Obvious & Nowhere: Reflections on Evangelism

This year, our church has made "evangelism" its theme and focus. I am grateful for how our church's leadership has tried to present a robust view of what "evangelism" really means, and how it can be better understood and practiced. That has stoked some contemplation on my part, and through that, I have come to realize that I have a lot of reexamining and unlearning to do. 

For most of my life in the church, I have listened to various Christian leaders, pastors, and theologians proclaim that the church’s "main mission" is evangelism. Innumerous outreach initiatives have been launched based on this assumed, obvious fact. Many people like me, raised in evangelical churches and settings, can tell their own evangelism stories. Sometimes, those stories are about highly-energizing, deeply wholesome, and humanizing interactions. Others times, they are marked by guilt-motivated, humiliating, even aggressive tactics towards complete strangers, friends, and relatives. I'm not just talking about megaphone laden street preachers. Tracts can do plenty of damage all on their own.

My question is this: is it actually so obvious that evangelism is the main mission of the church? 

I want to offer two brief considerations from Paul’s letters. First, in Romans 15:18-20, Paul says this:

"I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation."

My former professor once argued that Paul has concluded here that his task of gospel proclamation has been accomplished. And Paul seems to base this claim on the founding of churches in the cities that he has visited. Paul’s evangelistic efforts were always directed toward founding churches. Now that they’re established, they need to grow in maturity and become cohesive, committed communities marked by practices of love--looking after one another’s needs, cultivating corporate patterns of service and mutual care, and serving others in the name of Jesus. 

Let's ground this in the present day: I live in a city quite open to the church, and to spirituality in general. Some might say we have a "church on every corner." And given what Paul has said in Romans, I wonder what he might think if he were visiting my city and learned that many churches were preparing Eastern-themed evangelism initiatives. “Why would you do that!?" he might exclaim. "Churches are already established!”

Again, Paul's pattern is for gospel proclamation to establish church communities. And then, once they exist, they set themselves to doing the sorts of things Paul elaborates in his letters.

Which brings me to a second consideration: among the many commands and exhortations Paul addresses to his churches, none (as far as I can tell) have to do with evangelism.

Paul has lots to say about resolving conflicts, eradicating slander and gossip, caring for the poor, restoring sinning Christians, establishing leaders, taking communion, educating believers in the faith, praying for one another, hoping in the return of Christ, meeting the needs of churches in difficult circumstances, and confronting pride, arrogance, and complacency. But nothing about evangelism.

"But don't forget about the Great Commission!" you might say (Matthew 28:19-20). Can't this all be answered with one, non-Pauline text? I'm not so sure. Jesus’ exhortation is to make disciples by baptizing and then teaching them how to obey his commands. And no American evangelical church leader today would dare conflate evangelism with discipleship.

To be clear, I’m not arguing for the complete elimination of evangelism. I mean, I'm going to help host one of those Easter-themed outreaches in less than a month's time. And I am delighted whenever I see someone's mind opened to the light and life of Christ. There really are few greater joys. 

What I am questioning, though, is the assumption that the church’s main mission is evangelism.  Even further, I wonder whether we would be better off prioritizing those things Paul expressly directs his churches to do rather than hyper-prioritize something he never even mentions. 

In doing that, we can (and must) must reminder ourselves that Christians are the primary target of the gospel. We are the ones being transformed by the gospel so that we can relate to others with love and dignity and honor. We cultivate relationships with other people as if we were Christians, not in order to make them Christians. 

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Note: I intend to write a small series on tough topics like this one, and I welcome your thoughts all along the way! Please feel free to respond with questions, comments, and/or reflections of your own.