Thursday, October 22
 

Collective Evangelism
 

“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:4-8 NRSV)

Evangelicalism has over-emphasized the importance of personal evangelism as part of a committed Christian life. However, in our over-emphasis of our personal evangelism, we are in danger of neglecting collective evangelism. We are not solo evangelists. We are God’s evangelism team: the Church!

Paul emphasized our collective mission with a metaphor. Just as each body part has different functions or roles, each individual Christian has different gifts. But just as all the body parts need to work together in order for a body to function properly, so too must Christians use their gifts, not in competition, but in collaboration with each other.

There are no one-size-fits-all seekers and no one-size-fits-all evangelism methods. Diversity of gifts among Christians helps the church connect with a diversity of seekers. One of the benefits of agencies like Home Missions is the partnering and coordinating of diverse Christians and churches with different strengths and gifts to reach out to diverse communities – from church plants to campus ministries. As we seek to fulfill the Great Commission, let us remember that we carry this mission out together as one body.

For Discussion: Is your church committed to evangelizing as a team? Think of some ways you could encourage your church to focus on evangelizing together.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, head of your body, the Church, please unite our efforts into one so the world might see and experience your love and be drawn to you. Amen.

     -          Shiao Chong
Chong is a Christian Reformed Chaplain and director of the LOGOS Campus Ministry at York University in Toronto, Ontario.