Scriptures remind us that our spiritual battle between good and evil is real: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 6:12) We
Continue readingLearning to be a missionary takes place in a context and attitude of love for people who do not know or follow Christ. It requires being open to the ideas and perspectives of others and suspending our personal, cultural and religious ideas to listen to their experience. The path to
Continue readingThe Brooklyn Tabernacle Evangelical church has emerged as one of the largest Christian communities in New York City, but its journey to this point was far from straightforward. When Jim Cymbala assumed the role of pastor in the early 1970s, the church counted only about 30 members and teetered on
Continue readingViews on evangelization have often clustered around two poles: “presence” and “proclamation.” The term “Christian presence” was minted in French Catholicism. Blessed Charles de Foucauld described his vocation as being present amongst people, a presence willed and intended as a witness of the love of Christ. The term “Christian presence”
Continue readingThe possibility of perdition for human beings is real. The Church has always taught this and it has not changed (COC #1022). In his Epistle to the Hebrews, Saint Paul speaks of those who are lost and those who save their souls: “We are not the sort of people who
Continue readingThe Saint-Nazaire church is another example of parish missionary transformation. Located in Sanary-sur-Mer, France, it changed parish priests in 1994. When he arrived, he found that the faithful were involved in parish activities, but most of the community was composed of seniors. Desiring it to change, he took his parochial
Continue readingEvangelization experts suggest that to grow a church, leaders should keep the front doors wide open, create multiple side entrances, and ensure the back door is securely closed. In this analogy, the front doors represent welcoming weekend services for non-believers, the side entrances symbolize small groups that reach out to
Continue readingMany missional churches evangelize by inviting people to “accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour” (2 Peter 3:18). They understand evangelization as a proclamation of the Gospel that calls for a response to Christ who urges us to repentance, conversion and discipleship. Those who are evangelized are lead to make a
Continue readingJesus said to His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). God desires to fill us with the Holy Spirit so that
Continue reading
The law of “three hearings” and “seven touches” stem from research into effective evangelization practices of growing churches. These principles illustrate the journey of an unchurched individual towards committing to a Christian community. The Principle of Three Hearings An unchurched visitor rarely joins a church after a single visit. Much
Continue reading