Philosophy of Evangelism and Discipleship

Today's entry is a slightly modified essay I wrote for a class this past semester. I thought it was one of the better pieces I had written in a while, so I'm posting it. I hope you enjoy it, and any feedback is appreciated, as always.

Evangelism and discipleship are two ideas that have been used and abused by many in the church. Just recently, in fact, Iived a link to a YouTube video from a friend of mine. A prominent youth speaker was telling a stadium full of students about a youth group that had attended one of his previous retreats. The youth group had put up poster boards in the youth room with the names of every student, teacher and administrator in their high school. Within three months, they had given the gospel presentation to everyone in their school (he did not say how many, if any, of these people accepted Christ). The speaker then asked the audience who had had a one-on-one conversation about Jesus with someone in the past two days. Only four had. This, he stated, was the problem with Christianity. Many Christians’ view of evangelism and discipleship, in my opinion, is the same as this man’s, and I believe it is harmful. What is so harmful about this belief? It presents “cold” evangelism as the only viable option. This approach also relies on guilt as a motivator. Furthermore, it completely neglects the idea of relationship and prefers to treat non-Christians as projects to “fix”. It is against this type of view that I must stand.

In order to understand evangelism and discipleship correctly, we must look at the ideas behind these concepts. In the New Testament, the idea of salvation has past, present and future implications. Those who profess faith in Christ have been saved (Luke 7:50), are being saved (1 Co 1:18) and will be saved (Matt 10:22). This tri-fold usage of salvation terminology shows that it is a journey. Being evangelized is one of the first steps of that journey, followed by a period when one accepts Christ, followed by discipleship. Evangelism and discipleship, then, are not so much two separate entities but different stages of the same journey.

It is imperative to understand that we are all on a journey somewhere. We who have Jesus are not the sole arbiters of truth and goodness, although we know the One who is True and Good. We also know that the One in question created all men, women and children in His own image. He loves them because He created them in His image. As Christians, we must remember, then, that we, too, should love—really love—our fellow humans because God loves them and they are worthy of love. This doesn’t mean that they are not sinners going down the path to destruction, but it does mean that as we evangelize them we do so with respect. In the case of the students sharing the gospel with everyone in school, I wonder with how much respect this was done. I suspect that it was a well-intentioned project—let’s fix as many of them as we can. What if each of the students had committed instead to deepen one relationship? What good might have come out of that, even if the sheer number of people “touched” is much lower?

This is a hard concept for many of us in the West to grasp, where our idea of success involves quantitative elements. A church with 10,000 attendees must be successful, right? What about my church, that has around 20 regular attendees? Well, bless them, they’re sure trying. I would submit that both quantitative and qualitative elements must be taken into consideration with evangelism and discipleship. There are surely those with the gift of evangelism who can bring the masses to Christ. Most of us do not fall into this category. Some of us even seem always to get the seeds that have fallen to the side of the road (cf. Jesus’ parable in Matt 13)—a lot of sowing, not much reaping. At my church, we pray for both numerical and spiritual growth. I think this balance is a key when discussing evangelism and discipleship.

So, then, what is our ultimate role as Christians, if it is not to tell everyone we meet about Jesus? In a moment, I will argue that this question is not the appropriate one to ask. First, though, we must remember what Jesus said when asked about a person’s ultimate role. In Matt 22, a lawyer asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is. In his famous response, Jesus states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (vv.37-39). Jesus said we are to love God and love people. Every action we take, every conversation or thought we have, should tie back into loving God and loving people. This is the heart of discipleship: Tying our life into these two commandments. When Jesus later gives the Great Commission in Matt 28, he instructs us to go “and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (vv.19-20). As we go, we must remember to “go” in such a way that we love God and love people. This is the heart of evangelism: Spreading the gospel in love.

Now, let us return to the above question. Does making disciples of all the nations equate to telling everyone we meet about Christ? Or does it rather mean working the gospel within the relationships we have? Perhaps circumstance plays a part in determining this, but I would say that the more loving route would typically be the latter. The question Should I tell everyone I meet about Jesus? should be replaced in our hearts and minds with the question How can I love God and people as I spread the gospel? This is the key question for us to ask as we consider evangelism and discipleship.

Having theorized sufficiently, I will now turn to how I practically apply my philosophy in ministry. First and foremost, as with any aspect of ministry, I believe prayer must be central. James 5:16 states, “The effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much.” Although I need much work in my own prayer life, I am firmly committed to the idea that prayer must serve as the foundation for all ministry, including evangelism and discipleship. Second, I highly emphasize growing relationships. There are people in my own circle of friends with whom I actively try to cultivate deeper relationships. As a non-Christian example, I have a friend named (Mr. X). I have shared the gospel presentation with him, we have debated the inerrancy and accuracy of scripture and we have generally talked a great deal about religion and philosophy. He knows my worldview, and I know his. He is not currently a follower of Christ. I have learned that I cannot convert him—that is a decision between God and him—and I have accepted that. What I can do is be his friend and listen to him respectfully. He knows I am a trusted confidant, and I know that I am showing him Christ’s love. In the discipleship arena, I can mention (Mrs. Y). (Mrs. Y) comes to me with questions about the Bible and faith. Again, listening is the key. She says that she learns a lot from me, but the truth is, she is working out her own thoughts and ideas through verbalization. In addition to prayer and cultivating relationships, evangelism and discipleship in my ministry involves waiting on the Spirit to work. Again, in the case of (Mr. X), I have been waiting years for him to become more open to the gospel message. God’s timing, though, is not my own (2 Pt 3:9; Ps 90:4). We do not live in a sitcom, where everything is wrapped up in 30 minutes’ time. In the same manner, with (Mrs. Y), as it is with me, growth takes time. Evangelism and discipleship timelines may need to be expressed in years or decades—a thought that we who live in a fast-paced society ought not to forget.

I have in this essay juxtaposed two very different methods of evangelism and discipleship. On the one hand, there is the common method of guilt-induced programs that treat non-Christians as projects to “fix”. On the other hand, there is the less common method of forming real relationships with people, loving and respecting them because they are intrinsically valuable to God. I cannot say that this method is always—or ever—easy, fun and clean (there are no neat and tidy checklists to go down), but I must say that it is the method to which I adhere. I hope you will, too.

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33