4 reasons why 'evangelism' is often misunderstood in churches

It’s Chuck Lawless’ fault.

Okay, the previous sentence is tongue-in-cheek. My friend and co-laborer in ministry, Chuck Lawless, has cited 2 Corinthians 2:4 so many times that I often get it stuck in my mind.

To be clear, getting it stuck in my mind is a good thing. Look at the verse:

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God (2 Corinthians 2:4, NLT).

This one verse is so rich in its depth that I could spend hours trying to understand its full import. But for simplicity’s sake, we can say unhesitatingly that Satan does not want people to become followers of Christ. He blinds them to the Gospel until the Holy Spirit removes the scales from their eyes, often through our personal evangelism.

While I grasp the fundamental issue of Satan blinding unbelievers, I have given my life in ministry to attempt to understand why believers don’t evangelize on a regular basis. Satan is pleased to blind unbelievers, and I know he is pleased when believers don’t evangelize. Concurrently, he is pleased with non-evangelistic churches.

It is that previous sentence that has compelled me to study both evangelistic churches and non-evangelistic churches. Why are some churches evangelistic and others are not?

There are many paths I could take to attempt to answer that question. For now, one of my research-based answers is that many church members are confused about the meaning of church-based evangelism. The confusion often lies in understanding what constitutes an evangelistic ministry in a church. Here are four examples of the confusion.

Misunderstanding #1: Community ministries are not typically evangelistic

Please hear me clearly. Community ministries are vitally important to the communities churches serve and to the churches themselves. Jesus commands us powerfully and clearly that we are to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, visit those in prisons, provide clothing to those who have none, and care for the sick (Matthew 25: 34-40).

But churches can use their community ministries as a substitute for sharing their faith. Our consulting team at Church Answers frequently hears from members who think their church is evangelistic because it has a food or clothes ministry. For sure, members can share the Gospel with those who receive these ministries. But it is rare to hear about a church that actually reports conversions and assimilation into the congregation.

Misunderstanding #2: Big church events are not typically evangelistic

Our team hears a similar conversation almost every week when we ask church members what their church does evangelistically. One of the common responses describes their annual Christmas event or production with hundreds, perhaps thousands, attending. To be clear again, a big event can be evangelistic, but that is the exception and not the rule.

Most big events are services and ministries for the community, and many of them are attended by both non-believers and members from other churches. However, very few churches see conversions and assimilation from these events. Sadly, in some churches, the big event provides church members cover or excuses not to be evangelistic themselves.

Misunderstanding #3: Transfer growth is not evangelism

When we ask church members if their churches are evangelistic, we often get a common response like, “Oh, yes, our church is really growing.” However, most of the growth in churches is transfer growth. The person has moved from another church in the community, so the church has grown by adding Christians at the expense of other churches.

Another example of transfer growth takes place when someone joins a church after they have moved from another location. Sam Rainer calls this growth “demographic growth,” but it is still non-evangelistic growth unless a person has been reached with the Gospel and assimilated into the church. I am grateful that my church, The Church at Spring Hill, has grown by many people becoming followers of Christ. But we’ve seen a number of California Christians decide that they wanted to move to the Nashville area. That’s not evangelistic growth, though we love our California (and New York) transplants.

Misunderstanding #4: 'Outreach' is not necessarily evangelistic

Some churches describe their attempts to reach people not currently attending church as “outreach.” While outreach can certainly be evangelistic when it focuses on the unchurched, it usually includes ministries to reach Christians moving to the community and to believers who have been out of church for a while (typically called the dechurched).

Again, the word “outreach” might include church-based evangelism. But many of the church activities might not be evangelistic.

Steps toward an understanding of effective evangelism

After many years of research and church consultations, our team is getting closer to understanding how effective evangelism can take place in and through a local church. I know that this effective evangelism can neither be created nor contrived. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.

But we can seek to understand how the Holy Spirit works in these churches. If that gets us one step toward obedience to the Great Commission, our efforts will not be in vain.

We hope to unveil this research in 2025. In the meantime, let me know if your church or a church you know is reaching people with the Gospel and assimilating them into the life of the church. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Originally published at Church Answers.