Evangelism.

It's one of the highest values in the church.

And one of the least practiced.

We all believe in it. I don't think I've ever met anyone who genuinely believed in the Bible but didn't believe in evangelism. When you embrace the truth of God's Word, it's pretty difficult to discount its call to reach lost people.

It's on our bulletins, in our hymns, and throughout our creeds. It's posted on our marquees and peppered through our statements of faith. It's emphasized in our theology books, praised in our seminaries, and encouraged in our pulpits. Most Christian leaders list it as one of their ministry's top priorities. There's little ambiguity or doubt that this is central to what we're supposed to be about.

The irony is that while many of us are in churches and denominations that have a rich heritage and strong reputation for evangelism, in many cases precious little is actually happening. Let's be honest: in most ministries very few lost people are actually being reached for Christ.

Yet, the words of Jesus in the Great Commission are seared in our minds: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:19-20). This mandate was given for all churches of all time.

We all agree with this. So why arent we doing more about it?

Studies show that most Christians don't have very many (if any) real friendships with non-Christians. The majority of church members can no longer quote the words in John 3:16 about God's great love for the world, much less articulate a clear gospel illustration. A mere 14 percent of pastors even make the claim that their church is heavily involved in evangelism. Only one out of three churches ever trains its people in evangelism [from the "What Effective Churches Have Discovered" workshop and handbook by George Barna, 1996. Very recent studies indicate an increase in the number of churches doing evangelism training, but we've got a long way to go.

We may talk a good game, but our actions speak louder than our words.

Do we really care about lost people? Do we sincerely believe that knowing Christ is the best way to live and the only way to die? Are we convinced that everyone we know, without exception, needs to find the forgiveness, friendship, life, and leadership that Jesus offers?

Do we truly believe in hell, and that our friends and family members will end up there if they don't trust in Christ before they die? Do we really believe that?

THE NEED FOR CONTAGIOUS CHURCHES

What will it take to have the widespread impact we were made to have? I believe that personal, relational evangelism plays a vital role. We need more than enthused and equipped individual believers. But we also need the synergy and dynamism of biblically functioning, outwardly focused, evangelistically active churches - and lots of them. We need churches that proactively partner with their members to reach increasing numbers of people who are far from God. We need contagious churches.

I don't care what brand your church is, what flavor it is, what color it is, how old it is, what neighborhood it is in, or how financially solvent it is. I just love the power and potential of contagious churches - wherever they are and whatever they look like - that hold unswervingly to the message of Christ and take whatever risks are needed to reach lost people.

Jesus promised, "I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18, KJV). Why are the vast majority of churches not growing, or growing almost exclusively through transfers of Christians from other churches and through births of babies within their own congregations? Why are so many churches actually losing ground, not even reaching people at the rate that the population is growing around them? Why are some churches actually shutting down? In the United States there are churches permanently closing their doors every day. And the situation is even worse in many other parts of the world.

Many Christians seem content when a church just "holds its own," and merely maintains its membership and budget numbers. Could that really be what Jesus had in mind when He gave us the Great Commission? I don't think so. It's certainly not an example of a contagious church.

Bill Hybels recently spoke about this to a group of church leaders in Europe: If you went to the airport, and there were no airplanes landing, and there were no airplanes taking off, you'd say, "There's a problem!" If you went to the train station, and there were no trains coming and no trains leaving, you'd say, "There's a problem!" So why is it that we can be a part of churches that go on year after year with almost no truly unchurched people coming to faith in Christ, and with very few people really becoming more Christ-like, and yet think there's no problem? Friends, if that describes your church, "There's a problem!"

By its very nature and purpose, the church ought to be a contagious place that is "infecting" more and more outsiders with the Christian faith. In fact, there ought to be an epidemic of people trusting in Christ. Why isn't this happening?

CLARIFYING THE MISSION

A major part of the problem is that many churches have been around so long that they've lost sight of the primary purposes for which they were created in the first place. Simply asking members the question, "What are we trying to do?" will often evoke blank stares or puzzled looks that seem to say, "We're not trying to do anything - we're a church, for goodness sakes!"

On the other end of the spectrum some people will respond with an entire laundry list. "Oh, we're here to fulfill God's plan, you know, to teach people, and build up the body of Christ, and to worship and grow, and teach young people about God, and help needy people in the community, and send missionaries overseas."

Not bad goals, but they're ordered by a stream of consciousness, not by a clear sense of mission or priority. And, you may have noticed, evangelism usually falls to the bottom of the list, if it's on the list at all.

Some churches try to justify their lack of activity in the area of evangelism by pointing to their other areas of strength. "We're a teaching church; if you want an evangelistic church, you should check out the one at the other end of town." Or others will say, "Sure, we believe in outreach, but our emphasis is praise and worship. This is a great place to get close to God each week."

There's nothing wrong with churches developing strengths in particular areas. Often it's a result of God's specific calling and gifting of individual leaders and congregations. But when these strengths are developed to the exclusion of other basic aspects of what a biblically functioning church is supposed to be like, then there's a real problem. It's like a man saying, "Sure I neglect my kids - but, hey, I'm a great husband to my wife!" Anyone can see the imbalance in this.

Jesus gave us our universal mission statement in the Great Commission, and any church that neglects any aspect of it - including the "make disciples" part - is disregarding His divine mandate.

What about your church or ministry? Is your mission clear? Is it aligned with the Great Commission? Is it known by your people, and in the minds of your leaders? Is it concise and memorable? (Peter Drucker says that if you can't print your mission statement on the back of a T-shirt, it's too long!) Is it the active criterion by which you make decisions about where your ministry will invest its time, energy, and money?

We must not fool ourselves. Churches will never become contagious by chance. Contagious churches result when leaders know what they're trying to build and who they're trying to reach - and then work tirelessly and prayerfully to fulfill their objectives.

If your mission isn't clear, or if it isn't clearly evangelistic, I'd strongly urge you and your fellow church leaders to draft one that is, and then begin to communicate it - and live by it.

REASONS FOR CONFIDENCE

One of the most influential writings of our generation is Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby and Claude King. Its central theme is that God is always at work - He's a dynamic, active God - and our job is to find out what He's up to and join Him there. When we do that, we know He'll use us because we're simply signing up for the things He was doing in the first place!

Evangelism is God's idea. Jesus said His mission was "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Then, before leaving, He told us, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you"' (John 20:21). He left us here to reach lost people - people who matter deeply to Him. He assures us in His Word that He is patient with those outside of His family, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). So when we partner with Him, as individuals and as churches, we know He'll use us because we're simply joining Him in His great redemptive campaign.

Still, that's easier to say than it is to do. The obstacles are real. The odds seem stacked against us. But here's one of my favorite stories about a real-life church that had, humanly speaking, very little going for it.

THE LITTLE CHURCH THAT COULD

Mt. Carmel Community Church - the name sounds impressive. But the church is located in Glennville, California, a town with an entire population of 130 people! Here's the picture: one café, one restaurant, one gas station, one post office, and a church. That church was founded in 1866. When Rev. Harrell Knox joined them in 1984 they were meeting in a small chapel building with a steeple and a bell. They had a weekly attendance of 15 (that's 15 people, not families or "giving units"). What's worse, when Knox arrived the church already had a poor reputation due to disputes that had spilled over into the community.

Let's be honest. This was hardly a candidate for becoming a highly contagious church!

Undaunted, Knox began to cast a vision for reaching unchurched people through the ministry of their little church. "Our target audience," said Knox, "is every person in the 500 square mile area of Kern and Tulare counties - all 500 of them!"

The members of Mt. Carmel began to build relationships with the non-churched people in their community. They knew they had to win back these people's respect and earn their trust. They started praying for these neighbors, as well as for their church and its efforts to reach those who didn't know Christ.

When the leaders felt the church was ready, they launched a few outreach events. After mustering all of their talent and abilities they found they could do four events a year - Christmas, Easter, July 4th, and in the summer at the end of Vacation Bible School. "These events are a total church effort," Knox reports, "over 90 percent of the people serve, and more than 25 percent of the church budget is invested to make them happen!"

Being relevant to the local community calls for a diversity in programming and musical styles. They've used a Dixieland jazz band, a gospel rock group, a swing band, and an African-American vocal group. This wide range of music is appreciated in the region, and it is used in the outreach events along with original drama sketches, media, and a spoken biblical message.

The results of this church's evangelistic leadership, relationship-building, strategic investing, and risk-taking seeker events? Today, Mt. Carmel has about 100 committed members. Over 300 from the surrounding area came to a recent Christmas program. And of the 500 people they are trying to reach, 350 have been touched through one or more of their programs!

On a more personal level, Roger, Ann, and their family have been impacted for eternity. Knox reports that: "Roger and Ann attended a seeker event at the urging of their daughter (a young church member) and others in the church who had befriended them. But then that year Rochelle became forever sweet sixteen in a terrible accident, and the church ministered to the family in their grief.

"The family began to tear apart, due, in part, to Roger's heart attacks and his chronic alcoholism that sprang from not knowing how to deal with the grief. Krisha, the next daughter, continued to come to church and to request prayer for her daddy and the family.

"Miraculously God has touched their family, and Roger has prayed to receive the forgiveness and leadership of Christ. Today they are faithful members of the church and God is using their story to bring others to Himself."

YOUR CHURCH CAN, TOO

Does that whet your appetite?

Don't you want to get in on that kind of adventure? You can! It's worth the effort, it's worth the risks, it's worth the discomfort, and it's worth the investment. It's worth nailing down a strong, memorable mission statement with evangelism at its core, and then communicating it and putting it into action in every way possible.

Maybe, just maybe, the combined efforts of you and the other members of a contagious church - your church - is what will be used by the Holy Spirit to break through to them and to help them join God's family for all eternity.

It'll all be worth it then!