Take Time for Some Healthy Evangelism

Now well into the fifth century of my existence, I’m beginning to notice that I don’t function quite the way I used to function. I’ve noticed that some of my parts are beginning to creak a bit and there seems to be a little bit more of me that I have to carry around. I guess you could say that time has slipped up on me and I haven’t been paying enough attention. But I’m not the only one.

Actually it seems that many churches in our denomination are beginning to feel the same creaks and groans of aging when it comes to evangelism. I guess it’s just a natural process.

    But there is something that we can do about it.

As reported in the Presbyterian News Service, “Churches practicing good evangelism are like aging adults working hard to stay physically fit,” according to Rev. Martha Grace Reese. “It’s about practicing good habits and patterns and sticking with it, said the Disciples of Christ minister who recently directed a four-year evangelism research project funded by the Lilly Endowment.

“In order to live a stronger, healthier and more productive life, people age 50 and over need to exercise six or seven days a week — for the rest of their lives — with a workout regimen filled with serious commitment and serious weightlifting,” Reese said.

Her words are a challenge to me. They point out that I’ve got some hard work to do . . . but good work, nevertheless.

However . . . she also points out that churches must perform some heavy lifting, too.

She goes on to say, “Maintaining a healthy evangelistic lifestyle takes years of prayer and practice. And a congregation has to keep at it, keep doing the prayer and the small-group work over and over, and keep the focus on evangelism.

That’s what the weightlifting is about, it’s prayer,” she said. “It’s doing relational work in congregations, and it’s really learning to allow Christ to teach us to love people outside the church. Churches that refuse to break a sweat when it comes to evangelism will eventually resemble a fragile old woman who develops osteoporoses because she didn’t work at staying fit.”

Of course, it always sounds easy. But living a disciplined life requires effort. And that’s something I am learning to do. I really enjoy being in ministry with all of you here at Columbia and I need to set a better example as your pastor by taking better care of myself.

And we, as a church family, can also take better care of our church by living our lives as disciplined Christians. So as I challenge myself . . . I want to also challenge you to help keep Columbia Presbyterian Church fit as well by exercising “real evangelism.”

As Reese emphasized in her report, “In churches where real evangelism is taking place the motivation is members who have a love for their church and have a living relationship with God. There is a sense of being on an adventure with God and they want to share that. They love Jesus. It’s not rocket science. They are churches that the people have a relationship with Christ and it’s real and it’s vibrant and they talk about it. It’s wonderful.”

Let’s go on that adventure with God. Why don’t you join me.
Shalom,
                                 

   Tom