Church Toolbox - Tools to Build and Grow Your Church

7:15 20 Warm up (mixer): This can be done in groups or with one or two partners.

Encourage people to memorize some appropriate Bible passage each week. For many this is a new experience and an enjoyable challenge. Give them a few minutes each week at the tables to test one another, (light heartedly, of course) to see how they are doing with this.

Introduction To Evangelism: Chapter One in my book "Good News People: An Introduction To Evangelism for Tongue Tied Christians" (Anglican Book Centre, Toronto, 1996) deals in some detail with these questions of what evangelism is, why it is important and what its goal is.

Listing Their Issues: After people have shared some of the issues they hope this course can help them with, it is a good idea to list them on newsprint for everyone to see. This will give you a clearer insight into some of the issues they are struggling with, and you can refer back to it week by week to see how you are doing in addressing their concerns. (Realistically, you probably won't be able to deal with everything they mention.)

Understanding Intimidation: Chapter Four of "Good News People" deals with the issues of intimidation and reluctance.

iii) Would Jesus say the same things it he walked through your parish neighborhood today? If so, what are some of the things he would see that would prompt this response? 'if not, what do you think he might say?

Western theology is facing a difficult hurdle in moving from a heavily Christian societal framework to a post Christian one. We seem to have arranged our theology to where pastoral care is the only practical manifestation of the faith. Such being the case, missions and evangelism are ‘add-on’ activities. They are therefore difficult to promote and fund. The essential nature of the Church is being neglected.[2] When evangelism is neglected, the Church will always be less than it is called to be.

We live in a hurting world. All we have to do to verify that statement is look at TV or read a few sentences of almost any newspaper - war, famine, sickness, violence, abuse, etc. Life is beautiful in many ways, but the world is racked with pain. Life for many is like “Old Man River.”

The Gospel is God’s answer. God’s Good News is about His inexhaustible love for His world and His people. He sent Jesus to rescue us from all our evils. It takes place where God’s heart and human needs meet. The sharing of God’s Good News takes place when God’s people under-stand they have been given the ministry of reconciliation and hope for all.

People Are Lost - Luke 19.1-10, the story of Zacchaeus. Here was a man who was wealthy, successful, and comfortable. Who but Jesus would have described him as lost? Society tells us that life is about getting ahead, acquiring the most “toys.” People who strive to be first according to the world’s standards will find themselves last according to God’s standards. They are lost despite appearances. They are climbing the wrong ladders.

People Yearn for Wholeness - Did you ever look at the “Self Help” section of virtually any bookstore? The selection of topics is breathtaking. What about self-help groups? 12-step programs have been adapted to virtually every addiction. This is the societal context in which we are called to share the Good News, i.e. be evangelists. We share humbly what God has done.

People Are Lonely - Loneliness is one of our greatest societal problems. Ever read the “Personal” ads? We do not even know our neighbors. Garage door openers have destroyed neighborhood life. As we think about evangelism, we are not to be deceived by appearances. We have better relationships with TV characters than real people.[3]

People Need Hope - In all human hearts is the desire for significance. Ever watch a new parent gazing at their new baby - you are the next _____! Many find society’s answers are simply insufficient, not enough substance to satisfy. “Life has to be more than what I experience.” In the context of people’s wondering, searching, and questioning, evangelism is carried out.

People Need Forgiveness - People thinking about evangelism must remember there are depths of guilt, regret, and remorse in the hearts of many people. Many have very uneasy consciences, mostly justifiably so - dishonesty, infidelity, violence, etc. People want to start over with a fresh page in their book. People have lots of things they would like to forget. The Gospel speaks directly to all these issues! That is Good News!

People Fear Death - All of us know we are going to die. Somehow it doesn’t make sense. Why should a lifetime of learning and accomplishment be snuffed out? Why should we be taken from all that is familiar and comforting? What does death hold for us? We worship youth and beauty. We spend exorbitant sums to hide the signs of aging, loss of vitality. The Gospel has the answer here as well! Christ has won the decisive battle over death. The power of death is only temporary! In a culture which is traumatized by its fear and denial of death, the work of evangelism is vital!

The Parable of the Prodigal (or Lost) Son, Luke 15.11-32, gives a glimpse into God’s heart for mankind. The son had all the human characteristics we have just described.

The boy had never been a parent. He could not have imagined in his wildest dreams the anxieties and fears that his parents had for his safety, his health, his well being, his care, etc. Would they ever see him again? They had no idea. As time passed it seemed less and less likely. And so the father constantly scanned the horizon for some sign that his boy was coming home. Hope against hope that today would be the day.

One day the father saw a figure he recognized! It was too good to be true! Today was the day all his prayers were answered! It was his son! He was coming home! There was no speech. There was no scorn. No questions about the lost property. No “I told you so’s.” Only unspeakable joy, filled the father’s heart. He embraced the boy, he wept, he sent word to all his friends, he organized a celebration! It was party time!

This parable describes God’s heart, aching for a lost world, and rejoicing over every son and daughter who finds their way back home. Jesus invites all the lost and hurting to come home, to be welcomed back into the family.

What’s all the fuss about evangelism? It is about a broken world and a loving God. A God who immerses Himself in our situations in order to heal our pain and rescue us from evil. It is about a God who invites those who have heard and responded to the good news, to share it with all others until the whole world knows.

Kids fight over who gets to tell Grandma something wonderful when she comes for a visit. If evangelism is sharing good news, why does the call to evangelism so frequently sound like bad news?

Charlatans Most of us have questions about people who are just too slick, whether they be car salesmen or evangelists. There seems to be a certain lack of authenticity. Artificiality comes across as highly questionable.

Unwelcome Intrusions Some of us think of evangelism as knocking on doors and confronting and embarrassing people (mostly ourselves). Some us have experienced ‘pit bull’ sensitivity and opt out immediately.

“Religious Fanatics” Some people have an amazing and annoying genius for turning every possible conversation topic into religion. Often they also have the gift of thinking they (and only they) know all the right answers.

Suspicions of Self-Interest and Empire Building Sometimes we get the feelings that some people are after us only for our participation, to up the Sunday count and the Monday count i.e. the attendance and bank deposit.

We cannot use our suspicions and our tendencies to stereotype evangelists to dismiss them out of hand. We must develop sensitive ways of evangelism which are true to the Gospel, honor Christ and let us be honest.

Pluralism, Tolerance, and Relativism Americans have always placed high value on independence of thought and action. We tolerate lots of diverse issues in the name of freedom. We ask ourselves why should we interfere with another’s right to believe as they see fit, or try to change their minds? Unfortunately we confuse pluralism with relativism. Pluralism has to do with allowing for diversity of lifestyles, beliefs, and rights to choose. Relativism goes beyond pluralism to assert that all choices and systems are equally valid. Truth therefore, is what works best for any given person.

Pluralism is wonderful in the sense that Christianity can be compared in the market place of peoples lives. Nothing can compare to what Christ offers. Relativism should be denied with equal passion as it cuts the heart out of vital Christian faith. Christianity centers on the particularity of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection as the only answer to set us free from death and to reconcile us to God and with each other.

We must be free to choose Christ or reject Him. But God wants all people everywhere to hear about Jesus so they can make their responses.

Cynicism We have been misled by authorities of diverse kinds so often, we have become cynical about authority in general and the Church in particular. Sales organizations spend huge amounts of resources on developing compelling pitches for their products. We know and they know and they know that we know that the salesmen are stretching the truth to, and sometimes beyond, its limits. We tend to dismiss evangelists as nothing more than salesmen trying to sell us on spending time and money in places which are dull, inept, and for the most part irrelevant.

The indiscretions of some Church leaders and, the more often than not, negative light in which the Church is cast in movies and TV, naturally makes us think more about remaining undercover than evangelism. Many feel embarrassed to invite friends to Church because they feel the service lifeless, music outdated, preaching irrelevant, building maintenance lacking, and the congregation superficial or even unfriendly. Where these conditions exist, change must occur.

Conversely, there is a wide spread spiritual hunger as people look for wholeness and meaning. They sense somehow in all the deception around them, there must be something somewhere which is solid and meaningful. Many are willing to consider Jesus even if not the Church.

Evangelism has to lead us to invite friends to come to Church with us and hear about Jesus.

Sometimes Church leadership really is lacking, but mostly we just lack confidence in ourselves and we lack confidence in the Gospel.

Lack of Confidence in Ourselves Most of us are not like highly extroverted lobbyists. Mostly we like to simply blend in with the crowd, but as Christians we know we are called to stand apart. We feel we do not understand the Gospel well enough to share it adequately. Often we are not even sure we are Christians.

Lack of Confidence in the Gospel Many people doubt whether the basic tenets of the faith are true and whether the Gospel does in fact, have the power to change lives so that people will be reborn and develop a passion for God’s reign. Reasons for this include, lack of serious teaching and study, unawareness of adult conversions, and confusion resulting from Church leaders who question and/or deny the core doctrine of the faith.

Most of the American Church acts like the work of the Church is to hold worship services and provide pastoral care. We call that model ‘Christendom’ and that model is dead. The Church is in a missionary situation. It calls for a radical refocusing of what we are and what we do. If we choose to focus on all the reasons why evangelism will be difficult, we will easily be intimidated and shrink from the challenge. But if, like the two faithful spies,[5] we stay focused on our mission and remember that God is with us, we will experience God’s goodness and His faithfulness.

[1] Harold Percy, Good News People, Anglican Book Centre, Toronto, Canada, 1996, unless otherwise noted.

[2] David Bosch, Believing in the Future,.......

[3] Personal observations of B. W. Wait III.

[4] Harold Percy, Good News People, Anglican Book Centre, Toronto, Canada, 1996, unless otherwise noted.

[5] Numbers 13 and 14.