Make Time To Talk About It

The default position is to let evangelism slide to the back of our priorities in life. Weekly, I do an inventory of my activities and ministry, and I have failed in evangelism more often than I want to admit. That is incongruous for a "missions guy.” I’ve devoted my life to the advancement of the Great Commission but get so busy in the “ministry” that I forget to minister the gospel. I suspect I'm not the only one with this challenge. One of the strategies that a church can employ to keep evangelism on the front burner is to schedule a time each week to talk about it.

I was involved in a church plant that started in a home. The nature of meeting in a house is that it tends to be a bit more informal. Therefore, we scheduled 10-15 minutes each Sunday morning service to talk about how we are doing in evangelism. People would tell about evangelistic encounters during the past week and discuss plans to evangelize in the coming week. We would pray for their efforts and the people they had mentioned. This was a routine part of our meetings.

To my chagrin, there were times when I didn't have a story to tell. No one pointed fingers, and there was no pressure to conform. But this caused me to realize that I was not succeeding in this part of my life, and it was a gentle reminder to do better in the coming week.  

Your Sunday morning service may not be conducive to having people talk about evangelism. Still, there are probably other scheduled activities where it would be appropriate, like a Sunday evening, Sunday School, small groups, or prayer meetings. It doesn't really matter when it takes place, but it should take place… every week. If it is not a scheduled part of some weekly event, evangelism will quietly fade into the background of your church.

One of the purposes of the church is for this very thing. Hebrews 10:25 instructs us not to "neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The verse before that one says: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works." It is obvious that one of our reasons for meeting is to encourage Christian living, and there is nothing more basic than evangelism. Perhaps your church is not as outreach oriented as you would like. If so, why not elevate the conversation about evangelism to a weekly event?