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
I am trying to figure all of this out that is why I am reading this blog and all of these answers.
Sometimes…I think…the church of today is less likely to follow the direction and leadership of there pastor. They seem to be more focused on what “they”, each individual, wants and thinks the church should do.
They are not unkind to the pastor, but they do not respond to requests or directives from him when it comes to the foundations of the church in scripture – personal prayer, Bible study, and outreach. They do not seem to acknowledge the pastor as an true spiritual authority – they know what is best…for them.
Ronnie
Alas, you are correct. Worse yet, when things aren’t happening in the church, they point the finger of blame at the pastor. I recently had a lady leave our church because she didn’t think we were doing enough outreach, yet she seldom showed up for any outreach-oriented events.
Ok. I read almost all of the responses particularly those blaming the pastor. Well, I have been pastoring for 7 years and I can sum up the problem with one example. We plan a trip to go white water rafting, leaving at 5:30 am, drive 3 hours, cost $40, gone all day. For this trip, tons of people show up. Yet those very some people will not come to Sunday school, Sunday night, Wednesday night and you can forget about evangelism efforts!
Yes, leadership is important no question about it. But in the end, people are self centered . Sorry to be brutally honest but it’s true.
If I may offer a couple of words of encouragement:
Evangelism is as much a work of God as it is a work of men. There is no soul out there that is receptive to the gospel that God won’t find a way to introduce to Jesus. Yes, there is a place and a role for human intentionality, but we would be well advised to similarly acknowledge that a lost soul’s salvation is as much — or probably more — a function of divine intervention on a willing heart as it is a product of programmed human endeavor. This does not absolve us of our responsibility for carrying out the Great Commission, but it does remind us that this is ultimately God’s work.
In North America and western Europe especially, there is more to evangelism than planting seeds. Far too often, we find ourselves spending so much time trying to break rocks and pull weeds that seed-planting takes a back seat. And to be sure, for the seed to germinate, those rocks need to be broken and those weeds need to be pulled. After all, Paul planted and Apollos watered. And the God-given increase doesn’t happen without both.
And to extend the analogy further, where the soil is good, we really are seeing tremendous — I would go so far as to say miraculous — increases. In places like India, Brazil, Nigeria, and southern Africa we’re seeing Christianity growing immensely. Just because it may not be happening in the favorite corner of the field doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
I say these things in hopes that we can take heart and be encouraged to keep doing what we’re supposed to do.
We have a church full of pews with people sitting in them who have not felt the flames of hell. We have a lack of hell preaching today, therefore our people are not aware of or afraid of hell. Until we hear of the wrath and love of God, we are no to concerned about my friends. We must feel the heat an experience the love of Jesus Christ.
After reading the reasons our churches are less evangelical, it would seem that there is one ingredient that may correct this problem. If we compare ourselves to first century Christians, we all have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and we all have the gracious gifts of the Spirit – both being critical ingredients for growing the body of Christ. The one thing that we seem to be missing is persecution!
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t enjoy being persecuted for my faith any better than the next guy. But it seems that it was persecution during the first century that purified the church, focused the church, and motivate the church to “go” and tell others. Human beings seem to be actuated and bonded when the heat is turned up in our lives. It’s a strange “carrot” but it’s the way we’re built.
Based on recent events and the changing attitudes in our country, it may not be long before we get to put this theory to the test. Persecution my be the impetus that moves us to tell our neighbor that sin is wrong, hell is hot but God is love.
Thom, thanks for your ministry. It takes time, grace, and effort to help the Church of God and you supply all of those to us. I think that the 15 reasons are good and there are probably many more reasons for the lack of evangelistic fervor in our churches.
I skimmed through most of the responses and was thankful for many of their insights. For me I come simply to one thing. “Pray the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers…” The harvest was plentiful and laborers were few during Christ’s ministry and it remains so today. I believe until the men in the church (1Tim.2) gain a burden in prayer to the Lord of the Harvest (Mt.9) we labor in vain. Our people must pray that God sends them into the harvest first. That is the primary point regardless of all the reasons stated above. When the men are burdened to pray to be sent into the harvest, buy more chairs.
BE LED by the Holy Spirit not by man or popular opinion to share Christ. BE AUTHENTIC in relationship(s). No one buys the churchie talk or rhetoric. BE TRUTH in CHRIST but don’t water it down either. BE WORSHIP with your every breath don’t make it a task on your to-do list. DO NOT JUDGE. I know this is a huge stumbling block for me too, but BE INTENTIONAL to speak the Truth in love, with gentleness. YOU DO NOT KNOW other people’s hearts only Jesus does. Stick to what God says in HIS Word, being led by the Spirit and TRUST Him for the rest. We are also responsible for Whose we are, do not be hypercritical – identify with Christ that is all. We need to know WHO we are IN Christ. As a believer in Christ, I know I won’t always be respected or befriended. I know that sometimes I risk relationship with those that believe differently. If I am led with Love, and by His Spirit it will have been worth all the risk. It is a reasonable sacrifice for what Christ has done for me.
Thom,
I just read an article on Christianity Today, “Make New Friends, Keep Texting the Old,” which identifies another factor that may explain why churches are less evangelistic. It is summed up it in this one sentence, “In a paradox of the times, technology has helped this generation maintain emotionally close, long-distance friends while staying emotionally distant from local friends.” The result is that people are less likely to invest in new relationships, when they can maintain old relationships through emailing, texting, and social media. Fifty years ago people could maintain connection with old friends only through letters and phone calls. They were more inclined to seek new friends and form new relationships.
Our churches have not made a big enough deal of evangelism and we have not had the training that we need I don’t believe.
I have really enjoyed the article and responses. I would like to offer some thoughts as well.
1) Disenchantment with the Organized Church – As a recovering church planter, I finally admitted the quiet questions of my heart through the church planting process – Is this about reaching people or building prestige? We had a huge launch and great success (in terms of numbers and budget) but it became increasingly harder to continue that momentum. All of our time was spent on the weekend service prep and there was very little connecting with people taking place.
The core team that come together to start the church had all come from a frustrated organized church experience where we felt the leadership was more concerned with building buildings than building the kingdom. So we had as a value that we were not going to focus on getting property but building relationships. The problem was people in the OKC area were concerned with our lack of motivation to build and left. Two years into it, it was shocking when I finally admitted that we were doing the exact same thing – chasing people and money to keep it going – that the churches we left were doing. If as a Preachers Kid I am feeling this way how many more people are also getting this feeling and rejecting this idea of ministry?
2) Consumerism Drives Western Christianity – The trouble with the mega multi-site internet based church phenomenon is we have created comfortable Christians who look for amenities of comfort and completeness verses areas where they can serve. There is something to be said for quality – until quality is the goal and not connecting people with the Spirit.
I find it interesting that most the stories where deep chancing connection with God took place in the Bible are in desolate, wanting, places where desperate people discovered God. There is no desperateness in Western Christianity. How can there be when every church is focused on making the experience as smooth, clean and perfect as possible?
3) Lack of marrying Spiritually Driven Theological Teaching and Ethics in our sermons – I personally believe this is a big one. As our culture becomes blatant as Darkness steps boldly to the forefront, the more we need to be redirecting our teaching to marrying theology and how it must drive our ethics. The felt-needs focus of our sermons has run its course as ministers continue to make humans the focus. We must begin teaching theologically again. When we are silent on this, we reap a culture where individuals are left to reason their own way.
I believe we are living in times similar to Israel in Babylonian exile. We are being indundated with a polytheistic culture and it is time for the scribes and religious leaders to begin penning the story of God! Our sermons need to be teaching more theology and less humanology. The gospel that Jesus taught was not the cross because the cross had not happened yet. He taught on the Kingdom of God. We must begin teaching on the values of the His Kingdom and seek to live those values out in this world.
One of those values – seeking the ones that He is seeking! We have left the church that we planted and are now building home communities that are unashamedly Seeker Sensitive – He (Jesus) is the Seeker. The job of the church is to join him in that search for the pennies, sheep and lost brothers He is still seeking!
here’s Jesus’ analysis and remedy for an apparent thriving assembly that failed His test for evidence of authentic spiritual growth. “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:1-5 ESV). Decisions on “the belt” of a church are not the final evidence of spiritual growth. Disciples who “look” and love like Christ are! Selah!