Evangelism Revisited

The "E" Word Revisited
Evangelism in the Episcopal Church

The attention the Episcopal Church has gotten in recent months as a result of the decisions of General Convention 2003 has provided us with an unprecedented opportunity. People are aware of us in a way that has not been true before. While some are discomfited by what they have heard, others are intrigued by the idea of a mainline religious body that would take risks to welcome a segment of society that has historically been pushed to the fringes. It suggests to them that there might be room for "sinners" in The Church.

Unfortunately, the word evangelism has been hijacked. Jesus did not say, "Go ye therefore and pass out tracts on street corners." Tracts on street corners may have a role in the total range of evangelism strategies, but it is just one small role in a vast range of options. There is a place in God’s kingdom for introverts.

"God’s Frozen People," believing along with most of the Western World that evangelism means "in-your-face" proselytizing, have largely given up on the idea. As a result, the vast numbers of the "unchurched" for whom that style of evangelism is anathema have concluded that the Church is certainly not for them. Our refusal to entertain the notion of telling our story has stranded millions outside of God’s loving community.

Evangelism is nothing more than telling a story—a story that we want to tell because the activities in which we are engaged are so compelling that we are confident that some others (but not all) will be equally enriched by participating with us. We might not choose to accost strangers on street corners or even endlessly bend the ears of acquaintances. But we will also not hold our tongues when simple opportunities arise to say a word or two about the things that are going on in our church.

This presupposes, of course, that something compelling is going on in the church. If that is not the case, evangelism is the last thing to be worrying about. The message lies in transformed lives—hearts and minds. That is where evangelism begins.
Ours is an age in which evangelism has come to mean something narrow. This is true to such an extent that the popular press refers to conservative Christians as "evangelicals." While that may be understandable in the light of recent history, it is also a tragedy.

Diverse congregations should undertake diverse approaches to the task of spreading the Word. That, and not "everyone do it the same way" is how the broadest number of hearts will be reached. The large number of people without a church home may well be the result of too few churches seeking to find "their" way of telling the story.

This article is a brief article excerpted from a book in progress, Mission and Ministry: A Vision-Based Approach to the Work of the Church, by Dr. Doug Borwick.