors, positioned behind pretty pulpits, placating parishioners proudly positioned on padded pews. See http://www.insectman.us/misc/panty-waist-pastors.htm. I pity America without pastors with the power of those who have preceded them. See them at http://www.insectman.us/testimony/text-book-war.htm.
I think many churches fail to equip their members. They say, “Go forth”, but fail to tell you to who, how, when, and what to say. I am in public speaking as a career, and I still need help. It is something that requires training and practice, and no church seems to figure out how to do that. Only in the last few years have I developed my personal testimony, but now I struggle with who, when and where.
Every church needs a formal disciple training program that involves DOING, not just discussing.
Dr. Rainer, Thank you for the article. What a reflection that the church needs to make on itself today. I began to think about what or who is this church that has become less evangelistic? This Church is people that have been saved by the graciousness of the God. In this church is me. Knowing that the Church is less evangelistic, the first question that comes to mind is what is my part of this decline, how does my life as follower of Jesus impact this decline in evangelism? Knowing that I am part of this Great Glorious Church Christ has called from death to Life, there is a single question the church needs to ask itself; “Who have I shared the Gospel with today?” Instead of looking to others for the answers and leadership needed to become more evangelistic, let us, the church, began to look at ourselves compared to the calling of Christ on the Church. Lets us, the Redeemed, The Church, who believe; Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, when people die they are judged based on what they have done with the Lord Jesus Christ, there truly is a hell where without Christ as Lord people really die and go, Let us look at our self and ask What am I doing about it
You are so right, Jason.
I think there’s validity to most of the reasons given above.
Potential Solution: I mentioned this in a response to one of your tweets but, recognizing our collective laxity in evangelism, five different churches in Oxford, MS partnered together in February to preach on same/similar texts each Sunday to address evangelism. It culminated with a joint worship service last night w/ people from all five churches worshiping together and a panel discussion among the pastors. Great demonstration of unity around the gospel, and hopefully will spark our evangelistic zeal in this part of the world.
Thank you for your helpful posts!
Take care,
Justin
I have actually been discouraged from evangelizing – knocking on doors doesn’t work, which oddly is how I was reached – the church got a list of new water hookups in the area and went to them – I’ve been told you have to develop a relationship first. I think that works too but shouldn’t be used to exclude all other ways.
>I have actually been discouraged from evangelizing
That is not good.
>knocking on doors doesn’t work
Both _The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints_, and _The WatchTower Bible and Tract Society_ are reducing the number of hours spent on door-knocking, in the United States, because of the increased difficulty in making contact with people. Both organizations claims other modes of outreach are far more productive, both in initial outreach, and follow-up.
Whether or not door-knocking is an effective use of time devoted to outreach depends upon:
* The number of gated communities in the area. (The more gated communities, the less possibilities they are.);
* The number of aprtment/condominium complexes that do not prohibit door-knocking. (I’ve had several LDS missionaries tell me of being read the local trespass act, as a result of door knocking.);
* Time of day. (Door knocking after dark is never acceptable. Likewise, door-knocking before nine AM is too early.);
* Local ordinances. (One town, two counties over, has an ordinance that includes door-knocking, with its definition of “pan handling”. The town next to it, includes door-knocking within its definition of “street vending”, and requires one to have a license issued by the town clerk.);
* You are dressed appropriately, for the area. (Door knocking in a middle-class area, wearing what might be gang colours, and with “187” clearly displayed, is not going to open any doors. (Two males and a female. Am I seriously expected to open my door to what looks like a potential home invasion? I’ll skip the name of the Baptist church that they were from, but this group had never considered the negative impact of their gang sign and colours. I’m not sure they understood that, even after I tried explaining to them, what was “wrong” with their attire.);
LDS female missionaries, in most districts, are not supposed to do any door knocking, but exclusively use pre-set appointments. That said, if their scheduled appointment is not kept, they will do door-knocking.
>I’ve been told you have to develop a relationship first
Both numerically, and as a percentage, _The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society_, and _Seventh Day Adventists_ have a higher retention rate, than _The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints_, which has the highest conversion rate. Officials in all three organizations attribute that difference to the emphasis placed on relationship-building, prior to conversion, by the Seventh Day Adventists, and Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
What missionaries in the eighteenth century discovered, was that alongside it taking ten or fifteen years to make the first convert, they had to get to know everybody in the community, in order to have any impact on anybody in the community.
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How the initial contact is made, is not nearly as important as maintaining the resulting relationship.
That the potential convert is not seen as another conquest, but rather, as a long term friend, regardless of whether or not they convert.
Really surprised to see nothing mentioned about families and homes. One generation won’t pick up evangelism from the pulpit unless they pick it up from mom and dad as well. We can, and should, stress the church DNA in evangelism. But the church had better make sure parents are equipped for Gospel shaped parenting. It will better 2 generations for Gospel sharing.
Churches rarely if ever rise above their leadership so that has to be one of the first places to look for the reason there is less emphasis on evangelism.
Also,this trend is actually a fulfillment of the scriptures,as in the last days falling away.For far too long the church has taught that this falling away referred to those outside the church,yet it is painfully obvious that this is also an internal problem as well.
It has to come from the pulpit.
Solution – stop putting men in pulpits who do not open air preach.
There is no difference preaching the Gospel in a pulpit or on a step ladder.
I personally don’t think that churches should be equipped to reach the los. I think we as the church should be equipping the saints to go out and reach the lost and make disciples. the local church should be more like a pep rally that encourages the saints and they go out feom there as the church to make disciples. Jesus said go into,the world. Not go into you pews and let someone else reach the lost.
I had two thoughts after reading this.
One, I’d be interested to know how evangelism was defined over the last fifty years or so in order to reach those annual baptism numbers. If we simply mean a form of “getting saved” that only emphasizes avoiding hell and getting heaven, then perhaps we should go back even further to find the last time that true evangelism was central to the church. Perhaps one reason the church is weak right now is because there are many church-goers who’ve not been discipled under the full breadth of Gospel teaching. By true evangelism, I mean the kind that produces disciples who follow Christ whole-heartedly.
Two, I think that one thing our church may lack is conviction. I’m afraid we don’t have the conviction that our message has changed our lives, and is the message that everyone else needs too. Each one of us needs the gut-level conviction that our message is what is best not just for ourselves, but for others, even others that we don’t know. The idea that we know what is best for other people goes against our sensibilities, but as Christians it is built into the Gospel itself. Evangelism, by its very nature, should change our convictions about what everyone needs. We have to be people who aren’t afraid to believe something, and live out our convictions.
Thanks for the thought provoking post.
>in order to reach those annual baptism numbers.
From what has been posted elsewhere, once upon a time, people switching from one denomination to another, had to be baptised, before being eligible for church membership. Today, that appears to no longer be the case.
Elsewhere, it has been claimed that declining birth rates are responsible for fewer baptisms. That theory requires ignoring the increase in immigration rates.
By way of example, The Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church, Militant, and Triumphant, has been barely holding steading, because of those immigration rates, both legal and illegal.
That same increase in immigration rates has fueled the rise of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.
I think churches are not equipping the congregations with the knowledge and tools to witness, thus people shy away from witnessing. In our church there is also no discipleship programs in which our new converts are trained, they are left to either figure it out themselves or just to be thankful that they are saved. No matter how uncomfortable it is in the beginning, witnessing has to be taught and practiced. It never “feels” right to practice this sort of thing, but it helps. Kirk Cameron’s The Way of the Master or D. James Kennedy’s Evangelism Explosion International are two great resources that I think would help.
Thank you for broaching this timely question.