Systematic Evangelism Pt 2: Process NOT Program

My friend’s 3 part plan for sharing the Good News continued with this key fact: evangelism is not a program, it is a process. See the image on the left, it’s a process, the one on the right – those are programs… Ok, sorry, I like cool charts like that, but I digress…

Have any of you seen anybody else get these backwards? If you haven’t, I don’t think you’ve really been looking! Almost everywhere I look in the church and in ministries, I see programs for this “study” or that “need.” I get it, programs are helpful, but for crying out loud, where does it end??? When will the leadership realize that no matter how many programs they put into practice, the people will only participate while the program is in effect? The goal isn’t just participation either – granted, that’s much better than observation – but what the church really needs is self-initiating individuals, who will do the work of an evangelist while they’re on their own whether at work, home, or on vacation!

Why do we differentiate between “evangelical churches” and “evangelists,” when every single Believer has a scriptural mandate to be about this work? (2 Tim 4:2-5) Why do we wait for the church to do a food drive before we give food? Why do we wait for VBS to teach our kids about Jesus? And why do we wait for the offering plate to be passed before we give money?

Like I said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with programs that give structure to an organization, but there is a vital need for belonging and ownership in this faith, and this takes the process of a walk that a temporary program simply cannot meet. The key to remember here is that programs are here today and gone tomorrow, but processes take time, sometimes a lifetime!

I pray for the progress of your process throughout all programs, people! And thanks for reading.

Peace,
Adam

PS: this post probably comes across with a more frustrated tone with all the questions, but I hope people don’t read too much into this. Many believers and churches have the process down cold, and I am happy to see it, even though I might sound upset about the programatic approach of others…

PSS: Full disclosure: believe me, not many people have more programs than I do, it’s just a balance and a perspective that I’m getting at here…

August 14, 2011 | Categories: Devo, Personal Growth, Relationships | Tags: evangelism, Scripture, systems, time | 3 Comments