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BLESSINGS FROM THE NORTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SYNOD’S COMMITTEE ON EVANGELICAL OUTREACH:
We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us;
and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:3-4) |
We write this message on the NWPA Synod website to invite all in our midst to pray and reflect about our Christian calling to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to consider using the Committee on Evangelical Outreach as a resource in your congregations, clusters, or other gatherings.
A Lutheran Understanding of Evangelism
- Before describing how the Committee on Evangelical Outreach might be of assistance to congregations, clusters, or other gatherings, we share with you an understanding of evangelism which is grounded in our Lutheran identity.
- As the Greek word euangelion suggests, evangelism is the sharing of the “good news” of Jesus Christ. Evangelism, then, deserves our energy and excitement.
- Unlike some Christian traditions that spread their message through fear, Lutheran evangelism is welcoming. We are guided and inspired by Jesus’ words of invitation: “Come and see” (John 1:39).
- During a time of decline for many mainline Protestant denominations, our temptation as congregants may be to regard the central task of evangelism as the attraction of new members. Although we are called to extend genuine hospitality to perspective members and are not prohibited from hoping that our congregational membership might grow, Lutherans must not confuse evangelism with recruitment. Our motivation in evangelizing is to share the hope of Jesus Christ that is within us, to “declare . . . what we have seen and heard.”
- Although we might speak with the best intentions of “doing evangelism,” it's more helpful to speak of “being evangelists.” The task of telling others about Jesus Christ and inviting them to embrace the faith is not a part-time effort, but a full-time posture of Christian disciples toward the world. Evangelism, then, is a way of being in creation.
- Faithful evangelism is grounded in our Lutheran identity. At the center of this identity is what Luther called the “theology of the cross,” which holds that Christ is revealed most deeply in his sacrifice. This theology is unpalatable in contemporary culture, perhaps because it resists easy answers to life’s mysteries and questions. We acknowledge, therefore, that the life of faith holds for us not quick fixes, but an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus Christ.
- Finally, Lutherans realize that faithful evangelism is relational. While websites, church signs, television commercials, and newspaper advertisements have their place in spreading the good news, life-changing and life-healing evangelism tends to happen the context of human relationships—one person sharing faith with another person. And because evangelism is relational, being evangelists means that we genuinely care about those with whom we share, listen as intentionally as we speak, and welcome others to evangelize to us.
The Committee on Evangelical Outreach as a Resource
The Committee on Evangelical Outreach is available to congregations, clusters, and other groups that want to pray about and reflect on how best to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ.
Since we believe that evangelism is relational at its heart, the most important resource we have to offer is ourselves. We don’t have evangelism “packages” to share or step-by-step “programs” that will make reserved Lutherans suddenly comfortable sharing their faith with others. Instead, we would like to lead conversations about evangelism that invite us all to consider who we are and who God calls us to be as “little Christs” to those around us.
Being a “little Christ” is a more challenging task that the phrase connotes. “How do I find the right words to express the love of Christ that is within me?” “How do I overcome the fear of being rejected for sharing my faith?” “Am I really listening to others as they speak of their beliefs?” “Can I find within me the love of Christ for those who are hostile to Christianity and the Church?” “Is it easier for me to ‘go . . . and make disciples of all nations’ than it is for me to go next door?” Such are some of the questions we offer if you invite us to be among you to talk about evangelism.
Perhaps you would like one of us to lead your church council in an hour’s reflection on evangelism. Or maybe your cluster would like to have a Saturday morning evangelism retreat. Whatever your vision for using the Committee on Evangelical Outreach as a resource, please know we will be glad to collaborate with you to “share what we have seen and heard” in the most effective and meaningful way possible.
If you would like to use the Committee on Evangelical Outreach as a resource, please call Pastor John Coleman at 814-868-8685 or e-mail him at abidinghopelutheran@hotmail.com.
In Christ’s service,
Pastor John Coleman
Pastor Mark Fischer
Pastor Don Hake
Don Rhodes |
