I believe most ministers want to be evangelistic, want to see the church grow, want to see people brought to Christ. I believe that evangelism is a goal of most churches. In my experience, most Christians are thrilled when people are saved and pleased when the church grows. I believe most church leaders believe evangelism is a task and responsibility of the church. If churches, church leaders, ministers, and Christians want evangelism to occur, and if it is not occurring, what is lacking? If desire is not lacking, what is lacking?
In some cases, no method for evangelism has been identified and used. What is lacking is a simple evangelism tool that can be used by the average Christian. (If this is the case, I would point toward Jerry Tallman and “His Eternal Plan,” James Nored and the “Story of Redemption,” Don Calhoun and “Quest for Truth” or the Spanish version “En Busca de la Verdad,” and the Fishers of Men materials.) In other cases, what is lacking is prospects. Sometimes, there are not many good prospects, or such prospects have not been identified. Especially in graying churches, there may be a lack of networks or bridges across which the gospel can travel to touch those who are most likely to be interested. We can add that some people are held back by fear, and there are other barriers that could be identified.
A major challenge is developing an organizational structure that can help the church understand the evangelism process and can guide the church and its members in making appropriate evangelistic contacts. My recent article, “Evangelism 5-4-3-2-1”, seeks to answer this need. The tool described in the article can be used by an individual Christian or can be used to guide a congregational effort. Nothing fancy, nothing for sale, an idea available for any and all to use. May God bless us as we strive to reach out with the gospel!