In preparation for the upcoming workshop April 23rd with our Consultant Kurtz Smith, I’ve been doing a little thinking about the “E” word — you know, Evangelism — the word so scary we dare not speak it in whole. I believe Kurtz will do a good job addressing and helping us get beyond such “E” anxiety. Please see what he has written below.
To me, evangelism boils down to “come and see,” which was Philip’s response to Nathanael’s skepticism in John 1:44-46. And we can do that, each of us in our own way with people we already know!
What is evangelism? I want to go beyond Webster’s or Wikipedia and turn to an Anglican understanding, first articulated by Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple and later adopted by the Church of England: “To evangelize is so to present Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their Savior, and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of His church.”
And there is good theology to be found in Prayer Book prayers. I am forwarding a prayer we have been using during the Thursday evening intercession time: “Ever-living God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.”
The word evangelism never is mentioned in this prayer, yet it reminds us that it is indeed God’s will that all should come to know him through Christ. This means that when we seek to make Christ known in and through our everyday lives, when we begin to pray we might be used more effectively by him, we are asking for something we already know is in accordance with his will. We don’t have to beg or plead, God wants all to come to know the power of forgiveness and the hope of the resurrection! What we need is help, and help to change. The prayer simply asks that the Lord would inspire and empower our witness to him.
I pray that for myself and for all of us. I ask you to begin using this prayer and take it to heart. I ask you to join us for the Workshop April 23rd as we learn some tools to help us conquer our “E” word fears.
See you Sunday!
