Evangelism is . . .
I bet that if we had 100 people, we’d have one hundred definitions of evangelism. I recently heard one say to me
“Evangelism is finding the Presbyterians in my neighborhood.”
Well meaning perhaps, but that’s only an egg hunt for the right colored egg.
Evangelism is more than telling your testimony of faith.
It’s more than proclaiming a set of propositions.
But how do we say it’s more than proclaiming and persuading?
Why I was defining evangelism?
This week, I attended an evangelism committee meeting (Read more: Starting a New Evangelism Committee? What does an Evangelism Committee Do?).
Evangelism Committees often need to define Evangelism.
The evangelism committee makeup changes every year with new members coming on and members rotating off every few years.
Thus, the committee eventually brainstorms AGAIN the answer to the question:
“what is evangelism?”
It is a helpful process since those who volunteer to serve on the committee comes with their own understanding of evangelism based on their background, theological history, training, and theological perspective.
How we searched for a common definition of evangelism
There are many definitions of evangelism.
Searching the web and my library for definitions, I find some are so wide to cover anything related to growing a church, some are so narrow as to the only three correct points in a scripted outline to a stranger, and some are in between.
Our evangelism committee did a little brainstorming exercise with post-its.
One idea per note, grouping the notes into relative categories.
It didn’t take long before we got into very healthy discussions over nuances, meanings, and shades of understanding.
We eventually settled on using a definition from the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA
The definition of Evangelism we used:
Joyfully sharing the good news of the sovereign love of God,
and calling people to repentance,
to personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord,
to active membership in the church, and
to obedient service in the world.
(Definition adopted by the 202nd General Assembly of the PCUSA, 1990).
We settled on this definition of evangelism for many reasons.
- We are Presbyterians and its helpful to appeal to our higher authority (General Assembly).
- It’s theologically rich.
- It includes the activity of sharing, the content of the sovereign love of God, and a fourfold call to commitment.
- It goes beyond the “say-a-prayer” types, and sees the fruit of evangelism as integration into a church and outworking as a disciple.
Over the next few posts, I’ll sharing more about this definition and what it means. In the meantime,
Let me ask you this?
How would you define evangelism?
For more in our series “What is evangelism?”
- What is Evangelism Part 1
- What is Evangelism Part 2
- What is Evangelism Part 3
- What is Evangelism Part 4
- What is Evangelism Part 5
- More Evangelism Definitions
- More Definitions of Evangelism
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I define evangelism as . . . In God’s strength alone, obeying the Holy Spirit’s prompt to share Jesus, in word and/or in action, with a person who has not yet accepted Christ as Lord and Savior.
– Gary Wybenga
Gary:
A great definition. How would you share Jesus in an action? How would it be done so that the once receiving the action would know you are sharing Jesus?
Pastor Chris
You’re it for comment tag! Keep up the great work.
People, Books and Christ.
I’m just learning on this one but it might sound something like…showing Jesus to the world and then telling them all about Him.
Hey Chris,
I’m new to your blog here, but evangelism is something that I’m getting more and more comfortable with and so I have been searching out other good evangelistic blogs to help me learn and discuss.
I just thought I would note, that I live in Chesapeake and also attend a PCUSA church in Great Bridge. So we seem to be close to each other.
That is if your still in Richmond.
Anywho, My definition of evangelism?
Well these are just my personal thoughts here, but I kind of see ‘witnessing’ and ‘evangelism’ as being two separate functions.
I’ve always thought of witnessing as allowing people to see Christ in us. In our witnessing, we focus on the fruits of the spirit to our neighbors or we are loving our neighbors. We make it known to the people around us that we are Christian but we have yet the opportunity to actually share the gospel.
I believe our witness is very vital and important to allow God to open the doors for us to actually share the gospel and or evangelize.
I see ‘evangelism’ as actually articulating the gospel message either by voice or by writing.
Our witness shows the love of Christ to non-believers allowing them to see something different about us, allowing them to see the Holy Spirits work in our lives. But it doesn’t yet allow them to know what they must do to be saved.
Anyway, that’s how I kinda always saw it. But of course, I very well could be wrong and I am here to learn as well as to share what little I know.
I have found though that it often, for myself, seems that God prepares peoples hearts through a good witness and then draws them to us to be able to share the gospel, it is then that we can open up our bibles as Gods objective truth and go through a few versus with them, showing them of our sinful condition, of God’s holy standard and of His condemnation of sinners; of His redemptive plan; of our need for a savior and of course of who Jesus Christ is and why He had to die on the cross for our sins and how He has been resurrected and will someday come back in judgment; and how, as long as we proclaim Him as our lord and savior and place our faith and trust in Him, that we too may have eternal life with Him.
In His grace,
Dave.
I consider evangelism to be: Sharing my personal relationship with the Lord undergirded by the power of the Holy Spirit in such a way that others are drawn into a relationship with God via Jesus Christ that transforms their lives and the lives of those around them.
Pastor Chris:
May I restate the question as . . .
How may we share Jesus in an action?
In perfect surrender to the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to take an action that totally contradicts the world’s way. Only our Lord’s imagination can inspire such creativity in us. When God-ordained action takes place, clearly it points to Him. And, such an action, in the eyes of the receiver, gives no benefit to us who deliver.
– Gary
Hi Chris,
First off, I would say that if you were to explain it in a blanket statement it would be, “Sharing Jesus Christ with the world as both Lord and Savior, led by The Holy Spirit”. In short it would be sharing The Gospel.
Our methods may be different, but the message should always be THE GOSPEL.
Our methods are different as we can all see. They are different to each person. We are all created differently. We have different personalities, different temperaments etc. God has made us just right for His own purposes.
Those I can’t reach for The Gospel you can, and vice versa.
We have different gifts and callings also, given us from God for His purposes.
As we work together with these differences, then God’s power begins to be unified and there is no match for it.
Be blessed,
Richard
I’ve enjoyed these comments and are grateful for your participation. Welcome aboard.