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’m not sure whether the definition of “disciple” has slowly weakened to minimize evangelism and prayer while maybe enlarging fellowship and worship. I am involved in looking for a new pastor for a church and I find many of the applicants very soft on personal evangelism (and these are Southern Baptists).
Also, recently there is a missing hiker in my area who disappeared more than a week ago. I am frustrated that the appropriate searchers have abandoned the search. It has caused me to wonder if myself and my church has abandoned the search for the lost around us?
The love for God and Jesus is growing cold in many churches in America these days. As a result God’s ways are not being followed.
Let’s examine our ways and return to doing things according to our heavenly Father’s ways:
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:7 – 14)
May I add a comment that can not be ignored? If the pastor is not red-hot engaged in evangelism, neither will the congregation.
Sharing the gospel is the greatest joy of the Chistian life. People are missing out on the pleasure and privilege of being used by God in His exciting work.
I found Way of The Master method to be effective to show people the bad and the good news. I love handing out million dollar bills and asking people the million dollar question. “Will you go to heaven when you die?” “Would you consider yourself to be a good person?” Then I take them through the 10 commandments humbly explaining that I too have broken God’s laws. So if God were to judge you -us according to the 10 commandments would you be innocent or guilty? Would you go to heaven or hell? How wonderful to watch Gods Word work to reveal their sin and need for a Savior. Then I get to share the greatest news this world has ever heard!
Pray for a burden for the lost. You can share what Christ has done for you! Although many don’t want to hear, there are some who do listen and hear!
it’s my view that most evangelistic outreach is nothing more than a program to promote our churches not the glory of God. So, that is to say, we teach evangelism to talk about how great our church is rather than how great our God is.
Evangelism is not being demonstrated by church leaders.
I moved to a new city over the Summer and I am still looking for a church to plug into. When I ask people about their church I get answers regarding the preaching, the worship, or fellowship of the congregation. No one has invited me to church because the pastor is closing the doors Sunday morning so the entire church can go out into the community and connect with people.
As much as I would like to see everyone have a heart for the lost and know how to reach out to them through osmosis, by sleeping with the Bible sitting on the nightstand; evangelism needs to be taught. Jesus spent time teaching and training the disciples by example before sending them out.
Wow! what a hot topic. I had better admit my failures up front. as a retired pastor I taught personal evangelism to all members who would hear me and was an example for them. But I didn’t always do my best and sometimes only did it to be an example instead of for the right reason.
now I am in a church where pastor neither teaches nor practices any kind of personal evangelism.
bottom line- so whose fault is it. the fault will ultimately go back to every individual believer who owns a Bible. no matter what is taught or not taught or shown or not shown we still have the command from our Lord to win others to Christ, not just convert other denominations or sister church members.
again, I am a failure when I truly honestly measure my witnessing by the Biblical standard
What to do to fix the problem?? spend more time in personal Bible study and encourage our church leaders as much as we can . I know some are weary.
May God have mercy on us (He will) for our lack of work on earth.
I haven’t read all of the comments here but read at least 30 or so. I am a school teacher in NC and I can’t put any blame on my pastor for not training me to be evangelistic, this seems like so many other comments to be an excuse. If you are a genuine believer do you not have the example and teachings of Christ, of Paul, Peter, the early church? Secondly do you not have the power of the Holy Spirit that will bring to remembrance all things and teach you all things? We had a small group the other day on Sunday afternoon and I mentioned how I would form a good rapport with my students and we have what I call life lessons where I subtly but intentionally lead them to an understanding that Christ fulfills all their needs, after saying this all of the small group members looked at me in udder shock like I was insane for trying to share my faith. Our ministry is wherever we go, not inside four walls of a church.
Separation of church and state was invented and instituted by man but do we not answer to a higher authority, a higher command or law from God? If government restrictions or laws prohibit us from sharing our faith who are we to follow God or the government? I have found most Christians try to live somewhere in the middle which seems to be very ineffective from an evangelistic standpoint. They try to live as a Christian outside their work life and at church but live as an “unknown’ in their place of work or secular world. Sadly most of their life outside of work is rather Christian so sharing their faith presents very few opportunities.
Lastly, I believe the average church member has been taught to heavily rely on grace. Don’t get me wrong I believe whole-heartedly we are saved by faith in Christ alone, but the representation of a true or living faith is made clear in the book of James, which is works. Works obviously will not save but is only an outward marker that we truly understand the gospel.
Many so called Christians think or are taught by the actions of their other church members or their parents that “hey if I walk an aisle, say a prayer, get baptized, clean up my external sins, hide my internal sins, and live a relatively normal moral life I must be a Christian right.” They have little to no understanding that works [in this case evangelism] will eventually be a by product of a genuine faith in Christ. Can we call ourselves a Christian but not at least try to stop people with God’s help from going to hell?
Blaming or at least pointing out that evangelism is not be taught by church leadership is not a cop out. It is pointing out a lack of demonstrating (or living out) a fundamental act for anyone who is a Christ follower. Understand that when I point things out I humbly admit there are three fingers from my own hand pointing back at myself. On my own I am not motivated to evangelize because of my own doubts and lack of boldness. But there have been times where I have accompanied mature Christians on various mission trips and outreach events and I witness how others evangelize. I have then been challenged to step out in faith and engage strangers to share the love of Jesus.
I write all that to say that Christians need to be taught, shown and challenged to evangelize. When you read in the book of Acts how the Jerusalem church grew, you have to understand that those Christians were under the leadership of the disciples. The disciples in turn had been taught, shown and challenged to evangelize by Jesus.
I believe a huge problem is believers look to methods to save people rather than the Holy Spirit. When the “best techniques” don’t work, believers get discouraged. We must be reminded that God adds to the church. We are commanded to share the Gospel, not save anyone.
Regarding #8, Left Behind Theology has promoted an increasing pessimistic view of the future and has put Christians in retreat mode, hoping for the Rapture while the world collapses around them. We need to look at historical theology, especially as it relates to eschatology, and diagnose our current End Time views for what they are- defeatist, pessimistic and unbiblical. The slain Lamb, the Word of God, shall conquer.
Incredible! (I missed church this week due to my daughter not feeling well) Lo and behold, during ‘church service hours’ I heard a knock on my door. They say, “Hi, I’m Alex and this is Mattie, we came by to show you our new Bible app for the deaf.” I say, “And who are you with?” They say, “We are Jehovah Witnesses ….” You can imagine the lengthy conversation that ensued (the truth in love).
The point is this, think about the cunning strategy the Jehovah Witnesses have deployed. Knocking on doors when all the ‘church people’ are in church. Who is left at home? All of the ‘unchurch people’. They are taking a calculated action that the people who answer the door on Sunday morning are most likely ‘unchurched’, unaffiliated. While we are gathering as a ‘church’, the devil is out knock on doors, peddling lies.
Wow! We’ve gotta step up our game as Church leaders and equip our people to reach other people every day, in every situation possible.
I guarantee you the training that has to be done won’t happen from a pulpit alone, it must be personal and personalized training (like a ‘strength and conditioning’ coach in football, right there in the weight room with each player).
We better get focused on equipping our people to ‘make disciples’, ‘win souls’, ‘be not ashamed’, ‘be bold in our speech and actions’, and ‘ready to give an answer to the hope that is inside each one of us’.
It is alarming to think that false religions are out-hustling us in evangelism. It is alarming to think that we have raised a generation of believers who are more focused on being ‘Christian-like’ than being ‘Christ-like’. We have a Revelation chapter 2&3 situation on our hands. Let him or her who has an ear, hear! …
Lord, take us back to 1 Timothy 3:15 and Matthew 16:18-19,24-25!
Hi,
We knock on doors Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday-365 days a year!