What Our Church Needs

Re: Reclaiming Evangelism, October
How refreshing to see the cover story on evangelism. We sideline evangelism in our church life at our peril. The first words of Jesus’ ministry were ardently evangelistic and unavoidably personal: “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe the Good News.” (Mark 1:15) This message remained at the core of Jesus’ teaching whether he was speaking to a Pharisee or the woman caught in adultery. We have neglected it.
As one who was much involved in congregational evangelism, I was once invited by one of our seminary lecturers to provide some input into a course on evangelism he was going to teach. I put together several pages of material. He replied, “Sorry, but the course is on the history of evangelism.”
Why has the Presbyterian Church in Canada so deliberately abandoned its spiritual “nursery?” Why are there so few conversions among us? One reason may be that too many have believed that spiritually empty cliché: show the love of Jesus and if necessary use words. Jesus showed love in healing many people. And they all died eventually. But those who took his words to heart, believed who he was and repented, would live again. This is the part that is the Good News and we have sidelined it.
But our problem is not really about evangelism. It’s that we love Jesus too little. But then how can you love someone you do not know and how can you know someone you do not seek? Biblical preaching and teaching can awaken a spiritual hunger and turn comfortable religious people into seekers of the rule of Christ in their lives. We actually need to begin to fall in love with God. If we don’t really need to turn from our sins and turn to the Lord and love Him, why bother preaching? Nothing eternal is at stake!
I recall a young bank teller who had just received her engagement ring. She counted out my cash for me that day with such a flourish. She was hoping I would notice the ring and ask her about the one whom she had come to love.
I am so thankful for those who pressed home to me with some urgency the primary truths of the only gospel that saves. We have a gospel to be proud of in the PCC. We need to offer practical courses at a seminary level for students who love the Lord and the lost enough to want to learn some of the skills necessary for effective congregational evangelism. There is also a need to develop a group of people who can lead training workshops at a congregational level. It could be the very means the Lord uses to inject new life and new blood into the PCC.