From the Pastor's Desk
Pastor and Evangelist Chambers
Reaching the Unchurched
I wish I knew what worked more than anything else did. Many pastors want to know what’s working in evangelism, not theories or ideas from out on the fringe. I want to know from the front lines. I’m willing to try the new tried and true insights, especially if they are transferable.
While it is true that numbers are more appealing, especially with the tremendous tasks we face, God wins with the minority as well as with the majority. However, we must reach out to the masses through evangelism. After all it is one of the five-fold ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4:11.
Evangelism must change because times have changed. People have changed, too, but not in the ways you might think. We must embrace evangelism by dispelling four myths. They are:
- Generation X has radically different needs from baby boomers. The truth is that the profound cultural changes have shaped the mindset of today’s spiritual seekers. In practical terms, the music and worship styles are not that different from the younger boomers. Much of what worked in the 80’s and 90’s still works.
- The key is to be seeker-targeted. Just because we may offer topical messages, casual dress, drama, drums, praise dancing, and Starbucks coffee (we haven’t tried that one yet)—then the church will grow. It’s a myth. Being seeker-targeted is not about style. It’s about a radically different set of values that the church doesn’t exist to meet the needs of the already convinced, but to win the world. We are attempting to fulfill the Great Commission.
- Everyone needs small groups. Okay, let’s all say it together: “We don’t want to be a church with small groups (‘Us four and no more’), but a church of small groups.” Then, small groups are not the answer for everything for everyone. We must encourage a team mentality and community spirit built around ministry activities. And that takes in everyone.
- People today don’t want to say anything, sing anything, sign anything, or give anything. Seekers don’t really want as little “church” as possible. Maybe 20 years ago—just maybe, but now they want to experience the sacred, to encounter the Divine, to participate in the transcendent. People are on a search for the spiritual.