Evangelism is a hot-button issue currently within our denomination. Leaders would have evangelism done in mainly public large-scale ways, while pastors and the laity often want a smaller and more personal approach. Some say evangelism only occurs when there are public meetings, and others declare public evangelism completely useless.
There are some big questions asked around this topic that deserve some thought.
Is evangelism solely based on numbers or is there more? Can evangelism be effective if we don’t baptize a dozen people or hold public meetings? How do we do effective evangelism in 2025, and should it look different than it did in 1844? These questions deserve answers, yet I wonder if we might be asking the wrong questions.
I fear that many focus too much on the numbers that accompany evangelistic efforts — baptisms, memberships or tithe giving. Should our focus instead be more on the personal aspect of evangelism? I'm not just talking about friendship evangelism where we know people for years but never actually present the truths of Jesus or the Bible to them. Rather, I am speaking here of personal evangelism. Let me explain through an illustration.
My husband and I have a friend who is a farmer. He lives a little way out of town in a small modest home. He has all the needed equipment for farming, the correct licenses, the right connections and the knowledge to make his farming business successful. He spends his time in the spring prepping his equipment, tilling the soil and then planting seeds.
After the seeds are planted, he spends time working on his equipment and deals with weeds, pests and water damage or lack of water. Then in the late summer, he harvests for months. After harvest, it’s time to prep his equipment for the winter and the next season, which he will work on until the next season begins. So, I ask you: When is he a farmer?
Is a farmer only a farmer when he or she is doing only one aspect of the farming process; such as seeding or reaping? Or, are they a farmer all the time, no matter the task they are completing? I would argue, as would our farmer friend, that a farmer is always a farmer all the time. They live and breathe farming; that is their life.
So, we come back to the issue of evangelism. Rather than asking churches, pastors and laity, "What form of evangelistic efforts will you do this year?" we instead should ask, “How do we, leaders, help empower local congregations and people to get to know Jesus personally so they can effectively share Him with the world?”
The goal becomes a form of evangelism that is effective because the individuals, first and foremost, are truly dedicated to Jesus themselves.
Being an evangelist for four weeks during a series is great, but what about the other 48 weeks of the year? Do we stop being evangelistic in purpose when the meetings end?
There is a great example given in scripture in the story of the Samaritan woman and her personal interaction with Jesus. Once she had a personal encounter with Jesus, she shared with others and they in turn came to Him.
“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did.' So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His words, many more became believers. They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world'" (John 4:39–42).
Churches will grow, conferences will grow and tithe will increase when the believers within the church are empowered by Christ living in them. When the main driving force is numbers, we miss the real purpose of evangelism.
Jesus didn’t preach just to gain numbers for the church. He preached, shared and taught to bring people into a saving relationship with Him. The disciples and apostles told others of Jesus because they first loved Jesus themselves. And thousands were added to their numbers. Why? Because people encountered Jesus through those followers, those true Christians, who lived out their love for Christ.
We are not just called to share Jesus with the world for a couple weeks while meetings are happening. We are called to be everyday witnesses of Jesus — to be living evangelists, daily evangelists and personally transformed Adventist evangelists.
This evangelism begins today as you personally commit your life to following Jesus. Let Him truly live in and change you to be more like Him.
