This article also appeared in the UM Connection and on the Baltimore-Washington Conference website.
During his opening conversations with our conference, Bishop Matthews offered an encouragement and a challenge: that each United Methodist bring one other person to Christ. In a normal universe, this goal would be terribly modest. Instead for many, it’s just terrifying. For lots of folks in our pews, ministries, and small groups, evangelism has become “the ‘e’ word” – a subject we’d prefer to avoid, and for heaven’s sakes if you find yourself doing it be sure to wash your hands after and don’t bring it up in polite company. I tried fixing the “e” word by dropping the “e” (see the title) but ended up with “vangelism”, and that sounds like “vandalism”, which is another way we seem to look at it: something inflicted by Christians on unsuspecting pagans and seekers, rabbit-punching them with the Bible or a tract when they’re off-guard.
Once I heard someone say, and with no sense of irony, “We’re just not an evangelistic church.” That’s like saying, “It’s not a leafing tree”, “these salmon don’t spawn”, “our army never shoots”, or “in this league, we don’t actually swing the bat”. (Or to use Jesus’ example: “tasteless salt”.) It’s a contradiction – but to the extent it’s true, defeat and death are the result. Or maybe, just maybe, the problem isn’t the word, but what we’ve made of it (perhaps let other people make of it) in our heads?
What is it, then? Well, maybe evangelism is like ...
A Hot Tip. There’s an old saying that evangelism is one beggar showing another where to find bread. That’s true – but it’s more persuasive if you are hungry and love bread yourself. Stale saltines will provide needed calories, but I’d much rather be offered a sticky bear claw, still warm from the baker’s oven. The difference is between information and inspiration. A few years back, my personal time-management system was collapsing under the load it had to bear. Then I found a system that actually worked – and I was so excited I couldn’t stop talking about it. (I should have been on commission: I know I sold a bunch of books for that author!) Then I realized, “Omigosh, this is what our witness as Christians is supposed to be like.” When you move into a new town, you search for the best garage and doctor; but we have the greatest Life-Mechanic and Physician of souls to refer to people! This is called “contact evangelism”, and a wonderful resource is still Becky Pippert’s Out of the Saltshaker and Into the World.
A Pair of Tix. The Orioles. Maryland football. The National Symphony Orchestra. The Bolshoi Ballet. The National Prayer Breakfast. The Naval Academy Choir. These are all examples of things I might never have gotten into on my own, but someone gave me tickets, or made them available to buy when scarce. And when I’ve got great, hard-to-get seats I can’t use, I don’t waste them if I can get someone to use them. We have the hottest news ever, the best admission in the universe – and we don’t lose our place when we give it away to someone else! A good resource is Becoming a Contagious Christian.
A Last-minute Sitter. If you’re a parent, you know that cold grip of panic which seizes you on the night of a long-planned commitment with your spouse when the sitter calls, saying, “I have an exam / sick aunt / pink eye and just can’t make it tonight.” And what a gift it is when a dear soul covers so you can still go out. People all around us live lives filled with needs, each of which is an opportunity to connect out of love for Christ. Some needs are everyday, like the wallpaper of life; others are acute. All are occasions for grace to work ... but we have to know what and how, that’s our job. Robert Pierson’s terrific little book, Needs-Based Evangelism can get you started here.
A Drink at the Bar. Yes, yes, I know: we Methodist types don’t do that. (Puh-lease.) But here’s the deal: at the bar (so they tell me) you can be yourself with your troubles and issues, and say what you like and need to, just so long as you don’t start a fight. Evangelism is about letting people be exactly who they are, and loving them into the Kingdom. This is one reason why the Alpha Course has been so successful (if you don’t know about it, find out!): invite people over, feed them, share a message, then let them respond however they need to with no preconditions or judgments. It’s powerful ... and mostly impossible to find in our world. On top of this, the Church should be like the watering hole in the old sitcom Cheers: “where everyone knows your name”. All of us are misfits in some way: the Church should be where we don’t have to be made to fit, because God says we already do.
First Down. In the runup to Christmas, I had the chance to do some seasonal work for a Christian-based company. It was a great opportunity! This store encourages child sponsorships through a major mission; but not everyone is able to do that, so it offers an easier alternative that will also support the organization’s goal of helping the world’s neediest. If a customer can’t afford $35/month, they might spring $5 one time. There’s a lesson here. In football, each play may not yield a goal, but moving the ball gradually downfield will get the team there. In the life of a person, we may love her or him just one significant step – or just one tiny nudge -- closer to Christ, but that’s okay. Each step, each nudge, is important.
Inking the Deal. In sales, they say, “ABC”: “Always Be Closing”. The prospect may love the vacuum cleaner (encyclopedias, pots and pans ... fill in the blank) but until the deal is closed and the sale executed, they remain prospects and not customers. A salesperson would be fired who was always pointing people to the showroom, praising all the features of the car, and rhapsodizing about the beauty of touring in an automobile ... but never actually sells one. I’ve found that when a person is really ready to give their life to Christ, they drop like ripe fruit into God’s basket – but they need someone to show them the way, to give that gentle tug. (You may end up saying with surprise, as I have, “You do? You mean it?! You’re serious — you want to become a Christian?! Wow!”) But without the invitation, they may never actually cross the threshhold.
A Warm Puppy. OK, well maybe that’s pushing it. But maybe not: I’ve noticed that when my friend’s shih-tzu climbs in my lap, all warm and loving, I don’t want to disturb her by getting up – and she doesn’t want to move, either. I’ve also noticed that when I’m lifting up people who need to meet Jesus, the punch-list quality that can creep into my prayers goes away, and I am stilled and content and dwell longer in the Lord’s lap (so to speak). Prayer is the first step to witnessing the Gospel, and the middle, and the last, too. And it will deepen your own connection to God. A great preacher was said to have had a list of 100 people he was praying to meet Christ. By the time he died, 96 had; the other 4 did at his funeral. A Russian pastor told me before her young people’s camp that 5 of the 40 children were believers; by the time my group visited three weeks later, 38 were. It’s prayer that turns this key.
You may have noticed that I haven’t said anything at all about two things in particular: converting people, and church growth. That’s because it’s the Holy Spirit who changes hearts (converts), not us. And (I know this is heresy) growing churches, like growing corn or cows, is something that Christ makes happen. Our job is to love people into Christ’s presence, introduce them to the Lord, and make sure we’re tilling the soil and setting the stage so that growth isn’t hindered. But the disciple’s call is to give himself / herself away for love of Jesus Christ.
Let’s take up our bishop’s challenge and “each one bring one to Christ” ... let’s commit (to) ‘vangelism!
Charles L. Harrell
Prince Frederick, Maryland (Providence)
22 Jan 2013
S.D.G.
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