What are you looking for?

As United Methodists we have failed at the task of evangelism. Looking at the most recent statistics for the Kansas West Conference, we declined another 1086 members in 2004.  At this rate we have approximately 86 years until there are no United Methodists left in the western 2/3 of Kansas.  I suspect that Kansas East is on a similar path so we are less than a generation away from the endangered species list in our state.  What I find more disturbing is the number of new folks coming to faith in our churches.  In 2004, 3,515 people joined one of 376 churches in our conference, but only 1583 on profession of faith.  My generous estimate is that half of those professing faith in Christ for the first time were in confirmation classes.  That means we averaged two new Christians per church last year. I think even the most generous United Methodist would have to say this is far from an acceptable grade.

There was a day when the Methodist movement was built on evangelism, but we are not there anymore. In his book Come to the Feast, Roberto Escamilla says, "The problem is found, I think, at the local church level: Many congregations consider evangelism to be something peripheral to their main activities. At best, evangelism is tolerated; tragically, in many other congregations it is simply ignored." In my experience, most United Methodists shy away from evangelism because it has taken on a negative connotation in our society. We see "Evangelists" on television who remind us more of a used-car salesperson or an infomercial host selling exercise equipment than a person of authentic faith. We don't want to be associated with manipulative evangelism programs that begin with the question, "If you died tonight do you know where you would go?" My experience is that manipulation turns more people away from the gospel than it brings into the body of Christ. My theology is much larger than a game of who is in and who is out. I cannot believe that God's greatest concern is to get people to say the right formula that gets them a free pass to heaven. However, if eternal life is not the "product" we are selling than what is the foundation for inviting people into a relationship with God through Christ? I think Robert Escamilla hits the nail on the head.

The human predicament is sometimes identified as the restlessness of the human heart. There is an emptiness within. People try to find fulfillment in material things. They secure all kinds of comforts in their homes, to no avail. They get promotions, to no avail. They travel all over the world, to no avail. They acquire fame and recognition, to no avail. Nothing seems to satisfy the hunger of the human heart.

This built-in need in every person - without exception - sets the agenda for evangelism. Evangelism is the inevitable answer to the universal human condition. The human dilemma of meaninglessness and rebellion against God can receive an answer only by a heart receptive to the grace of God.

As some point every person asks the question, "Where do I find meaning in this life?" As people of faith, we need to be listening for the question because it comes in many forms. We are not called to have all the answers, but to respond with an authentic invitation to a journey of exploration and discovery. It is my belief that the answer to our alienation can only be found when we open ourselves to a relationship with God.  We can no longer allow evangelism to be a peripheral activity in our churches. It is time for United Methodists to reclaim our passion for evangelism and invite others to discover what they are looking for in their lives.

Comments

[Ed]

Organized religion has definately seen better days. In fact, many argue that organized religion is in serious trouble. There are several reasons for this, including scandal within the church, a lack of a post-modern paradigm, dysfunctionality within the church, etc. Whatever the reasons, chucrh leaders need to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

I believe that private (personal) spiritualities may be replacing the church. I have no data to back this up, but it seems to be happening. People don't like to live with spiritual disease and they will look at various alternatives for the treatment. This includes both spiritual neophytes as well as the "church alumni association."

One of the problems is the church often represents itself as the Kingdom of God. Brian McClaren writes that rather than the church trying to be the Kingdom, it should see itself as a catalyst for the Kingdom.

Prior to effective evangelism, I believe the problems within the church need to be corrected. This includes dysfunctionality, which appears to be very common. It is difficult to rationalize bringing people into the church when they will be faced with such problems. As Barry has said many times, we need to ask "what does the church offer that no other organization offers." Once this question is answered and an appropriate mission/vision statement implemented, evangelism should become much more effective.

[Barry]

That is a fascinating thought by McLaren. One understanding of the church is that it should be a representation of the Kingdom of God. The purpose of the church is to reflect the Kingdom of God in this world. I have not only bought into this definition, but I have preached it. However I have never been able to balance my hope and vision for the church with the reality of the church. I have often quoted Rudolph Bultmann (I think he said this), "I hate the church for what it is, but I love the church for what it could be." I have witnessed the Kingdom of God in the church, it is because of this witness that I am a Christian and a pastor, but I have also seen evil alive in the church. Maybe I am living in the wrong paradigm. Maybe the church cannot be the Kingdom of God, but it can be a catalyst, a builder of the kingdom in partnership with God. Or maybe the church is not the Kingdom of God at all but as Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is among us and our responsibility is to reveal it and reflect it wherever we are in the world.

[Jeff Slater]

Greetings from Tescott, KS! I just discovered your blog this morning, Barry, and I have enjoyed reading it.

I think two of your comments working very well together. It is most certainly a fact that United Methodists as a whole have lost sight of our call to evangelism. It seems to me that a big part of that is that the practice of evangelism looks different in a post-Christian culture, and we have yet to figure out exactly what it needs to look like.

We live in a culture that doesn't understand faith. The "God said it, I believe it, that settles it" approach not only fails to address the lack of understanding, but it implies (to me anyway) that Christianity doesn't want to think about it's faith or let it be challenged in any way. Not exactly effective evangelism...

I believe United Methodists are in an ideal place for amazing post-Christian evangelism because of the Weslyan Quadralateral. "God said it," and I believe it because God is also revealed in my life, in my mind, and in the people around me. (I wrote a blog on this last week... http://ministrygeek.blogspot.com)

In an age full of people who so desparatly need the love of Christ in their lives, the quote you pointed out from Martin Marty rings in my mind: "Methodism in 19th Century America was the hottest lava flowing, beware if it ever gets hot again."

[Brad F]

If I could comment on your post Barry and also Ed's. I do believe that evangelism has faded from the forefront of many Christians minds, to include Methodists. The acknowledgement of non-denominationalism and individual spiritual formation, as Ed mentioned, play a large part in my opinion. True, many have become disenfranchised with organized religion. However, I believe that with non-denominational churches growing so rapidly, we cannot overlook that many are tired of being "pigeon-holed" as a certain denomination. It is the age of sensitivity and we aren't supposed to either place labels or embrace them.

With my generation seemingly knowing this intuitively, many don't want to offend others with discussion of their faith or even to acknowledge their own faith.

That being said, I think we will never engage in purposeful outreach if we wait until the church becomes un-dysfunctional. (Is that a word?) We can acknowledge that the certainly has issues, but can we wait until it gets "fixed" to embrace evangelism? Who then deems the ready and fires off the start gun?

Times have changed and outreach and evangelism must also. I believe that the corporate outreach to fill the church pews is history. If we each engage in reaching out to others by simply sharing that miracles and blessings God had bestowed on each of us, it is not intimidating, confrontational, and carries pure motives. I am not trying to fill my churches pews. I simply want more people enjoying eternity with me. Should the church embrace that concept, I guarantee, the Methodist rolls will again be in the black, but more importantly, we have reached out without hesitation or delay.

[Bruce]

Regardless of how we understand evangelism or what paradigm we adopt, I think mainline Christians have an uphill battle promoting the Kingdom of God in our culture. Part of the problem is that our culture has changed in ways that make it difficult for us to be heard:

First, as Ed pointed out -- and I've noticed also -- private spirituality is on the rise. Many people simply believe it is easier to connect with God without other people.

Second, the ubiquity of the televangelists' message puts many people on the defensive as soon as they hear the word Christ. And it puts mainstream Christians in the awkward position of trying to explain, "I'm a Christian but not THAT kind of Christian."

Third, we are becoming a more polarized society. The ones with the loudest voices are the ones who are heard. And the ones who have an antagonistic agenda to push -- from whatever extreme -- are the ones motivated to shout loudest.

Fourth, life in today's world is complicated, with more demands placed on our time than ever before. Many people are working longer hours than they did a few years ago. In homes where both parents work -- and moreso in those with a single parent -- household responsibilities can take most of the remaining time and energy.

For people living on the edge of exhaustion, it's a lot easier to listen to the story of Jacob wrestling with God than it is to do any wrestling ourselves. It's a lot easier to accept, "God said it," or conversely, to chuck the whole thing, than to plow through Tillich's "The Courage to Be". I don't think it is a coincidence that both conservative Christianity and atheism/agnosticism are on the increase in America today.

So what's the answer? What does the Kingdom of God mean to an overworked American sitting in front of the TV, wanting to find meaning but too exhausted to think much about it? Effective evangelism must begin where people are. This doesn't mean we should create a new reality show called "American Theologian". But a gospel message for 21st century America must be accessible to the common folk, not just the intellectuals, and must be able to break through the inertia of those who don't think they have anything left at the end of the work week.

[Kevin]

First of all let me say this, the following statement applies to me as much as anyone one else in any church. WE ARE LAZY. Why are more people not joining Methodist Churches? Well, simply put, they were never asked. We don't talk about our faith with strangers anymore. Shoot, we don't talk about our faith with people we know. Yes this is a broad generality and no it does NOT apply to everyone. But I think if you look at witnessing in the Methodist Church you will see a direct correlation between witnessing and new membership. There are many reasons for declining membership, which have been discussed above, but I have to say that, to me, apathy and laziness seem to be the big 2 in my book.