I sometimes wonder whether my vision
for seeing hundreds of rural churches becoming truly missional in ways that are
appropriate for them and the communities in which they are located will ever be
realised. But if the 10,000,000 people
in villages and smaller country towns in the UK are to be evangelised it is a
must. There are insufficient specialist
organisations with full time evangelists to even do 2% of the task. Of course contemporary media and engagement
outside village life opens up the possibility for people to hear and respond to
the gospel, but this does not remove the responsibility for each church to do
its part.
Many years ago, in association with
my late colleague Monica Cook, we launched a programme about releasing the
potential of children in faith, ministry and mission. It was a radical concept at the time, but
since then others have come to the same conclusions and realise that Christian
children are much more than the church of tomorrow. Like adult Christians, they need to grow in
their faith and discover and use the gifts that God has given them as part of
the Body of Christ.
As Monica took this vision to
churches and shared it in special events we discovered children who had
effective pastoral, teaching or evangelistic ministries. Of course, how these were developed needed to
be appropriate to their age, and with appropriate expectations. But it brought fresh understanding of
ministry with children and not simply ministry to children. Some of those children are now adults and in
church leadership roles.
Recently, as I have pondered the
challenge of effectively sharing the gospel throughout the rural areas of the
UK, I have imagined an army of women engaging in intentional evangelisms. Historically, when jobs have needed to be
done it is women who have frequently stepped into the gap. This was illustrated classically during the
years of the Second World War. When
doing my university studies in management, one tutor pointed out that women
make the best managers of change within organisations. Recently, the Chartered Management Institute,
of which I am a member, published an article in its magazine highlighting 35
significant women managers under the age of 35.
Their competence in leadership is beyond dispute.
During my first pastorate I attended
a conference where a researcher asserted that one Christian in ten has the gift
of an evangelist. I decided to test this by exploring my own situation. I took as the criteria for determining the
gift of an evangelist, anyone who was comfortable articulating their own
journey of faith. To my joy I found that
we had more than 10%. Many were women.
By now, some readers will be saying,
“Why not?”. Some conservative friends
will be raising their eyebrows, while I am in danger of being dubbed a sexist
by others. But I don’t want to be
distracted by either point of view. The
Bible provides evidence of women evangelists and I don’t think that should be
ignored. The woman who met Jesus at a
well shared her experience with her neighbours and a whole Samaritan village
came to believe Jesus to be the Messiah (See John 4). It was also women who
first brought the news that Jesus had risen from the dead. This took place within a culture where the
testimony of women was often treated as unreliable. In UK society, and certainly in most
villages, women have an equal role with men.
There is neither a biblical nor social barrier to impede an army of
women evangelists. So what might be
needed if it is to become a reality?
Firstly, we need to remember that an evangelist has a story to share, not a product to sell.
The sooner we dispel the image of an evangelist being an extrovert
public speaker, the better. Not that
women cannot fit that model perfectly well.
Indeed, my most profound spiritual awakening came as a result of
listening to a woman evangelist. It is
the concept of a ‘professional evangelist’ that I would like to see fade. The term ‘lay’
does not sit well with Christians of congregational persuasion, but I want to
state that ministry (including evangelism) really belongs to the laity, and professional ministry is unbiblical and
a nonsense! (That’s a discussion for another time).
So we need a vision of an evangelist
as an ordinary Christian who has a
story of a faith journey to share, and can do so in ordinary conversations. This
does not depend upon gender.
Secondly, we need to remember that it is the story that has the power (Romans 1:16). Human persuasion is unnecessary. But the story that we share is inevitably
only a part of the whole revelation.
Evangelism is not about setting forth a whole treatise on who Jesus is,
his pre-incarnation existence, his place in the Trinity, the issues of justice
and propitiation, and explaining the mystery of the life beyond this life. No, it is a simple story that should be
rooted in personal experience. Remember
that man who, born blind who was healed?
All he could say when examined by the authorities was, “This I know, I was born blind but now I
see” (John 9:25). Remember the woman at the well? All she said was, “Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could this be
the Messiah?” (John 4:28-30)
So we need to have confidence that
the story of who Jesus means to each of us is part of the gospel and is a valid
story to share so that God will use to draw others to himself.
Here are a few other thoughts. Generally, women
are more empathetic than men, and empathy is an important quality for an
evangelist; women tend to be more social creatures and gregarious than men,
which makes them good communicators; and in my experience, women are often more
courageous than men when it comes to facing challenges. Some older women might lack
self-confidence and might need extra encouragement.
So here’s the challenge. Start by thinking about your regular
congregation(s) and see how many of these (male and female) demonstrate at
least some ability to articulate their faith journey. Does it match the
researcher’s 10%? Next (if you are a
church leader) create the opportunities for them to share some of their
personal stories of faith, and so grow in confidence. Rural Mission Solutions
has programmes that can help develop both confidence and skills. For example, the free webinar of sharing your
faith with your friends is a good place to start.
If you have a story of faith to share
(it does not have to be spectacular!) and feel uncertain about sharing this or
you do not have encouragement in your church to develop this gift, please drop
me a line.
Remember, an evangelist has a story
to share, not a product to sell. Be a
story sharer and encourage your Christian friends to become story sharers.
From the Diary
On Sunday 17th July I took
the evening service at Welby Lane Mission Church, Melton Mowbray. This was a first time visit to this
church. On the way from Market
Harborough I felt compelled to turn off in a village and visit the local church
where I left information about Rural Mission Solutions. I have had a warm response from the
church. Both the welcome at the church
at Melton and the journey to and from home were a source of pleasure.
On Monday 18th July I met
with a couple being married on 20th August at Yelvertoft, Northants. As I prayed with them I was reminded of the
adage that evangelism should always be done pastorally and pastoral work should
always be done evangelistically. The
same principle informed the service of thanksgiving for the life of Gladys Simmons
at Herstmonceux, East Sussex on Thursday 21st July.
On Tuesday 19th July I
shared in a video conference for the Churches Rural Group, but unfortunately I
had some technical problems. However, it
was a useful meeting. Video meetings
offer significant potential when our work includes people with a wide
geographical spread.
The coming week starts with ministry
at the Family Service for Goodwood Evangelical Church, Leicester on Sunday 24th. On Tuesday 26th I shall make my
regular visit to HMP Gartree. On Wednesday 27th I will share in a
meeting of the Planning Team for Market Harborough’s Holiday at Home. Numbers of people booking to attend this
event have been encouraging.
On Sunday 31st July I will
be taking the service at HMP Gartree.
Many have asked about Doreen’s
recovery after surgery. Sadly, she had
two falls recently which seem to have opened up the internal wound causing
blood to accumulate over a large area under the surface. This has set back her progress but we expect
this to pick up.
Thank you,
Barry
