Fall 2024 · Vol. 53 No. 2 · pp. 187–193
Ministry Compass
A Renewed Passion for Evangelism to Revitalize the Church
In spite of the statistics of decline, a strong belief remains among Mennonite Brethren leaders that evangelism is a critical central focus of the church. Sam Reimer, sociologist and recent member of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (CCMBC) Executive Board, said in 2015, “. . . if there is a decline in evangelicalism, it will be less dramatic, and that is because there is still an emphasis on evangelism.” 1
Renewed evangelism in your church leads to renewed confidence in the enduring ministry of the gospel and renewed investment in that ministry.
The past decades have brought a significant time of change for Canadian evangelicals as the locus of authority has shifted from institutions to individuals. Reimer outlines this change in his book, Caught in the Current: British and Canadian Evangelicals in an Age of Self-Spirituality, “The zeitgeist of our time, with its internal authority and journey toward inner wholeness, is so widespread within Western culture that few are unaffected by it, even if they are unaware of its subtle influence.” 2 For many p. 188 in Christian leadership, this cultural shift, along with any emphasis on outdated methods of evangelism, has been discouraging and demoralizing.
I believe that emphasis on sharing the good news of Jesus, and the relevant avenues we choose to share that message, are the key differentiating factors for churches that are experiencing growth and vitality. The apostle Paul encourages us to share the gospel message and not hold tightly to the methods:
Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it! (1 Cor 9:19-23, The Message)
The following story of a dying church was shared with me several years ago. A mainline church in the U.S. had only thirty members. There were no children, and the average age of attendees was over eighty years of age. They loved their liturgical style of service. It was their financial crisis that caught their attention. They prayed for a radical change to revitalize their church. The idea was proposed to have Alpha meetings for the community during Sunday worship time, a series of group conversations that explore the basics of the Christian faith in an open environment. An affirmative vote resulted in half the congregation leaving. After the first round of Alpha, the church had grown by twenty new attendees, including families with young children. Through continued rounds of Alpha during Sunday morning worship, their church was revived, and their prayers were answered. By radically laying down their own preferences and risking evangelism in their community, they found new life, new friends, and new passion for following Jesus. Renewed passion for evangelism saved their church.
What could renewed passion for evangelism do for your own congregation? The following are ten ways renewed passion for evangelism impacts the church.
1. Reminds us that there is a spiritual realm and reinvigorates our prayer life. As we go about our days among a culture that sees all religions as leading to a good life, peace, and societal harmony, we can be squeezed into the world’s mold (Rom 12:2). The world would have us p. 189 believing on one hand that the Christian message is one of many ways to live your life, forgetting that the things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14). On the other hand, we can believe that people are the enemy of our culture or our church. We lose sight of the darkness and blindness of those who are without the light of the world (Matt 5:14; John 8:12; 9:5). When we are involved in evangelism, we enter the spiritual realm, with the armor of God employed in our lives to be strong in him and in his mighty power (Eph 6:10). We take our eyes off people as the center of a spiritual battle and enter a place where prayer is a way of engaging spiritual strongholds to be released. It is a way of listening to God for his guidance and aligning with the Holy Spirit as we intercede for revival. I was inspired by John Smed, author of Prayer Revolution, when I first met him over a decade ago. He says about his book, “We wanted to compile [the rationale for prayer from many different angles] into a single incontestable argument on the primacy of prayer in the advancing of the kingdom of God.” 3
2. Attunes the heart of church leadership to what truly matters to God. In the life of church leadership, many issues can become a focus. From minor decisions to major conflict, the church can be distracted. These important issues need to be addressed without losing our focus on sharing the good news of Jesus. Evangelism reminds us what our efforts are about—the belief that a life following Jesus will bring freedom (Gal 5:1), abundance (John 10:10), and eternal life (John 3:16) to those who follow him. Jesus shared the radical importance of leaving the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep (Matt 18:12). When a seeker or new believer becomes a part of our relationship circle, we are reminded of how much hope and life there is in the gospel of Jesus. Welcoming seekers and new believers into your church can also expose traditions that need to be diminished or decommissioned in order to prioritize those who are looking for new life in Christ. In our church, we recently invited people in the church to triad dinners with three “units” joining together for three consecutive meals; these units could be composed of parents/children, friend groups, or singles. A new way of communicating created a welcome for all.
3. Invites the ministry of the Holy Spirit into the life of the church. In the book of Acts, we see the ministry of the Holy Spirit “take over” the church, bringing new believers and emblazoning radical living as a community who need each other for spiritual and practical support. The Holy Spirit brings wisdom, comfort, and healing along with spiritual gifts and guidance. The Holy Spirit transforms the life of the new believers, giving courage to face sin with repentance—and reminding the church that we are all in need of repentance. The Holy Spirit establishes the level ground at the foot of the cross and redeems the church of moralistic p. 190 arrogance through repentance, mercy, and grace. The Holy Spirit revitalizes the church through new believers joining the community and bringing with them an authenticity and sincerity that is reminiscent of the prayer of the publican (Luke 18:10-14). Recently, our church heard the baptism testimony of a man who reengaged his faith in Jesus. He shared how he practiced praying while hiking. Surprising other hikers, it took him some time to realize that others pray silently as they hike! His joy in praying was evident and inspired us all to pray while we hike or walk.
4. Establishes a lens through which all ministry can be viewed and an approach to how all church ministries are undertaken. A mission statement that emphasizes leading people to love and follow Christ is the lens through which we see the use of the church building, the coffee budget, the work bees to clean up the property, the vision to be an accessible building for all, the focus on one-to-one support for children in need—and much more. This lens changes the emphasis from “me and mine” to “us and ours.” If outreach is key to the ministry of your church, you can rejoice in well-worn carpet, in chips in the paint, and in the need for more space for children’s ministry. Even something as unreligious as a recent upgrade to the ramp at the front entrance of our church seen through the lens of evangelism is a worthwhile financial investment. All who wish to enter the front door of the church are now able to do so. We are increasingly known in our community as a place of respect, dignity, and welcome.
5. Provides mutually transformative relationship opportunities. When does the work of relationship happen in the life of the church? For many, deep friendships are forged in the work of shared ministry—local and international outreach opportunities that are hard work but transformative for learning and change. It is through leading Alpha or building a house in Mexico that relationships are formed that bind the community of believers in your church together. Not only do these initiatives create internal friendships, they serve to create lifelong friendships through outreach. The mission statement of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) inspires me: “MCC serves as a channel of interchange by building relationships that are mutually transformative.” They testify that, “Unexpected moments of transformation [have] upended expectations of who gives and who receives.” 4 Being involved in compassionate and invitational evangelism necessarily entails being involved in people’s lives, giving opportunity for fostering deeper understanding and transforming our hearts as we grow together in faith.
6. Centralizes kindness, compassion, grace, and mercy in your church, developing mature models to be followed. Freedom Sessions, GriefShare, and Celebrate Recovery can be evangelistic and formational p. 191 for leaders in your church. They often require the facilitators to have completed the program before leading others. The format of the interactions requires listening to the others in the group and being listened to when it’s your turn. It sets a tone of respect and invites reflection on your own life in light of what you hear, share, and experience. When you engage in these types of programs in your congregation, you develop people who are models to be followed. The apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Cor 11:1). Henry Cloud, psychologist and author, offers the following characteristics of those who are models for us:
Research shows that models who are followed, which ultimately means trusted, are models who have the following characteristics: 1. They possess strength [others can depend upon you]; 2. They possess “likeness” to the ones following them [vulnerable enough to identify with you]; 3. They are warm; 4. They are imperfect, and coping models, as opposed to perfect ones. 5
7. Grows the church deeper and wider. If you and your church are involved with Alpha or another systematic discussion-based introduction to the Christian faith, you will find that facilitators in these programs grow in maturity in their own faith. Not only are they receiving the foundations of following Jesus, they are being asked theological questions by those who are far from understanding the Christian faith. Pastors can struggle to find people in their own life circles who are seeking conversations on faith. Alpha is a great place for you to engage in meaningful conversations. It also grows the theological foundations of your leaders and lifts their biblical understanding and convictions. An Alpha leader shared, “Alpha encouraged me to revisit these foundational aspects of my faith, including the life and teachings of Jesus, the power of prayer, and the significance of the Bible. It was like reacquainting myself with an old friend and discovering new depths in our relationship.” 6
8. Reminds us that God radically transforms lives, breaking generational patterns of sin and redeeming people’s past for his glory. “Jesus’ vision was that we would be a city on a hill and that people would see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven of their own accord, irrespective of the laws on the books, the rulings of the courts, or the leaders in power.” 7 In their book, Creative Minority, Jon Tyson and Heather Grizzle invite the reader to explore a vision for a church that is “radically dissimilar to the world’s own manner and which contradicts it in a way that is full of promise.” 8 In the first of six defining characteristics, they describe the reputation of a covenant community to be determined by “the level of self-sacrificing commitment to our neighbors and our willingness p. 192 to see things through even when things get hard.” 9 Is it difficult to minister to young people whose lives are filled with trauma, disillusionment, and a deep desire for connection? Is it radical to reach into another generation with love and determination, to fan into flame the spiritual gift of a new believer (2 Tim 1:6)? God reaches to those whose feet are stuck in a slimy pit of mud and sets their feet on a rock, a firm place to stand. He puts a new song in their mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. And what happens next? Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him (Ps 40:1-3). God transforms lives, and seeing it firsthand revitalizes the church.
9. Fulfills our calling in the work of reconciliation in this world. Everyone who follows Jesus has been reconciled with God through Christ and is called to the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18). In his book, Anabaptist Essentials, Palmer Becker states that “Reconciliation is the center of our work.” 10 As the supervisor of our chaplaincy ministry on a large seniors campus-of-care, I hear the chaplains recount stories of unreconciled families gathering around the bed of their dying parent. The chaplain’s ministry is an invitation to repentance and forgiveness—with God and with each other. And there are precious times when this work happens around the bed of a dying parent. Is reconciliation the center of your work as a pastor? As a leader? Is it the center of your church’s work? Reaching out to those who do not know the forgiveness of a Savior is a work that requires leadership, humility, investment, accountability, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. How are we providing opportunity and invitation for those in our churches to do this central work of reconciliation?
10. Provides confidence in the mission of your church, the enduring ministry of the gospel. Sam Reimer states that “what a church needs to do is to present a religiosity that is unique enough, and distinctive enough from the culture around it, that it creates a strong identity and sense of belonging. . . . When churches lose distinctiveness, they don’t create a strong sense of identity and belonging.” 11 If your church has the same mission as the local foodbank or rotary club, what confidence will your congregants place in the enduring ministry of the gospel happening through your church? As followers of Christ, we are called to be faithful stewards of our spiritual gifts, our time, our money, and our lives (1 Pet 4:10). Renewed evangelism in your church leads to renewed confidence in the enduring ministry of the gospel and renewed investment in that ministry. p. 193
NOTES
- “The FT Interview: Sam Reimer,” Faith Today, September–October 2015, 27, https://digital.faithtoday.ca/faithtoday/20150910?pg=27#pg27.
- Sam Reimer, Caught in the Current: British and Canadian Evangelicals in an Age of Self-Spirituality (Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023), 35. [See a section excerpted from this book in the article by Reimer in this issue of the journal—Ed.]
- John Smed, Prayer Revolution: Rebuilding the Church and City through Prayer (Chicago: Moody, 2018, 2020); quotation from https://youtu.be/FPcLqydadY4?si=1BY1ueu9B7ICwNzU.
- MCC Intersections, 2 December 2020, https://mccintersections.wordpress.com/2020/12/02/connecting-people-mcc-exchange-and-the-possibility-of-transformation/.
- Dr. Henry Cloud’s Facebook page, 6 June 2016.
- Clementine Rose blog, “How the Alpha Course Impacted My Faith Journey,” 10 October 2023, https://clementinerose.co.uk/how-the-alpha-course-impacted-my-faith-journey/.
- Jon Tyson and Heather Grizzle, A Creative Minority: Influencing Culture through Redemptive Participation (Self-Published, 2016), 15.
- Tyson and Grizzle, 16.
- Tyson and Grizzle, 24.
- Palmer Becker, Anabaptist Essentials: Ten Signs of a Unique Christian Faith (Harrisonburg, VA: Herald, 2017), 11.
- “The FT Interview: Sam Reimer,” 27.
