Mobile Baptists Association

"Serving Together to Make an Eternal Difference"
A Fellowship of 108 Southern Baptist Churches in
Mobile County

MISSOLOGY Textbook

Ed. John Mark Terry, et. al., Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1998

C. Thomas Wright Ph.D.

The church must seek ways to respond biblically to a population that is uncertain about its relevance. Many people now see the church as irrelevant and out of touch—its worship services as just another meeting that offers no solutions to real problems. These attitudes developed quickly after the radical social changes following World War II and the Vietnam conflict.

Crime rates and divorce rates have risen dramatically. Church involvement and financial contributions have declined. In one generation, people in the United States have moved from being friendly toward church to being suspicious about church. From suspicion about church, modern people moved to a feeling that the church is irrelevant to them. The church, they say, neither understands nor addresses their concerns. These changes constitute a primary reason Christians need to create a church-based evangelistic strategy to reach people with changing attitudes.

Effective church growth will not happen apart from definite, specific strategy. Experience around the globe reveals that strategy helps direct activity that culminates in results. Conversely, where there is no strategy, there is often much activity with limited results. It is sad how acceptable it has become to have activity without conversion results. It is easy to be so busy with what is important that priority issues, like reaching the lost, go unaddressed. The strategies projected in this chapter will help the reader participate in forming plans for the "conversion growth" of people through churches for the kingdom of God. Living in a secularized culture means that Christians in the United States and other parts of the world face changing attitudes. These changing attitudes demand new strategies for reaching people with the gospel of Jesus.

The context for the change in religious attitudes comes from at least five sociocultural changes in the last forty years. These and other changes are included in the movement called modernity. The process of change in modernity is called secularization. Secularization often results in the philosophy of secularism. Secularism is characterized by declining church attendance and declining reliance on God, his Word, or his church for instruction on decision making, moral guidance, or social interaction.

The figures are frightening. Since 1900, the percentage of the world’s atheistic and nonreligious peoples has grown from less than 1 percent to more than 21 percent. "Secularists, or people with no religious commitment, now form the second largest block in the world, second only to Christians and catching up fast" (Guinness 1994:340). Guinness continues, stating that modernity, secularization, and secularism should not be used as synonyms.

Understanding these sociocultural changes and their related attitudes can help Christians respond to secularism and reclaim some influence in the community of the church. These changes include the following.

First, changes in authority have arisen. Perhaps these people could be classified as "homo-I’m-righteous". The primary issue of modernity seems to be the place of authority. The government and religion formerly were given places of high authority by most people. However, institutions became self-serving in the minds of people, and they lost confidence in the institutions. As people lost confidence in traditional authority, they sought new sources of authority. This search ultimately led to each individual becoming his or her own authority.

A second change is seen in degrees of affluence. Humankind became "homo-want-morus". The standard of living in the United States is one of the highest in the world. Everyone wants more and better possessions, but not everyone can get more. The welfare state has nearly gone bankrupt. Presidents Roosevelt and Johnson waged wars on poverty, but their efforts failed. The gap is widening between the "haves" and "have-nots".

Attitudes of affluence have crept into the churches. Some beautiful and comfortable churches care for members but no longer reach out to the lost. Dangerous levels of debt are mounting in homes and churches. Growing numbers of people and governments are turning to lotteries and other schemes to get rich quick, in spite of conclusive research that more people are hurt than helped by such activities.

A third area of change includes changes in technology. This change introduces "homo-electronicus". Technology has been a wonderful benefit to the church. The danger comes, however, when churches allow the high-tech to replace the high-touch. People are "cocooning" more in their homes. Technology is allowing the development of a nation of isolationists who have 1ittle personal interaction with other living humans. Technology also can have a depersonalizing and dehumanizing effect, resulting in people as "numbers" instead of souls.

A fourth change relates to sexual mores. Humanity becomes "homo-in-lustus". Tremendous changes have occurred from the free-love movements of the 1960’s. Biblical responsibility and commitment have been replaced by convenience, personal desire, and disparagement. Divorce rates have reached 50 percent. Radical feminism and homosexual rights have exceeded even ancient Roman standards. Advertising seems to believe that nothing sells without sexual innuendo. Even humor has devolved to coarse language and sexual inference.

A fifth change is that increasing emphasis on ethnicity has lead to religious pluralism. This change has resulted in "homo-tolerantus". A young woman was wearing a T-shirt with the words "Orthodox Druid". She traced her religious ancestry to the pagans and Druids of ancient England. As I talked to her, she stated the ultimate contemporary insult, "You Christians are so intolerant of other paths to God".

The monocultural United States has changed radically in the last forty years. There are now more than six hundred ethnic groups in the United States. Major school systems must work with students who speak dozens of languages. More than 1,900 different religious faiths, cults, and sects live in the United States. What sociologists called a "melting pot" of cultures actually became a "stew pot". Each ingredient maintained its identity while flavoring the rest. This pluralism has resulted in widespread syncretism and tolerance. The wide variety of religious choices has overwhelmed some people. They respond with confusion or uniform acceptance of all options. There is s fear that saying yes in commitment to one religion is saying no to all the others. People, consequently, want to keep their options open and accept multiple paths to God.

This response includes a consumer mindset that sends people "shopping" for the church and programs that give them the most satisfaction. There is little consideration about what they can give to the church and greater emphasis on what the church can give to them. Tolerance of multiple ways has reached the height, or depth, of political correctness. There is widespread misunderstanding about the source and content of God-given truth. Some people are responding to pluralism through racist feelings and acts. Racist activities and confrontations are increasing in the United States and abroad. Pluralism affects all of us and our attitudes.

These socicultural changes are affecting both the people in the communities and those in the pews of our churches. Current approaches to evangelism are not reaching the masses of the people. The need is for a contextual evangelism which can provide ways to begin and develop a response to the present population and its particular set of worldviews.

Many Christians are searching for a biblical response to contemporary culture. They are interested in ways to reach lost people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. These Christians should become "contextual evangelists". A contextual evangelist is able to reach people with the biblical balance between living in the secular world and not becoming too much like the world. Jesus presented this tension in John 17:15, 16: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it" (italics added). Or as Paul declared, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2).

A balanced contextual presentation comes from learning about the context of the society and culture in which the gospel is being presented. It begins with understanding the nature of contextual evangelism. Contextual evangelization can be defined as presenting the uncompromised gospel of Jesus Christ in the sociocultural, ethnic, and linguistic context of the hearers so they may respond and be discipled into a church. Contextual evangelism, then, provides a starting place in any church or mission field. It can be further understood by looking at the parts of the definition.

One way not to compromise the message rests on understanding and affirming the core of the gospel. The early disciples of Christ consistently presented seven components as a core of the gospel message. They taught the prophecy of Christ’s coming, Jesus’ miracles and teachings, his atoning death on the cross, Jesus’ physical resurrection, the promise of his second coming for judgment, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and humankind’s need for repentance, belief, and baptism.

Peter presented the core of the gospel in Acts 2:14-42 and again in Acts 10:34-43. Paul’s use of the core of the gospel is evidenced in Acts 13:16-41. He even wove the core gospel into his defense before Agrippa in Acts 26:1-29. The gospel core remains uncompromised in each instance. Belief in this unadulterated gospel is essential for conversion, growth, doctrinal correctness, and discerning truth from error.

Two dangers that can affect the impact of the gospel—syncretism and folk religion—must be considered. Proper contextual evangelism avoids syncretism, defined as blending former religious or cultural practices which results in a diluted gospel. Missionaries discovered early that some Thai converts were placing a cross or picture of Jesus beside their household idols. The new converts had accepted Jesus in addition to their former practices and faith. Their tendency was to blend old and new ways.

Contextual evangelists also must be aware of the dangers of local folk religions, which are composed of traditional activities and religious practices that are created by humans trying to find God. Folk religions often compromise the demands of the gospel and add some often ridiculous requirements for salvation. There are two ways to recognize folk religion. First, look for religious practices that rely on outward activity instead of inward change. The influence of folk religion is very common in North American and other cultural contexts. The core of the gospel must remain both uncompromised and undiluted. It must be presented with clarity in the context of the hearer. This dual goal is the responsibility of contextual evangelism.

Suppose a Martian walked into your office and wanted to know about earthlings. The kind of information you would share shows the importance of learning sociocultural, ethnic, and linguistic background of the hearers. Obtaining this kind of information applies equally to all parts of the world—in deepest Africa as well as the suburban American South.

The biblical example. Jesus, Peter, and Paul provide an example for understanding the context as they were sensitive to whom they were speaking. They varied their illustrations and presentation styles so the gospel could be understood and accepted. They did not use every component of the gospel core in every presentation. Each component was, however, presented over time. These early contextual evangelists successfully presented the uncompromised gospel in a way that gained response (or reaction), but prevented syncretism.

The importance of this understanding. Using background information in a way that encourages a positive response requires an understanding of the ideas, practices, and attitudes of the hearer and the presenter. This involves what often is called worldview. A worldview is a "map" of a culture’s social, religious, economic, and political views and relationships. These views can then be compared and contrasted with the Christian’s ideas, practices, and attitudes. This world view study also helps identify the barriers and bridges that should be addressed if Christianity is to have the opportunity to make an impact on people (Slack 1994:1). Understanding the religion-based or irreligious worldview is important in communication the gospel effectively. World view study helps contextual evangelists learn about the culture they bring into a cross-cultural encounter as well as the context of the target audience.

Seeking this understanding: worldview/cultural understanding survey. An adequate understanding of the cultural context is most difficult, if not impossible, without a tool. The instrument "Worldview/Cultural Understanding Survey" constitutes such a helpful tool for culture study. This instrument lists ten cultural elements that are helpful in seeking to understand sociocultural contexts. Some of these components will not apply in all cross-cultural situations but should be sought in all cultures. The components are divided into two tiers of relative importance.

The first tier of components helps provide information on beliefs, values, and relationships. Some of these components relate to religious practices. What is the religious background of the target population? What are the fold religions and practices added to the formal religion? What do they believe about God, gods, sin, salvation, and hell? Determine the percentage of people who are cultural Christians (or other primary religion) and how many are converts.

Other components in the first tier relate to core values. What are the core values? What is considered good or bad? What is considered unimportant and what is imperative? What do people place in the highest esteem?

Closely related are those components that relate to personhood, or personality traits. Who is considered an important person and how does the social structure define importance? How do occupations relate to social rank? (i.e. "blue collar" versus "white collar"). What is the social structure? Determine what is considered polite behavior. Some Americans who see themselves as aggressive leaders are considered by many Asians to be loud and rude. Be careful to avoid stereotypes.

The fourth group of components relates to communication pattern. Determine what is important for communication. Look at the spoken and nonverbal languages. Find out what language is used in the home and what language is used in commerce. Remember, our religious vocabulary is complex and very specialized. A person who may be functionally fluent in a second language may still not understand theological or other complex concepts. It is always best to communicate important issues in the primary language. Some churches put all Hispanics or all Asians in one group regardless of linguistic and cultural differences. This is like putting Scandinavians, North Americans, and South Americans together because they are blue-eyed and blond-haired. Discover any offensive body-language traits. It is very impolite in Thai culture to cross the legs so the bottom of the foot points at another person. In the Middle Eastern culture the "OK" sign is offensive.

A fifth group of worldview components relate to the role of family and friends. What is the accepted and expected behavior for family members, clan members, and friends? How are people greeted? Should a veil, hat, or other special clothing be worn? I have Asian friends who invited me past the sitting room into the rest of their house. It took some time to realize how important a friendship gesture that was from them. Personal space for many ethnics is often half that of some American Anglos. Consequently, conversations are carried out just inches from each other’s face. I never did get used to the Thai custom of males holding the hands of other males as a friendship gesture.

The second tier of components provides general cultural information that can reduce cross-cultural stress in communication. These components include the attitude toward money and possessions. Determine how wealth is defined and managed. Is barter an accepted form of trade? Who controls the checkbook? Who makes the decisions?

A second component in the second tier relates to average education and its importance. What is the average educational level and literacy rate? Is education considered important? What is the proper communication level for the education level?

A highly instructive component relates to the use of time. Many cultures are event-oriented rather than time-oriented. The event is the important thing rather than the starting time. Many agrarian or nonindustrialized cultures do not have a rigid concept of time as many do in the West. Find out what is considered an important use of time and what is considered wasted time.

A ninth group of components relates to the number and importance of customs and holidays. Find out when the target population celebrates New Year’s Day or a national holiday. Find out the cultural importance and ways of participation.

A tenth component to understand relates to the kinds of food. Learn polite table manners and how to use silverware or hands properly. Many cultures do not use silverware and eat with their right hands only. Find out the importance of fellowship tied to certain meals. Fellowship across the dining table is a widely accepted characteristic and should be utilized.

Understanding the context of the presenter and the hearer assists clear communication of an uncompromised gospel. Having seen the need and nature of contextual evangelism, the next step is to study some practical guidelines for developing a contextual evangelism strategy. These guidelines should be biblically based so they will apply in multiple cultural settings.

No single evangelism strategy will work in every target population. The following principles help develop a contextual evangelism strategy for bringing people into a relationship with Jesus Christ. These principles apply both to the United States and to international contexts. These contextualized principles acknowledge the church as the avenue Christ chose for global evangelization. They assert that any effective evangelism strategy must be pastor-and leader-led with wide congregational involvement. All of this information can be adapted by the reader to begin or revitalize congregations from any cultural or geographic background.

Preparation for evangelistic strategy includes several different elements-prayers, helping people understand the gospel, and helping them see the extent of the need. Strategy planning must be saturated in prayer to reach the community and win the lost. This preparation should help Christians see the gospel as truth and the only way to know God. It should likewise help them understand that missions must include both global and local evangelism.

The term missions is more popularly accepted than evangelization. A brief paragraph needs to address the differences in mission, missions, and evangelism. Edward Dayton and David Fraser write:

Mission can be seen as the total redemptive purpose of God. From mission springs missions which are the redemptive activities of God’s people. Mission and missionary activity, therefore, is defined as broader than evangelism. But missions without contextual evangelism remain ever incomplete.

The English language gets the word evangelism from the Greek word euangelion. Those familiar with Greek immediately see the root word, angelos, which is the source for the word angel and means a "messenger". The NIV translates it twenty-seven times in the New Testament as "bring good news" or "preach good news". Twice it is translated as the noun evangelist. Consistency suggests the early evangelists could have been called "bringers of good news". Every Christian can deliver the good news. The fear associated with the word evangelism is overcome by realizing Christians are sharing good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Churches today contrive programs of evangelism which they try to operate with persons from the outside, hired to do the ministry. Dayton and Fraser comment, "The easier way to avoid accountability for results is to confuse means with ends" (Dayton and Fraser 1992:231). To avoid this tragedy, every church needs a purpose statement. Every Christian group also needs to remain focused on fulfilling that purpose. Purpose statements can be created for a mission station, youth group, small group, Sunday school class, or other ministry team. British evangelist Michael Green calls a church purpose statement a "vision statement," and says such statements help "to ensure that our church’s energies are directed into mission, not maintenance" (Green 1992:358).

A purpose statement should include several items. First, it should be comprehensive enough that every new member immediately knows the priorities of the church. The purpose statement also helps old members to focus on the priorities of the church. Think for a minute about the motto, "To be as comfortable as possible and hire a staff to do the work". Or, "To go boldly nowhere and try nothing new". A purpose statement helps the church remember that fulfilling the purpose is more important than the statement itself.

Second, the purpose statement for churches, Christians, and missionaries should include seeking to lead the lost to salvation. Luke 19:10 gives the purpose statement for Jesus’ ministry, "The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." The Scripture teaches that Jesus came to seek and save people who were lost to relationship with God. A good purpose statement for a church could be, "To present the gospel and minister to the needs of every person in the community of the church".

Third, the purpose statement should apply earlier lessons that help the church be contextually sensitive while never compromising the gospel message. Churches that fail to learn form past experiences usually will fail to maintain quality works.

Fourth, the purpose statement should involve the maximum number of people possible to develop a statement that ties the church to the community. Church leadership should create or use a missions/evangelism committee (also called a missions development council) to develop the purpose statement. After adoption of the purpose statement, the leadership must be certain every member knows and understands the statement. Add the purpose statement to the bulletin and other communication pieces. Put it on bulletin boards in high traffic areas of the church. Help new members comprehend the purpose of the church. Churches lose power and experience relational difficulties when members begin to follow two or more different purpose statements.

Fifth, the purpose statement should be realistic, that is, attainable. Many purpose statements seem to say something like "reach the entire universe this year". Make the statement bite-sized and realistic. Place full energy into the attainment of the purpose of the church.

The evangelistic strategy should follow a process. Readings in Dayton and Fraser, Aubrey Malphurs, J.B. Graham, and Darrell Robinson give some suggestions for processes that can help a church evangelize a community. Without a definite idea of the process, contextual evangelism will seldom happen.

A Missions/Evangelism Committee. Begin the process by creating a missions/evangelism committee. This group, sometimes called a church growth task force, should be charged with the responsibility of helping the pastor keep evangelistic outreach as the priority for all believers. This committee also helps with implementation.

Involving church members. The evangelization process should involve as many church members as possible. Darrell Robinson writes about the total participation of every member for the total penetration of the community (Robinson 1992:203). Michael Green comments:

The seven-step process. The process of evangelistic strategy might follow a seven-step process. First, learn about the people in the community to be served by the church, i.e., the "target population". Christians need to listen and learn about the target population in the community of the church. Developing a mission statement helps the congregation see the need to reach everyone in the community served by the church. Dayton and Fraser write, "The single most important element in planning strategies for evangelism is an understanding of the people to be evangelized" (Dayton and Fraser 1990:79).

Begin identifying the target population by examining the current congregation. Who comes to your church? Why do they come? About 80 percent of your people probably work in the same kind of jobs and make about the same amount of money. About 10 percent will make more than the average and about 10 percent will make less than the church average. Most of your people will be of the same ethnic-cultural background.

Defining the community of the church is an important step. For many years, communities had geographic designations. Some associations even held an unofficial "two-mile rule" stating that no new churches would be started within two miles of an existing church. Insecure pastors have used that argument to prevent or delay badly needed new works.

Current research shows that geography alone no longer sets the community boundary. Churches now attract people more because of sociocultural, ethnic and linguistic factors. In the United States, people generally drive less than fifteen minutes to come to church. They will pass several churches which are geographically closer to their home in order to attend a congregation that meets a sociocultural, ethnic, or linguistic criterion. Many rural, urban, and ethnic congregations have people who drive (or walk, or take a bus) an hour to attend services. The community of the church may be defined broadly as the distance people currently travel to attend.

Next, drive in the area of the church building with some of the church leaders (or the missions/evangelism committee) for a "windshield survey". Drive down every street within a fifteen-minute distance from the church building. Have someone write down what you find. Who lives near the church? What seem to be the primary needs in these areas? Where are the population centers? Are there more houses, apartments, or farms in your area? What must you do to target the people living in those areas? Is the community the same as the congregation? How many and what kind of churches are in the area? How many people do not attend church at all? Are there a lot of children’s toys in the yards? Do the schools have portable classrooms, indicating rapid growth?

Knowing the community is only the beginning. This effort is incomplete unless the church responds to the needs unearthed in the community study. In most instances the church will discover that the congregation is reaching only a very small part of the community. There are at least two ways to respond to this discovery. The first is to target only the people who are similar to the people in the current congregation. This approach will work if the congregation intentionally seeks to reach every person in the community who fits the current profile. It also only works if there is a large enough population of people who are like that to sustain a growing congregation.

As an example of this situation, thousands of urban churches died because the neighborhoods changed and the church did not. Conversely, many congregations almost exclusively target baby-boomers or ethnics with great success. These congregations are called homogeneous congregations because their memberships are made up of similar kinds of people. The churches in Jerusalem (which according to Acts 6 and 15 was primarily Jewish culture) and Ephesus (Eph. 2:11, primarily Gentile) were homogeneous congregations.

A second approach is to adapt the church programs and worship to reach out to a broader sociocultural, ethnic, and linguistic base. Most congregations need to examine this option closely. This is called a heterogeneous congregation. A biblical example is the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). Paul records in Galatians 2:11-21 that less effort is required to develop homogeneous churches that the culturally heterogeneous congregation described in Acts 13:1. Heterogeneous congregations are not easy to begin and grow. Homogeneous congregations are not necessarily the results of racism or exclusiveness.

Most large churches are composed of several sociocultural, ethnic, and linguistic "cells". These cells often organize around Bible study, small groups, or Sunday school classes. In mega churches a larger variety of cells exist, and some of these can include hundreds of people.

Identifying the target population in the community helps to understand the barriers that prevent a person from accepting Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. Christian workers need to identify the unnecessary cultural barriers that make it difficult for people to come to Jesus. The next steps will help overcome those barriers.

The second step in the seven-step process is identifying who will help you reach the target population. Every committee, every member, and every church program should accept the responsibility for evangelism. Probably about 10 percent of the congregation can be relied upon for evangelistic outreach. This means a congregation of sixty people has only six people to consistently reach out to the community of the church. The available force determines how much can be done to fulfill the purpose statement. The needs of diverse target groups will have to be addressed as human resources allow.

It is a firm conviction that God provides the resources for His kingdom work. If there are financial or personnel problems in a church, a denomination, or a mission station, the situation usually arises because the members are not involved in the priorities that Christ established for kingdom work. Those priorities have already been shown to be evangelism and missions.

The limited involvement in evangelism seems to arise from a widespread misunderstanding about what it means to be a minister. Biblically, all Christians need to be involved in ministry-based evangelism. Not every Christian will have the gift of evangelism or ministry, but every Christian has the responsibility for evangelism and ministry. Jesus often began his evangelistic encounters with physical or psychological ministry. He also followed up on His entire ministry with a presentation of the gospel. This is the balanced focus that churches need to rediscover to be relevant.

Consider the ministering army that would be unleashed if evangelical Christians understood that we are all evangelistic ministers. Think about all the new prospects the churches would find if all these ministers were active with their families, neighbors, and coworkers. Imagine the physical and spiritual needs that could be met if each Christian ministered to just one other person.

The church needs to recapture the concept of biblical, ministry-based evangelism. The popular use of the word ministry usually refers to church staff or is limited to meeting some kind of social need. Some evangelical Christians need to return to the biblical definition of ministry. Then more church members would understand and accept their role in evangelistic ministry. This understanding also will improve the kind of ministries each person in each church can offer. It will likewise provide additional forces to fulfill the purpose statement. Ultimately, more people will be brought into relationship with Jesus Christ.

The word ministry is used only twenty-two times in the NIV and KJV Bibles. Twenty of those occurrences are in the New Testament. The first New Testament reference is found in Luke 3:23, "Now Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry". Jesus was involved in ministry and so should all of His followers. A closer look at the biblical references will show what Jesus meant by ministry and what was His philosophy of ministry-based evangelism.

One of the best examples of Jesus’ philosophy of ministry is found in Matthew 25:31-45. Jesus draws sharp contrast between the ministry of righteous people (sheep) and unrighteous people (goats). The Greek word for "righteous ones" in Matthew 25 is a form of the same Greek word translated "holy". People become holy through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Unrighteousness is the result of rejecting Jesus. Jesus clearly expects His evangelistic ministers to be righteous people who meet spiritual as well as physical needs.

The next verses are important to contextual evangelists. Notice the described ministry was done without thinking about any reward for their efforts. In verses 37 through 39 the followers asked when they had ministered to the King. His response was, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me". Ministry is not done for reward or even for converts. Evangelistic ministry should be a natural part of the Christian life. It also helps to earn credibility so Christians can present the gospel in a way that encourages positive response.

Another factor in the ministry to which Christians are called is the ministry of God’s Word. Luke refers twice to "the ministry of God’s Word" in Acts 6:2-4:

These verses show that biblical ministry is focused on a priority responsibility of the Word of God. In this context the ministry of the Word includes teaching, preaching, worship, and meeting needs. Some evangelical ministers and church members do not understand this biblical priority of the ministry of the Word.

Another aspect of ministry is the ministry of reconciliation. Contextual evangelists understand when Paul talks about "the ministry of reconciliation" in 2 Corinthians 5:18:

Jesus and Paul saw the primary role of the minister as reconciling people to God. Effective evangelistic ministers build relationships with people. These relationships help the persons become reconciled with other humans and with God.

Joining in the task of reconciling people to God gives evangelistic ministers ling-term joy and helps prevent burnout. Ministers who only deal with physical needs often become overwhelmed by the needs. Those who deal with physical and spiritual needs se results that energize them for continued ministry. All of the remaining occurrences of the word ministry refer to the evangelistic results of reaching out to people. But Jesus spoke much more about servant hood than ministry.

The practice of ministry also includes the joint role of servant. In addition to the word minister, the NIV Bible uses the word servant 478 times. Effective ministers are servants of God to human kind. The word servant also means "slave". Many Christians do not like the connotation of being a slave. We prefer our rights, our freedom, and our authority. However, when people come to spiritual matters, they cannot rely on human authority. People need a savior to forgive their sin. They need a code of ethics to direct their lives. They need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit to be made holy. Christians get into trouble when they minister out of their own authority. Christian ministers need to rely on Christ’s authority to become servants.

Jesus described himself and his followers as sheep and shepherds. The Western culture glamorizes cowboys instead of shepherds. The difference is that cowboys drive their cattle; shepherds lead their sheep. A shepherd cares for each sheep and they know the sound of his voice. Jesus teaches us in Mark 9:35, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last and the servant of all". Our service to everyone is based upon service to God in Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, a warning is needed here. There are people who take advantage of those who try to serve. That is why it is important to be serving God in working with humankind. Look for examples of servant ministers who are "wise as serpents and harmless as doves". Do not let people use this as excuses to give up or fall into the trap of expecting non-Christians to act like Christians. People without Christ can be very difficult. Be judicious with the use of time and avoid situations where you cannot really make a difference.

The third step in the seven-step process to apply evangelistic strategy calls for determining how to reach the target population. Every setting needs a strategy that fits in that particular context. The following suggestions have proven effective in various contexts and should be tried before being rejected. Too often leaders pronounce "that will not work here" without trying first.

Take precautions to prevent "Christianity lite". Some congregations are trying to present a more acceptable form of Christianity by reducing expectations. The result is almost a "bait and switch" game when the new people learn Christ expects us to die to self daily. The accountability cults are clear evidence of the numbers of people who are seeking a lifestyle of commitment.

Develop a yearly evangelism calendar. There is a good three-year calendar in Darrel Robinson’s Total Church Life. It helps church leaders to calendar time, space, people, and money for evangelistic events geared toward specific groups in the church and the community.

Develop prospect files. Have every member list their friends, family members, and acquaintances who do not know Christ. Get follow-up information on people who visit the church. They are your best prospects. Make sure they know they are welcome and that you care about them. They are not forms; they are persons.

Set yearly baptism goals based on a ratio of members to baptisms. The average Southern Baptist ratio is one baptism for forty-four members (1:44). Ethnic congregations have a much better ratio of one baptism to thirteen members (1:13). Look at the total number of baptisms in relation to the number of members.

Create or renew weekly outreach and visitation. Those involved in this ministry can pray, write, call, or visit. Weekly outreach must be adapted to the cultural setting, but it does work. Weekly visitation remains a viable method for church growth.

Discover the points where culture and Bible conflict. The solution should be to defer to the Bible and create a Christian culture for activities and events that are biblically based and culturally acceptable. Evangelism in a secularized culture requires specific instruction on the authority of the Bible and how to practice Christianity in the marketplace.

Step four in the seven-step process of evangelistic strategy teaches that workers should remain focused on the gospel message. People are drawn in when Christ is lifted up (John 12:32). Gimmicks are not necessary. Review the core of the gospel often. Many churches seem to be stronger on form than content. We have to help people see the relevance of turning to the Creator God as seen in his Son Jesus and through His Holy Spirit. People must learn of the Christian Bible as the definitive source on which to base decision making, moral instruction, and social interaction. We must make the strategy to reach those who do not see the relevance of the church in their lives.

The fifth step in the seven-step process of evangelistic strategy calls on the church to provide training. Acts 11:22-26 shows a priority in Antioch for training. All church members benefit from instruction and personal growth. The church should provide much deeper and consistent discipleship into biblical truth, apologetics, interfaith witness, Christian doctrine, and denominational distinctive. Begin or renew new member training. Be certain that every member, and particularly the leaders, receives in-depth training. One of the weaknesses of many current strategies is the failure to train those who have agreed to minister. Enthusiasm and good intentions do not replace practical and theological training.

IN 1979 David Cook saw a dangerous attitude forming that continues to affect evangelism. He wrote:

Training helps overcome that view and as Cook continues, "The good news of the gospel is that in Christ we have not only the answer but also the power to overcome" (Cook 1979:13). Train the people to overcome by using their salvation testimony. It is one of the best ways to help reconcile people to God. Train people to release the power of the Holy Spirit within them to convert the lost.

The seven-step process for evangelistic strategy continues with step six, namely, to communicate! Different communication techniques may be needed to reach those already in the church and those in the community (target population). Church leaders can overcome some negativism in the church by including training for the people on the benefits of outreach to the kingdom and to the church. A leadership retreat provides an opportunity for providing such training.

Be sure that everyone in the community is contacted at least twice a year so they know where and when to come in response to curses in their life. Colorful direct-mail brochures serve very well. Always include a map to the church. Create events to involve community members in the life of the church. Present the uncompromised core of the gospel unashamedly and provide opportunities to respond.

The final step in the seven-step process of evangelistic strategy calls for performing an annual analysis and maintaining a willingness to change. A well-known church-growth specialist met with a group of Southern Baptist leaders. He said, "Southern Baptist, the good news is you have the best materials of anyone out there". Everyone nodded and smiled. Then he said, "The good news also is you have the best training of anyone out there". Again there were nods of satisfaction and agreement. Then he said, "The bad news is, it is not 1950 anymore and you are not using what you have!

Strategies must be contextual to the time and place. No plan is universally effective for all time. Dayton and Fraser note, "Evaluation takes place only when we plan to evaluate…evaluation begins with goals, not resources" (Dayton and Fraser 1990:319). Look at the purpose statement and change it when the uncompromised gospel can be presented more effectively.

People resist change; they grow comfortable. We have to challenge people to get outside of the comfort zones for the sake of reaching the lost. "Change only occurs where there is discontent" (Dayton and Fraser 1990:263). Church leaders need to aid people to acknowledge their discontent and fear with the current global situation so they can see that the Bible has solutions. They must also understand that the Christian movement must change to make sure these solutions reach the lost.

Different types of people will respond to different types of witness. Contextual evangelism is an effective response for any church in any setting. Reach out to the people in the different sociocultural groups. The church does not need to fear reaching affluent "up and outs" as well as impoverished "down and outs".

Contextual evangelists have to be careful to understand the culture they live in. It helps to recognize that Christians are assimilating the philosophy of secularism. The extent and ways that Christians become assimilated in the secular culture will affect their lifestyle witness. The acceptability of an activity or event by the culture is not the same as its acceptability according to the Bible. People must determine if the culture or the Bible is more qualified to determine what acceptable behavior is. It was considered easy when Christians assigned certain cultural activities as inconsistent with Christianity.

Some Christians in the southern United States were told not to dance, play cards, drink alcohol, or smoke. The folk religion then developed that if a person acted like a Christian, he or she was a Christian. Internal change brought on by repentance and conversion had been left out of the equation. At the same time, people knew that the Bible did not explicitly forbid any of those cultural activities. Culture and theology became confused and so did the people. Now the secular culture feels it can dictate acceptable behavior with no regard to biblical instruction.

The uncompromised gospel can help Christians make the distinction. Create and use a ministry-based evangelistic strategy that brings converts to Jesus Christ. Become salt and light. Reach out with an uncompromised gospel to your Jerusalem, your Samaria, and the outermost parts of the earth.