The names of the churches stare back at me.

There are 876 churches in all. Most of them have their names written in my books. They are Effective Evangelistic Churches, High Expectation Churches, Standout Churches, and Breakout Churches. Three books were written on these churches. My teams did hundreds of hours of research.

Though quantification of church health is difficult, we attempted to look at health from several perspectives. Evangelistic health. Discipleship health. Doctrinal health. Fellowship health. Worship health.

We know that our measurements are fallible, but we still think we identified some of the greatest churches in America.

But now some of the names stare back at me. Not all of the names. Just some of the names.

From Great to Mediocrity

The names I am seeing right now are churches that are no longer great. They have fallen from the lists. They no longer meet the criteria.

We found some of the fallen churches from statistical follow-up. We found others in consultations, and still others from familiarity with the churches. Some people told us that other great churches had fallen on tough times. And some people even questioned if our studies had validity since those churches had fallen from greatness.

Again, we make no claim of infallibility in our research. But we do believe that our research is sound. The studies that we did, however, were mostly “rear-view mirror” studies. We looked at churches from the past several years to the present. But past accomplishments are no guarantee for future health. Churches can reverse their positive trends.

It’s those churches whose names are staring at me.

Hubris, Denial, and Nostalgia

Of course, the single word question that disturbs me is “Why?” I am tempted to lead another study, this time on fallen churches, but I do have sufficient information for now to see how the fall begins. I classify the reasons into three words, and they are not mutually exclusive.

Hubris. The word means pride or excessive self-confidence. Here it refers to church leaders who have seen great days at their churches, and who are convinced that their churches are the models for others to emulate. They talk about the methods they used, instead of the biblical principles and passions behind the methods. Since theirs was such an effective church in the past, the leaders see little need to do things differently today.

Denial. I took an entire blog earlier this week to discuss this issue. It’s a characteristic of church leaders of fallen churches. They simply don’t want to face the facts. The church is not as evangelistic as it once was. People are not growing in the Word as in the past. Expectations are lower, and so is morale.

Nostalgia. Most churches have a period in their history that stands out above others. But some churches still live in that period though it’s long past. Nostalgia is fine if it is simply the act of fond memories. Nostalgia is sinful if it keeps the church from moving forward in Great Commission obedience.

What Now?

Where do these churches go now? Is it possible to move from mediocrity to greatness back to mediocrity and then back again to greatness?

Absolutely. All things are possible through God.

The first step is repentance, a confession of any sins of pride or self-sufficiency.

The next step is a reality check. Instead of living off the past of recognitions and accolades, it’s time to have a hard look in the mirror. A church can’t get well if it’s unwilling to admit it’s sick.

Then the church needs to learn its community again. Make no assumptions that the present is like the past. Get accurate information. Live incarnationally. And then contextualize for the new realities, not those of the past.

Finally, move toward radical obedience. This life is too short to play church games. Time is running out fast.

And then, the once great church can, in God’s power, be great again. 

My first pastorate after seminary was in St. Petersburg, Florida. In my interviews with several of the lay leaders prior to my coming to the church, I noticed a recurring theme. When I would ask them about the health of the church, one word was repeated several times: stable.

I could not reconcile their perception of the church with the information they had sent me. The most recent year’s attendance was 118; seven years earlier the average attendance had been 191. In a relatively short period, attendance had declined 38 percent, but the common theme among the church members was that the church was “stable.”

The more I heard from the church, the greater my concern grew. The number of conversions in the congregation was almost nonexistent. Ministries had been discontinued. Biblical literacy and doctrinal awareness had declined. And the reputation of the church in the community had suffered. But the condition of the church, according to key laypersons, was “stable.”

A Common Plight

From an outsider’s perspective, this lack of awareness was inexplicable. But in subsequent years, I consulted with hundreds of churches. Much to my dismay, I discovered that this reality blindness was common. Many churches are unwilling to make needed changes because they fail to see the need for change.

The Manifestations of Reality Blindness

As my team consulted with churches over the next two decades, we not only discovered that reality blindness was common; we discovered that it often manifests itself in three ways.

First, the churches have no means of accountability. They don’t know if they are truly evangelistic, engaging the culture and the community. They fail to ask if their members are really growing spiritually and biblically. They don’t know if their ministries are really effective. They may continue some ministries because that’s the way it’s always been done. In simple terms, these churches refuse to ask the tough questions.

Second, the churches that have reality blindness often have members who have little doctrinal awareness. While the churches typically had a written doctrinal statement, most of the members had no idea what the statement contained. And the few members that might have had some awareness expressed theological positions in contradiction to the printed doctrinal statement.

Third, many of these church leaders were change resistant, even when needed change was clearly obvious to an outsider. Obviously, change is unlikely when leadership is unwilling to look reality in the face.

From Reality Blindness to Breakout

The bad news is that most churches in America will remain in a state of reality blindness. It’s easier to assume that all is well rather than confront the painful truth that serious change is necessary.

The good news is that a few churches will move from blindness to breakout. We have studied about and consulted with such churches over the past twenty years. The leaders of these churches have been willing to confront the brutal facts about the state of their congregations. And they have been willing to lead the churches to make the changes necessary to move from near death to greater health.

One pastor of a breakout church stated it well. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a place where we are playing church and not impacting our community. I know that change is painful. I know that many in the congregation both resist and resent change. But I can’t live a life of mediocrity. In God’s power, I have to lead my church to greatness for God’s glory.”

Reality blindness or breakout? One is a path of comfort, little conflict, and little impact. The other is a path of change, discomfort, and potential conflict. But it is the path where lives are changed and communities are impacted.

May we leaders do what it takes to see our churches become dynamic and vibrant. May we see that reality blindness is really not an option at all. 

Before becoming a seminary dean and LifeWay president, I served four churches as pastor. The churches were in Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, and Alabama. Now, I have served about a dozen churches as interim pastor since those four pastorates, but I don’t really count them. Being an interim pastor is like being a grandparent – you are well loved because they know you will be leaving soon.

A Brief Self-Assessment

Can I really be objective in evaluating myself as a pastor? I doubt it. Self-awareness is elusive.

Let me give it my best shot. On a scale of 1 to 10, I guess I would rate myself as a 5, right at average. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit too generous. A 3 or 4 would probably be more accurate. Forget it. I never liked those scales anyway.

The fact of the matter is that I really messed up a lot as a pastor. It’s one of the toughest jobs in the world. I would not wish it on anyone unless he knew he was really called by God to this ministry.

Five Changes I Would Make

This list is not comprehensive. My mistakes in ministry comprise a much longer list than a brief blog can contain. In fact, I would need a long book to write all the dumb things I did. Actually it would need to be a multi-volume series. Anyway, here are five of the biggest changes I would make.

1.       I would spend more time in prayer. It’s cliché, but a pastor’s work is never done. Sometimes I was just too busy to pray. Now that really sounds dumb. I was too busy to spend time with God, my Creator, and the One who sent His Son to die for me. I so desperately needed His power, but I shamefully neglected time with Him.

2.       I would spend more time in the Word. Too many times my sermons were void of power because of my busyness in matters of lesser importance. I needed to be more like the Twelve, who refused to let the demands of the church take them away from the prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4).

3.       I would spend more time loving my critics than worrying about their criticisms. I am too thin-skinned. I often let critics bother me too much. Certainly there are times when criticisms against me are valid; there were many of those times when I served as pastor. But most of the time someone was dealing with an issue and I was the most convenient target. They needed more love; I often gave them greater neglect. I just wanted to avoid them.

4.       I would spend more time with the people of the church. I love to watch those pastors who have mastered the art of “hanging out.” They love the people they serve. They want to spend time with them. They are truly like shepherds in their concern and love. Being with the members of the church is not a burden to them – it is a joy. I needed to be more like those pastors.

5.       I would spend more time with the unchurched. My most effective evangelistic times as a pastor were not the result of a new program, as helpful as that program may have been. I was most evangelistic when I had friends and acquaintances who were unchurched. I needed to get outside the walls of my Christian cocoon and get more into the culture of those who don’t know Jesus.

The Point of It All

I am not wallowing in self-pity, nor am I on a guilt trip for my many mistakes. I do regret them, but I can’t change the past; I can only live in the present. The point of these words was to show my many deficiencies as a pastor for those who are currently in that role. Perhaps something I wrote might help a pastor today. Perhaps my mistakes will not be his.

But then again, I wrote these words for those who aren’t pastors as well. Pastors have an incredibly tough job. Check that. Pastors have an impossible job. It can’t be done without God’s strength and power. 

Pray for pastors. Encourage pastors. Love pastors.

That could very well be the most important ministry of your life. 

The first time I read Michael Green’s Evangelism in the Early Church in 1984, it was a required textbook for a course at seminary. My subsequent six readings since then have all been the result of my desire to be reminded of the passionate heart of evangelism of the early Church. Green’s book, published in 1970, looks at the Church from the time of the Apostle Paul to Origen in the middle of the third century.

One of the greatest appeals of the book is the deep commitment to both theology and evangelism, and the recognition that the two cannot be divorced. Green says it well in the preface: “Most evangelists are not very interested in theology. Most theologians are not interested in evangelism. I am deeply committed to both.”

An Emerging and Encouraging Trend

Though my observations are anecdotal at this point, I am greatly encouraged to see more young church leaders today with a passion for both theology and evangelism. They realize that true evangelism will not take place without a solid biblical and theological foundation. And they realize that theology is dead unless it is lived out passionately in ministry and evangelism.

Nearly four decades ago, Michael Green wrote about that reality in the early Church. And he rightly insisted that theology and evangelism must not be separated in the Church today.

Evangelistic Motives in the Early Church

Green noted some of the evangelistic motives of the early Church. Not surprisingly, each motive has deep theological and biblical roots.

A sense of gratitude. The early Christians were tireless and unselfish in their evangelistic zeal. They were prepared to sacrifice all, even their own lives, in order to share the gospel of Christ. One of their primary motives was their overwhelming gratitude for what Christ did for them. So many of the biblical truths affirm this reality. For example, “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10, HCSB). Similarly, we hear the Apostle Paul declare, “And I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

A sense of responsibility. The biblical mandate of evangelism is clear. We hear Great Commission passages such as Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8 repeated often. But the Bible is replete with passages that reflect this sense of responsibility. Paul, in his farewell address to the Ephesian elders, reported, “I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:21).

A sense of concern. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). The simple but powerful truth is that there are really two categories of humanity: the saved and the lost. The saved will spend eternity with Christ; the lost will spend eternity separated from Christ in hell. We must proclaim with passionate concern that Jesus in the only way of salvation (John 14:6). Our hearts should break over the lostness of humanity, and our response should be obedient and urgent evangelism.

A Great Commission Resurgence: When Theology Meets Evangelism

Will the evangelical church in America experience a Great Commission resurgence? With the early Church as our pattern, we can have great hope that such a resurgence will take place.

But no great evangelistic move of God has ever taken place without the rightful wedding of theology and evangelism. When evangelism has no theology, it degenerates into human-made methods and manipulation. When theology has no evangelism, it degenerates into a dry and powerless academic exercise.

May we see a Great Commission resurgence like the early Church.

May our motives be deeply theological.

May our actions be passionately evangelistic.

And may God do a great work in our land. 

Leadership is difficult.

Now that’s really an obvious statement.

Leading a church is especially difficult. Regardless of the church polity, the number of bosses the church leader has is usually equal to the number of church members. And keeping all church members happy is not only difficult; it’s impossible.

The Unfortunate Path of Many Church Leaders

When a church leader begins to experience difficulties, a common path taken is one of defense. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t upset the apple cart. The metaphors are many.

And the unfortunate result is that the church follows the path of its leaders. It stops taking risks. It focuses more on comfort than a Great Commission challenge. Avoiding conflict and making as little change as possible becomes the unstated vision.

And that’s a path of certain decline.

Studying Leaders and Leadership

Four years ago I led a research team to look at leaders who had made significant leadership changes. Without getting into all the boring criteria, the essence of the study can be explained simply. We were looking for leaders who moved from defense to offense and from comfort to challenge. We began a quest for breakout leaders.

The search was difficult. Not many leaders who had moved into a defensive posture were willing to change. But we found a few such leaders four years ago, and we've found a few more since then.

As we interviewed these leaders over the past four years, we found a common pattern. We called that pattern “The ABC Moment.”

The ABCs of Breakout Leadership

What goes on in the mind and heart of a breakout leader? How did that leader make such a radical change? What moved him from leaving the comfort of the status quo to the challenge of Great Commission obedience?

Awareness. The first stage in the mind of the leader was a wake-up call. The church leader was able to confront the brutal reality that the church he was leading was not moving forward as Christ intended. Unfortunately, many church leaders live in the world of denial. They are simply unwilling to face the facts that the churches they lead are in status quo mode at best.

Belief. In this stage the leader, after seeing the unhealthy state of the church, really begins to trust God and move forward. The leaders do not despair over the needed changes, but instead have a strong belief that God can use them to make a less-than-desirable situation better.

Crisis. Once positive change begins, the inevitable resistance to change fights back. Not everyone is receptive to Great Commission obedience. Some members are more concerned about their own preferences and their own comforts than obedience to the call of God. They don’t like it when the church leader does not do things their way, and they are quick to let him know.

The Small Number of Breakout Leaders

Very few church leaders ever make it to the level of awareness. Looking in the leadership mirror can be tough, so even fewer are able to realize the next stage of belief. It’s hard to trust God for something when you don’t think you have any need for change.

For the few leaders who experience the crisis stage because of positive leadership efforts, the stage is often not sustainable. The pain is too great and the price is too large to continue.

But the blessings are incredible for those who become breakout leaders. It is a difficult path, but not impossible. The God we serve is able. He will be with those leaders who are radically faithful in Great Commission obedience. The dying church thus becomes alive, and the congregation sees the impossible become possible.

A great price.  A great opportunity. A great God.

Such is the reward for those who make it through the ABCs of church leadership. 

When I became the president of LifeWay Christian Resources in 2005, I discontinued the Rainer Group, a company that I started nearly 20 years earlier. I knew that the demands of an organization as large as LifeWay would require my undivided attention. It was the right decision, but still a painful decision. And I took joy that my oldest son Sam began Rainer Research, in many ways a continuation of the Rainer Group where he had served with me.

As I look back at some 500 church consultations over two decades, I realize how much I learned. As a consultant, I was rightly expected to help churches and their leaders. But learning flowed both ways. I did attempt to help these churches, but the churches taught me many valuable lessons as well.

Learning from the Strengths

Most of the leaders who contacted me had an undeniable love for their congregations. And likewise, the church members were dedicated and committed to their churches. I was always moved to see this depth of love for a local congregation even in times of serious church conflict.

These church leaders and members, more often than not, truly wanted the best for their churches. It was this love for the churches and this desire for something better that often became the foundation for a path back to church health.

Learning from the Struggles

About nine out of ten churches that called my firm for a consultation did so because the leaders knew or because they sensed something was wrong with their churches. The consultation thus became diagnostic and remedial. Find the problems and do something about them.

On rare occasions, the solution was simple. One church had been at a frustrating plateau for three years. The leaders couldn’t understand why an otherwise healthy church was stymied in its growth. On the first day, one of my consulting team members counted the number of parking places and discovered quickly that the church could not grow because there was no available parking.

The church expanded its parking lot and growth resumed.

The leaders thought we were geniuses!

But most of the consultations were complicated. No one issue could explain the struggles. We on the consulting team did our best to assess the situation and make helpful recommendations.

In the process, I discovered four themes that recurred in these consultations. It is not an exhaustive list, but these reasons did explain many of the struggles of the churches.

Four Common Themes

First, our consultations focused much attention on matters of leadership. We found that many church leaders were in trouble because of poor leadership skills and poor interpersonal skills. Most of these leaders were well trained theologically and biblically, but they weren’t prepared to lead an organization or deal with people issues.

Second, our team was often perplexed at the weak evangelistic endeavors of churches. It seemed in many congregations that the Great Commission was not taken seriously. It wasn’t that evangelistic efforts were done poorly; they weren’t done at all.

Third, we saw that church leaders needed the eyes of an outsider. One of the most common components of our consultations was “the first-time guest.” Someone on our team would make his or her first appearance at the church at a worship service. That person would note carefully everything from parking to greeters to the worship service to friendliness to the church facilities. We would then provide the church leadership with a first-time guest verbatim. That report alone proved to be one of the most helpful parts of our consultation. It was also one of the most surprising to many church leaders.

Finally, we learned that pastors and other church leaders are often hurting. Sometimes the greatest assistance we could provide was a listening ear and the promise of prayer.

A Thankful Heart

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn from these 500 churches.  If there is one basic takeaway, it is the need to pray regularly for church leaders. These leaders have tremendous responsibilities, and they are often under great pressure. And too often, they are more likely to hear from the critics than the encouragers.

Thank God for His churches.

Thank God for His church leaders.

And thank God for those who love them and pray for them. 

Somebody is watching you.

I’m still amazed at the stories I hear from my three grown sons. They remind me of things I did and said when they were children. Some good. Some not so good.

Yes, I’m really amazed how closely they watched their dad.

Somebody else is watching us Christians. The unchurched. Non-Christians.

And you might be surprised how closely they are watching us.

Listening to the Formerly Unchurched

In a previous blog I wrote about research my team had conducted on the formerly unchurched. These were men and women who had been Christians less than a year. They were able to give us some keen insights about their lives as unchurched, non-Christians, especially since those days were in the recent past.

One of the more fascinating times in our interviews took place when we asked them what they didn’t like about Christians. We asked them to specify issues, attitudes, actions, and words that turned them away from the church and the gospel.

They gave us an ear full.

Five Negatives

Though the responses varied in their specific wording, we were able to group the negatives into five major categories. So what it is that the unchurched don’t like about Christians? Some of the responses hit too close to home for my comfort.

I don’t like Christians who treat other Christians poorly. The unchurched don’t expect us Christians to be perfect, but they can’t understand why we treat each other without dignity and respect. “I thought Christians were supposed to love one another,” Sandy from Pennsylvania told us. “But the more I observed Christians, the more I thought they really didn’t like each other.”

I don’t like “holier-than-thou” attitudes. The unchurched know that Christians will make mistakes, and they often have a forgiving attitude when we mess up. But they are repulsed when Christians act in superior ways to them “It would help,” said Bailey of Tampa, “if Christians showed just a little humility.”

I don’t like Christians who talk more than they listen. Many of the unchurched, at some point, have a perception that a Christian is a person who can offer a sympathetic and compassionate ear. Unfortunately, many of the unchurched thought Christians were too busy talking to listen to them.

I don’t like Christians who won’t get involved in my life. One of the many surprises of our study was discovering how much many unchurched persons would like to have a Christian as a friend. Yet very few Christians are willing to invest their lives in the messy world that evangelism requires.

I don’t like Christians who don’t go to church. The unchurched saw the disconnect between belief and practice in the lives of Christians who did not or who rarely attended church. “You would think that Christians would want to have the time together to worship and study,” noted Frances. “But I am amazed how many Christians just are not committed to any church.”

The Takeaway

The unchurched really are not too bothered by some hypocrisy with us Christians. They are well aware that any human will stumble at times. But these lost men and women want to know that Christians will treat each other well. They want to see humility in our lives. They want to know that we will take the time to listen, and even take more time to really be involved in their lives. And they want to know that we love our churches.

The unchurched really want to see a Christian live incarnationally. Most of them will gladly listen to us if we show love toward them and toward other Christians. Most of them desire to see a Christian live his or her faith as well as speak about it.

I have learned much from the world of the unchurched.

And I know I have still have much yet to learn. 

In two weeks, Nellie Jo and I will once again have a dog in the home. It’s been five years since the death of our sixteen-year old dog, so we are ready. At least we think we’re ready.

The newest canine Rainer is a five-month old lab and golden retriever mix. He comes to us from an elderly lady in the Dallas Metroplex. She just has been unable to handle a large dog, so we were recommended as a good family. Did I mention that I think we’re ready for this dog?

His name is, predictably, Marley. He supposedly is house broken and a summa cum laude graduate of obedience school (okay, the summa cum laude part is an exaggeration).  So we are ready. Yeah, that’s right. We’re ready.

That Friendship Thing

People have reminded me that a dog is a man’s best friend. And as a true lover of dogs, I agree that they can be great companions.

But Marley will not be my best friend.

Nellie Jo, Sam, Art, and Jess are my best friends. And I have been blessed with many great friends outside the Rainer family. They are better friends than any dog.

Reminders of Friends

This past week I have been reminded of the precious gift of friends. A few phone calls and some emails brought me encouragement and joy.

And I remember how friends have been there for me in the tough times. Loss of my parents. Nellie Jo’s cancer. Struggles with decisions. My friends were always there for me.

God allowed me this week to minister to friends. Two of those friends lost their jobs, and I found myself on the giving side of friendship. That was a blessing for me since, more often than not, I am on the receiving side.

The Apostle Paul and Friends

Paul is my favorite biblical character. I love his boldness. I love the way he got right to the point. I love the way he spoke his mind. We have no doubt where Paul stood on issues, and we have no doubt how he felt.

As Paul was anticipating his death, he spoke of his demise as a departure. “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close” (2 Timothy 4:6, HCSB). What did Paul seek in his last days? What was among the most important priorities he had?

Friends.

He wanted Timothy to come see him. He was joyous because Luke was with him. He longed to see Mark again. He sent greetings to Prisca and Aquila. He sent greetings from Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia.

Friends were vitally important in his waning life.

Friends and Me

A few months ago a friend confronted me in Christian love. He told me that I had become increasingly withdrawn from my circle of friends. He told me that my work and life balance was messed up. He told me that I needed to change.

He was right.

I now have a renewed appreciation for my friends. I see even more what a blessing from God friends are to me. Though I undoubtedly have a long way to go, I do think that I have made progress.

Thank God for friends who tell me the truth.

Yeah, I’m still looking forward to getting a dog. And I anticipate that I will hear friends speak of “Marley and me” often.

But I do know where this man’s best friends really are. They are in the brothers and sisters in Christ who love me, care for me, and keep me accountable. For them I am forever grateful.

But I still can’t wait for Marley to arrive! 

What we believe affects how we behave.

That reality is true for individuals. And it’s true for churches.

For years many leaders in churches have been reluctant to engage unchurched persons because they saw the task of reaching them as nearly impossible. Anyone who is not a Christian and is not in church, they would often reason, will be unreceptive to Christians and to the gospel.

That statement is simply not true. While there are certainly some unreceptive and even antagonistic unchurched persons, the majority are willing, if not eager, to be engaged by a Christian.

The Research

Almost a decade ago, I began leading research teams to get to know the world of unchurched America better. In one research project, we interviewed hundreds of “formerly unchurched” persons. These individuals had moved from the world of unchurched, non-Christians to the world of Christians active in local congregations.

We asked these men and women some key questions. The original research was published in Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, but we continued to interview these same groups for years later.

The findings surprised many people. They sure surprised us.

Myths Uncovered

Some of our research dispelled conventional wisdom about the unchurched. Let me share just four of those “myths.”

Myth #1: The church is a strange and mysterious place to the unchurched. To the contrary, the formerly unchurched told us that neither the church experience nor the church language confused or intimidated them when they were unchurched. In fact, most of the unchurched actually attend church at least once a year, so they had some level of familiarity with local congregations.

Myth #2: The unchurched are intimidated or turned off by deep expositional preaching and teaching. Perhaps one of the most surprising findings in our studies is that deep biblical teaching and preaching actually attracts the unchurched. Perhaps even more surprising is that nine out of ten formerly unchurched affirmed this truth.

Myth #3: The unchurched are not interested in Sunday School and similar small groups. Just the opposite is true. Surprisingly, an unchurched person who ultimately connects with a church is more likely to be involved in a Sunday School class or a small group than a long-term Christian. For example, seven out of ten formerly unchurched were in Sunday School classes, compared to six out of ten long-term Christians.

Myth #4: The unchurched cannot be reached by personal and direct evangelism. Again, the evidence dispels this myth. Nearly two-thirds of the formerly unchurched told us their primary exposure to the gospel came from another Christian sharing with them one-on-one. And they expressed dismay that most Christians are unwilling to share their beliefs with non-Christians.

How Then Do We Respond?

I have shared in previous blogs and articles the woeful state of evangelism in the American church. Most church staff share the gospel infrequently, and most laity do not evangelize at all. The unspoken excuse seems to be that such disciplines are of little value. The unchurched, they reason, are probably not interested, and likely will be antagonistic.

Not true.

The reality is that most of the unchurched would welcome a conversation about the gospel. And many of the unchurched wonder why Christians are so reticent to discuss their convictions and beliefs.

But the real issue is that Christians should be sharing their faith regardless of the receptivity of non-Christians. It’s not really a matter of receptivity; it’s a matter of obedience.

And my prayer is that I will become someone so passionate about the gospel and what Christ did for me that I will have trouble keeping quiet. Indeed may I become like Peter and John who faced their detractors with boldness. Instead of concern for their freedom or even their lives, they simply said that they couldn’t keep quiet.

“For we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20, HCSB).

May it be so for me as well.