Stop
Criticizing the Evangelist
Why
do so many leaders in the body of Christ criticize crusades? While
mass-evangelism is not the only effective method for leading people to Jesus,
it is one of the tools that God has given the body of Christ for evangelism and
church growth. Crusades are a tool; but they’re not the only tool. Evangelism is a gift, but it is not the only
gift. We need all the gifts in the body
of Christ in order to grow a strong church.
The church has been given
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Each
of the five-fold gifts have been given for a purpose. Each of the gifts
represents a specialty. When my grandfather needed a surgery, he wanted a
doctor who specialized in the type of surgery he required. He did not want a
stomach specialist working on his heart. No one doctor can specialize in every
area of medicine. In the same way, no one can specialize in all five-ministry
gifts. I have met people who say “I flow
in all five ministry gifts,” but a close examination of their ministry reveals
the absurdity of their claim. We need apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers,
and we need evangelists. Each of the
gifts must work together because no one gift is able to meet all the needs of
the body of Christ.
Each of the five-fold
ministry gifts has a different focus. Pastors protect the sheep, teachers train
the sheep, but it is the job of the evangelist to catch the sheep. Pastors
often criticize evangelists for not doing more to take care of the sheep after
they are caught without realizing that the evangelist is not called to do that.
In Acts 8, Philip the evangelist saw multitudes saved in Samaria. Later, Peter
and John (the Apostles) came and taught about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
There was a divine partnership between the different ministry gifts.
Often the same pastors
who criticize the evangelist for not following up are the same ones who refuse to
participate in the crusade. The pastors are given an opportunity to grow their
churches, but instead of participating with excitement and diligence, and
training their people how to win the lost and how to bring people to the
church, the pastors will sit back and criticize and say, “This crusade is not
going to be effective.”
This criticism of crusade
evangelism is wrong. It is counter-productive for one gifting in the body of
Christ to criticize another gifting. A minister who uses one technique to reach
out should not criticize other methods of evangelism. There are many gifts in
the body and many different ways of doing things; each method has its proper
place.
For example, pastors who
use the G-12 model for growing churches should not criticize churches like
Willow Creek who use a seeker-sensitive model for reaching the lost. Ministers who are excited about the gifts of
the Holy Spirit should not criticize the Purpose Driven Churches of Rick Warren.
I have met strong Christians who got saved in cell ministries, others who got
saved in seeker-sensitive churches; and others who got saved in Charismatic
churches. All three types of ministries produce Christians who love Jesus. God
can use any technique or method to bring people to Himself.
As an evangelist, I do
not speak negatively about the office of a pastor even though many pastors
minister to the same people for fifty years without seeing substantial change.
Some people in church struggle with the same additions, the same marital problems,
and live the same mediocre lives for many years. Many sheep go to church every
Sunday yet never advance in the Christian walk. In contrast, I have seen a
sinner come to one crusade meeting and instantly catch on fire for God. There
was overnight, instant change.
The office of the pastor
should be celebrated and encouraged by evangelists. In the same way, the pastor
should show respect to those who are called to be evangelists. The evangelist
should honor the pastor but at the same time, pastors should honor evangelists
for their unique contribution to the body of Christ.
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