I was sorting through my mail when I ran across a small card that I assumed was just more ecclesiastical junk mail. Two words, however, caught my eye: church closing. There were only a few people left in the small church and it was simply no longer feasible to keep it open.
Perhaps it wouldn't have bothered me except that the day before, my wife and I had joined some friends at one of our favorite restaurants which had just moved to a new location—a former church. With stained glass and a choir loft, it had been a beautiful building, but for all of its beauty this church could not sustain life. We can only guess at the reasons: changing neighborhoods, different demographics, unemployment. Nevertheless, in the space of 24 hours I had been confronted with two different churches that had to close.
Is there ever a good reason for a church to close? The citizens of the kingdom of God have been given unlimited power to evangelize. Consider what the Holy Spirit did through Peter in Acts 2:37-42. Likewise, we are called to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20). Yet it is in obedience to that very calling where we so often fail.
It is clear that we are not getting the job done—but someone is. While we were bemoaning our losses, setting up task forces, and attending church growth seminars, the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses were going about the business of looking for and meeting the needs of people. Although we profoundly disagree over major points of theology, these groups may very well have something to teach us about evangelism outreach.
What is it that makes them so effective? Let's look at six principles that can make a difference:
1. A Sense of Belonging
"I was made to feel so welcome," a young man said to me. "I
walked into the Latter Day Saints Church and immediately someone approached
me with a welcoming smile. They sat with me and helped me through the service,
explaining what was going on. The next week they stopped by my house to
tell me how glad they were that I had visited them." Contrast this
with another young man's story about visiting United Methodist church. He
entered the building and was immediately told that he had entered through
the wrong door. "No one uses that door," said one of the church
members. He was actually made to leave the building and enter through the
correct entrance! In which church would you rather worship? People are crying
out for a sense of belonging, but are we welcoming them into our midst?
Are we loving the unlovely and touching the untouchable? We know all the
right words and even put up signs declaring that we are the "friendly
church" and yet so often, if people visit our church, we act as if
we don't know what to do with them—especially if they don't look and
act the way we do.
2. Active Evangelism
We joke about the Jehovah's Witnesses coming to our door. We make light
of their door-to-door visitation, their eagerness, and the Watch Tower.
But, how many people in our church went door-to-door telling people
about Jesus Christ this week? Active evangelism is sadly lacking in most
of our churches. Many of those door-to-door visitors are under the age of
25. While we spend time wondering how to get our young adults active, others
are busily pursuing converts. What makes the difference? They are taught
to be unashamed of their faith, and they are expected to witness.
They seem to know instinctively that any church will die if no one
is evangelizing. The Mormon church requires mission duty from its
people. How many United Methodists get out of college and beat a path to
the General Board of Global Ministries or the Mission Society begging for
assignments? The simple truth may be that our people do little to witness
because little is expected from them. Evangelism must become a central focus
of our church once more.
3. Strong Emphasis on the Family
We have all seen the commercials done by the Latter Day Saints. They have
a clear, central theme—the importance of the family. In these days
of the single parent and dysfunctional families, could there be a more timely
message? They are saying: "Come to us and we will be your family." Can we do any less? We must affirm the importance of the family in God's
plan for our wellbeing, and we must initiate programs that invite and minister
to the single, the widowed, and the divorced. The early church took great
pains to reach out to the unfortunate and the lonely (Acts 4:32-37, 6:1-7).
Many were converted through their love and caring.
4. A Clear-Cut Belief System
Each year in my adult confirmation class, at least one person will ask
me what the United Methodist Church believes about a certain issue. Often,
the United Methodist response must seem ambiguous to them.
Unfortunately, ambiguity has become increasingly more common in our church during the past 30 years. We have become so afraid of offending someone, and so adept at wording, that many clergy and laity have no idea where we stand on anything. In truth, the Discipline has little power. Its legislation is rarely enforced, and when it is, the rulings are often overthrown. We have lost our sense of tradition, and many people have grown up in the church never hearing of the doctrines of assurance and Christian perfection.
Not so with the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses. Their world is made up of black and white—their beliefs are carefully delineated. Of course, not all issues are as simple or as clear as they would like them to be, but there are fewer shades of gray in the world than the UM Church would like to believe. Until we enforce a Discipline that truly reflects the Word of God, our evangelism will never have the effect it should.
5. Education
Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses know what they believe. This should be
evident to anyone who has tried to help them understand the orthodox message
of salvation. Unfortunately, there are many senior high youths in mainline
Christian churches who are not even familiar with basic Bible stories. Many
congregations no longer emphasize the importance of the living Word of God
and have abandoned verse memorization. One of the reasons we lose so many
of our young people as they go out into the world is that we give them no
weapons with which to fight. The time is at hand to get serious about Christian
education.
6. Goals
Each person in the church needs to realize he or she is important. People
thrive when given a purpose, a reason to be present and active. There are
goals to be attained, jobs to be done. All should be made to feel indispensable,
and indeed they are. Is it any wonder that our churches are filled with
so many apathetic people when they are neither challenged nor inspired to
do more in the name of our risen Savior?
Is there any way to stem the tide of decline? Is there any hope?
Yes! There is hope because he who bled and died on a cross is alive and mighty—we are not alone. But we must renew the fervency of our desire to declare the message that all who call upon the name of Jesus can be given new life, eternal life. The Holy Spirit has the power to convict and convince. There is hope as long as we remember that we are empowered by him to witness to the world.
The days when people in our society went to church because "that's what one does on Sunday" are long gone. If we are more concerned with maintaining the organization of the United Methodist Church than we are with relating the gospel, we will continue to lose members.
As we seek to be obedient to the claims of the gospel, the Lord will enable us to establish goals for actively engaging in evangelism, drawing people in as a part of the family, creating in them a sense of belonging, and teaching them the eternal truths of Scripture. Not only will we become more effective witnesses—we will revitalize our church as well.
Brian C. Jones is the pastor of Stonybrook United Methodist Church in Gahanna, Ohio. He and his wife, Kelly, are the proud parents of one son, Benjamin, and one daughter, Rachel.
This article was published in Good News (September/October 1994).