Evangelism in the 21st Century - Essay Example

Evangelism in the 21st Century Evangelism in the 21st Century Evangelism has been followed by the Christians forhundreds of years but their methods of preaching have also evolved with time and are not the same as before. Evangelism is an area of belief and practice that is not regulated by religious rules rather God has only commanded to fulfil it. Evangelism is explained as “the announcement, proclamation and/or preaching of the gospel, the good news of and about Jesus Christ” (Miano). Hence, gospel is the communicated message that is either spread verbally or through written communication form (Miano). The word evangelism comes from Greek origin euaggelion which means good news or gospel. In verb form it means the ‘announcing of good news’. Evangelism means the spreading of the gospel message which can be in different forms of spreading such as a warning, a call or an explanation (Miano). Evangelism includes warning people about the sins and the consequences they can face because of their sinful acts. Evangelism also calls the people to repent on their sins and to turn to God and believe in their faith and God’s remedy for sin (Miano). The methods vary with the passage of time and the advent of new mediums of communication; however the message remains the same. Evangelism has experienced an evolution in its methods of communication, responses of people and the preaching technologies in the 21st century; however the message always remained the same. Evangelism in today’s world has evolved because of various reasons. It is not only because of the methods of preaching and spreading the God’s message, but also because of the presence of a plethora of new cultures, generations and perceptions around us. Evangelism in a secular age is about strong faith and beliefs(Hunt, 2013). Faith is what drives a person to carry the light of righteous path and spreads it along to other people as well. God has not specified in the Bible how to evangelize, rather He has commanded to be wise and thoughtful in the decisions made for the methods adapted and used for evangelism. It is important to realize that there is no specific method that is the best or the most appropriate. Different methods have produced different results and methods for evangelism become successful for a time and then become out-dated after some time(Elliot, 2010). Hence, it is important that people are comfortable and responsive to the methods use. Moreover, Bible should be understood with complete comprehension to formalize the most appropriate and knowledgeable methods for evangelism in 21st century. Biblical evangelism is defined as, “The communication in either spoken or written form of the law of God the gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to sinners to repent and believe the gospel in such a way as to be consistent with sound doctrine contained in the Bible” (Miano). When considering evangelism in the 21st century some important premises have to be signified. The first premise is the acknowledgement of many God’s people who are already doing good deeds such as donating blood, assisting at women’s shelters, visiting the sick and other such good work for the humanity. It is however still important to evaluate ourselves as a community and group for progress and improvement in the form of congregations at the church. Second premise is that evangelism is not an easy task and there are no shortcuts for calling people to Churches. Evangelizing with integrity and true heart will only help to call people to a church or organization. Thirdly, it is important to understand that it is not the duty of the pastor alone to evangelize; rather it is the duty of each and every person who is a part of the congregation. Paul taught in II Cor 1:24,:Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand”, signifying that pastors should help to strengthen the faith and beliefs of the congregation and also help them in recognizing their sins and doing more good in their life (White, 2013). However, pastors cannot work alone rather they need an active congregational involvement. The fourth important premise is that every person who is part of the congregation has a duty to share and spread. The last three verses of the Gospel of Matthew says, “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, Allpower is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (White, 2013). Jesus has hence commanded to teach all things taught and this is a commandment rather than an option. Evangelism is not done only by praying in the church but also by observing human behaviour and strong leadership to grow the congregations. Kyle Searcy, who is a pastor of Fresh Anointing House of Worship in Montgomery, Ala., is recognized for his strong leadership qualities with a growing media ministry. He leads a network of 10 churches in United States and more than 230 in Africa (Cooke, 2013). He states that he observed human behaviour the current patterns and methodologies, when he observed in his initial years of pastor that his congregation was not growing numerically. According to Searcy, “Church is a spiritual institution but also a human one and people require leadership” (Cooke, 2013). According to him in current times, pastors are taught of evangelism and pastor care alone and very little training is given in areas of pastor leadership(Cooke, 2013). Evangelism cannot be done successfully without a strong leader. In the 21st century, some basic principle guide regarding evangelism in a relatively effective manner. Digital evangelism is very helpful as a vast majority of people nowadays are wired to internet and their mobile phones. Social media is growing media and also has become the most powerful and influential medium. Two-way dialogues should be performed rather than one-way dialogues. Interactive sessions would be receivedwith more response and interest. Evangelism should be tried with storytelling and it would be able to create a connection with the congregations, which they can relate to (Digital Evangelism Issues, 2014). One method that became quite successful among various congregations was the publication of ‘House to House/ Heart to Heart’. These publications are sent to people within a community. However, Bible studies and explaining the gospel has still to be done. Another method used is by identifying members of family, friends and neighbours who are not Christians (Elliot, 2010). This can be done by looking for contacts within a congregation and then calling them to Bible reading services. Though, it is important to consider the comfort and ease of other people as well. Main goal of evangelism should not be increasing the number of people in a congregation but bringing people to Christ. It is important to know what kinds of people are targeted in the 21st century. There is a group of people who do not know Jesus and believe in false stories or beliefs not authenticated. This first group has to be targeted with the gospel and they should be shared with the true stories about Christ and what Jesus has actually done for humankind. The second group are those people who once believed in Jesus but have let go of their beliefs because of their sins and other man-made obstacles(White, 2013). These unfortunate souls need the Gospel of Jesus and need the fellowship, love and the righteous path. The first challenge in most of the churches, when it comes to evangelism, is to overcome the “cringe factor”. It is important to convey evangelism as the sharing of news about Jesus, what Jesus has done for our planet and us and how we experience new life through Jesus. Hence a relationship has to be established first so that people can connect with the Christian community and discover what it is all about. Mainline churches have seen a steady decline over the past 400 years and have lost 50 percent of their membership (Peace, 2009). This trend represents that without active evangelism activities, churches would die as a domination. Hence, evangelism should be done as sharing of gospel as a community service rather than preached by only a few people. Evangelism in a secular age, where people can opt out to let go of their religious beliefs, has to be practiced with a new trend. Many people coming to the churches are not drawn by their strong beliefs and faiths, rather by inertia, social acceptance and entertainment (Hunt, 2013). Evangelism in the contemporary world is not about making only a commitment to a church community or only a commitment to the doctrine. It is about drawing people to the worship of God, drawing people through community services, different acts in daily life and through worship. Evangelism in the contemporary world has changed dimensions and demands for new approaches and methodologies, with the same underlying message, Gospel of God and Jesus. Evangelism in the 21st century is faced with many obstacles. Churches are facing declining numbers of congregations, pastors might be lacking the required leadership qualities and proper approaches for evangelism are not being formulated. In the current digital world, it is important to approach people through social media and strengthen their faith. The message of God and Jesus cannot be only preached in the churches through prayers, rather people have to be reached through community services and daily life activities. Evangelism is not a few peoples work; rather it requires active involvement of the congregation and strong faith towards drawing people. References Cooke, P. (2013, April 09). Leadership, Race and Evangelism in the 21st Century. ChrismaNews. Retrieved Jan 20, 2014, from: http://www.charismanews.com/us/40858-leadership-race-and-evangelism-in-the-21st-century Digital Evangelism Issues.(2014). Four Principles of 21st century evangelism including visual story.Digital Evangelism Issues. Retrieved Jan 20, 2014, from: http://www.internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/7654 Elliot, S. (2010). Evangelism and 21st Century.Lan Grange Church of Christ. Retrieved Jan 20, 2014, from: http://lagrangecoc.com/Articles/Evangelism_in_the_21st_Century.189113619.pdf Hunt, R. (2013, April 15). Real Evangelism and the 21st Century. Progressive Christian Channel.Retrieved Jan 20, 2014, from: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/roberthunt/2013/04/real-evangelism-for-the-21st-century/ Miano, T. (n.d.). What is Evangelism? Christian and Apologetics and Research Ministry.Retrieved Jan 20, 2014, from: http://carm.org/what-is-evangelism Peace, R. (2009, June-July). Rediscovering evangelism in the 21st century.United Church of Christ.Retrieved Jan 20, 2014, from: http://www.ucc.org/ucnews/june-july-2009/rediscovering-evangelism-in.html White, W. (2013).Realities of 21st Century Evangelism.The Seven Times Journal, Vol 14. Retrieved Jan 20, 2014 from: http://7times.org/newsletter/evangelism.shtml Read More