In trying to determine the nature of the church, theologians have also considered the purposes of the church – that is, what the church is to do. While many answers to that question have been given, both simple and complex, the one that best suits the intentions of this article is that proposed by Wayne Grudem (Systematic Theology, Inter-Varsity, Leicester, 1994, p. 867). It is simple yet comprehensive. Let us look at Grudem’s answer to the question, “What are the purposes of the church?” We can then look at why I have written this article.

Grudem says there are three purposes of the church:

• Ministry to God
• Ministry to believers
• Ministry to the world

These are the three broad purposes of the church but they need a little unpacking before we are able to understand them completely.

By ministry to God, Grudem means worship. Worship is essentially those activities of both individual and assembled Christians that offer up to God the glory and praise that is His proper due. This, according to the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (Q1), is the chief end of man.

By ministry to believers, he means discipleship and sanctifi­cation or growth in grace. The church “…has an obligation to nurture those who already are believers and build them up to maturity in the faith” (Col 1:28; Eph 4:12-13).

By ministry to the world, he means both evangelism and mercy. Jesus tells us in the so-called great commission, to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). This is the first part of the church’s mission to the world. The second is performing acts of mercy in order to relieve suffering wherever it is to be found (Luke 6:35-36).

Broadly speaking, these are the three underlying or foundational purposes of the church. In this context, I have chosen to look at the third of these purposes, that of evangelism. It is my intention to help readers discover how well their own congregations are doing in their ministry to the world. My perspective is from the Reformed, Calvinistic tradition and it is to members of such congregations to whom I direct my remarks.

It is my own belief that evangelism and acts of mercy are not optional but normative. They are prescribed in scripture just as surely as is our duty to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. If we are ready to do the latter, we should also be ready to do the former. Christ has called His church to make disciples from all nations. This is to be the church’s mandate until the end (Matt. 24:14).

If a denomination or any congregation within it is luke-warm to this purpose, it is in jeopardy of coming under judgement. Indeed, this is exactly what happened to the church at Laodicea. Although we read that the Lord loved this church, nonetheless He was displeased with its lack of zeal (Rev. 3:15-16).

How well is your own congregation doing in the performance of this ministry? Is it, like the church at Laodicea, neither cold not hot, or is it zealously performing this purpose in loving obedience to the Lord? Can you say with honesty that your congregation has a heart for the lost and the suffering? Is it blind to distinctions of race, social status, poverty and the like (Rom. 3:29, 9:24; Gal. 3:28)? What hindrances might be in your way? I believe that it is possible to identify five factors that to one degree or another impede the fulfillment of this purpose within Reformed, Calvinistic assemblies.

The First Factor is the Influence of Hyper-Calvinism⤒🔗

Hyper-Calvinism begins and ends with the sovereignty of God and I should say at the outset that the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is of absolute importance to Reformed, Calvinistic and biblical Christianity. Nevertheless, in its relationship to evangelism, hyper-Calvinism can be a detrimental influence because it denies any responsibility on the part of a believer to be the chosen means of influencing a sinner for salvation or denies that the sinner himself has a responsibility for his own repentance leading to salvation. This, in spite of many verses of Scripture to indicate that this is exactly what God has intended (Jer. 5:3; Ezek. 14:6; 18:30, 32; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Acts 17:30 are representative). I should remind the reader that hyper-Calvinism is not usually a conscious thought in the minds of most Christians. It is the sub-conscious result of not knowing the tension between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, predestination and the universal offer of the gospel.

The hyper-Calvinist maintains that since no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him (a conviction held by all Reformed Christians, see John 6:44) there is no point in trying to influence a person to believe the gospel. God will do that for us. God will bring a person to faith even against his or her will if it is His own will to do so.

The related doctrine of predestination of the elect (those whom God has chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world) reinforces this idea. The idea of the elect (or as they are elsewhere called the “remnant”) is a thoroughly biblical and reformed doctrine, but is used by hyper-Calvinists to shut out any possible response by sinners to the call of salvation. This may be fine as far as it goes but it simply does not go far enough because it leaves out the fact that only God knows His elect, whom He has chosen (Mark 13:20; Rom. 8:29-30). It also leaves out the fact that God uses various means to carry out His intended purposes (1 Ch. 29:12; Ps. 8:3-4; 75:6-7; 1 Cor. 12:6 are all representative). So in evangelism, we understand that we do not know who God’s chosen ones are, nor what agencies He will make use of to ensure that His elect will hear the gospel, receive the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit, repent of their sin and so come to salvation in Christ.

This means we are to be faithful to the great commission and be available as the instruments by which the gospel is heard (Rom. 10:14-15). We ourselves do not convert sinners – that is the work of the Holy Spirit – but we can and must bring them to the gospel.

The Second Factor is the Doctrine of Covenant Succession←⤒🔗

Covenant succession is just a fancy way of describing people being born to believing parents. This, according to many, is the foremost method God uses to grow His church. Covenant succession is a biblical doctrine described in several places in both Testaments (Deut. 4:37, 40; Ps. 102:28; Isa. 44:3; 54:13; 59:21; Acts 2:38-39 are representative).

However, in some cases covenant succession may become a hindrance to evangelism simply because having babies is so natural and right. It is definitely part of God’s overall plan (Gen. 1:28) and making babies is for most people at any rate – easier, more pleasant and rewarding than talking about Christ to total strangers. Now I do not want you to think that I believe covenant succession is not a responsibility as well as a privilege and a joy for all Christian parents. I do.

Nevertheless, I also believe that it in no way absolves the church of its obligation to spread the gospel to all and sundry. My point in this section is merely to warn against the complacency that often takes place. We cannot think that this is the only way that Christ grows His church. I respectfully disagree with people (such as Robert S. Rayburn) who maintain that this is the most important way that Christ grows His church. Rayburn has said,

Christian evangelism will never make a decisive difference in our culture when it amounts merely to an effort to replace losses due to widespread desertion from our own camp. The gospel will always fail to command attention and carry conviction when large numbers of those who grow up under its influence are observed abandoning it for the world. (“The Presbyterian Doctrine of Covenant Children, Covenant Nurture and Covenant Succession,” Presbyterian 22/2, 1996)

It is precisely because of such statements that we must be even more vigilant.

Rayburn and other well-intentioned people miss the fact that the gospel can never fail since it is God’s very plan for the salvation of His people. Christ grows His church by saving the elect through His Holy Spirit. His two primary ways for doing this are covenant succession and evangelism. Moreover, the view of these people contradicts the important doctrine of the per­severance of the saints, which maintains that if one is truly saved, that salvation can never be lost (John 5:24; 6:37, 39; 1 John 2:19).

We tend to forget that in every generation there are people being born right under our noses that need to hear the gospel. Some there are in each generation who truly are tares and so are beyond hope (Matt. 13:24-30), but this is not for us to know but only God. There is a constant crop, year after year and generation after generation and therefore a never-ending need for workers in the harvest fields until such a time as our Lord returns (Matt. 9:35-38). So let us not cease from striving to spread the gospel merely because we have had numerous children, albeit brought up in Godly fashion and who have inherited the covenant promise safeguarded for them by believing, faithful parents.

The Third Factor is Shame and/or Fear←⤒🔗

In North America and other well-off, developed nations, it is the case that Christians do not evangelize (although they may perform works of mercy) because they fear the rejection, ridicule or contempt of friends, loved-ones, co-workers, or even total strangers. They are also ashamed to be known as those who have come under the influence of, and been brainwashed by, a bizarre fairy tale for fools and lunatics who, unbelievers think, are out to brainwash them. This is hard to overcome, yet we are warned not to be ashamed of Christ or His gospel (Luke 9:26) and we are both warned and encouraged not to fear (Matt. 8:26; Mark 6:50). However, as often as not, this fear or shame is rooted in our own ignorance of the meaning of the gospel itself. How many Christians can quickly summarize the gospel and how many having done so can support the pro­clamation with relevant passages of scripture? If you do not know and understand something, how can you actually believe it to be true and worth suffering for?

In today’s world, we do not find this level of knowledge and understanding in many believers, yet there was a time when believers were knowledgeable of scripture, understanding it experientially and not just intellectually. Such were the Puritans and the Reformers. Knowledge is one of the three aspects that make up the totality of a believer’s true faith (Sola fide). Knowledge is the content of our faith; we must know the object of our faith. It is not enough to simply “have faith and everything will work out.” We must know and understand God’s intentions and purposes as well as His character. This comes to us partly by studying His creation, but mainly and effectively by studying His Word, because in it He clearly tells us about Himself and His purposes. It is no coincidence that those believers most saturated with God’s word were also His bravest martyrs. They believed all that God told them in scripture. Indeed, they rested with a full assurance that He would care for them in their time of trial and embrace them in His everlasting arms of love should their death be required by Him.

The Fourth Factor is Simply Lack of Talent or Giftedness←⤒🔗

Not every believer is able to articulate the gospel and this not necessarily through either lack of knowledge or faith. Not every Christian has been gifted with sufficient skills in oration or logic, to explain to an unbelieving and contemptuous world the glorious riches of God in Christ. Again, not because the gospel itself is difficult or too complex – nothing could be further from the truth. No, it is because God has bestowed different gifts on the members of His church. God bestows gifts like con­versational aptitude, logic, scriptural knowledge and gregariousness more on some than on others. He has not said that all are to be teachers, prophets, evangelists and so on (1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11). It is true; people with the necessary skills make the best evangelists. This is not to say however that only specially endowed Christians should do evangelism. We are each called upon, as opportunity allows, to proclaim the gospel and what it means to each one of us (1 Peter 3:15-16).

The Fifth Factor is what we call the Gathered Congregation as Opposed to the “Parish” or  Community Congregation←⤒🔗

Gathered congregations are largely composed of members who do not live in the same geographical location as the building or meeting hall in which they gather. The members come from outlying communities and are only in the church perhaps two or three times a week, and then never leave the premises until it is time to go home again. They have little to no interaction with the people who live or work in the local community, resulting in a condition where the church members never get to meet the locals, form relationships and so come to see them as their neighbours. The locals and church members are forever strangers to one another.

Because no possibility exists for relationships or even brief encounters, it is easier for the members of the congregation to remain indifferent to the real physical and spiritual needs of the local people. In addition, when members go back home to their own communities, what evangelism that takes place there can only be sporadic and ineffectual because it is removed from the church which is the main provider and support system and where the seeds of evangelism take root and grow.

As far as evangelism is concerned then, the gathered congregation is not a good thing. If the church is to have a ministry to the world it must be a ministry that is based within geo-ethnic communities where real people can come together to share what each has to offer, or to receive what others have to give. This has always been the preferred model.

This is especially true for evangelism. Acts of mercy are not always tied to the community in which a congregation is found; especially in our world where people can support the needy in countries on the opposite side of the planet just as easily as a needy someone in their own city or town. But evangelism is not like that.

Evangelism is up close and personal. It happens when pastors preach the word of God faithfully to those who are able to come and hear. It is essentially a local and personal event. It was always so until the advent of mass communication media like radio and television. Moreover, I believe that as good and convicting as a well-preached sermon can be on television, it cannot hold a candle to the word preached in person. Personal experiences are without exception more “real” than mediated ones.

So for real evangelism to occur, the congregation should ideally be situated in a specific location where its members are tied to unbelievers among them not by similarities of ethnicity, social position and the like, but whose members simply live, work or volunteer in the same community in which they worship.

This way the lost may experience personal relationships and receive greater empathy. This not only enriches the lives of those unbelievers in the community, it also enriches the lives of those in the church because they actually get to share in the lives of other people and so are truly able to obey the second commandment of Christ, to love your neighbours as yourselves (Matt. 22:39).

We have now reviewed five main factors that may hinder or impede the progress of evangelism and have seen that in two cases the problem for evangelism is a misapplication of a valid biblical and Reformed doctrine: the sovereignty of God and covenant succession. In our look at hyper-Calvinism, we saw that it was the one-sided or unbalanced view of God’s sovereignty that inhibited evangelism.

Regarding covenant succession, we saw that in our dependence on bringing children into the covenant, we were in jeopardy of turning our backs on the prodigals in our midst that God loves nonetheless. Therefore, it now remains to decide what our responsibility is in the matter. Are we justified in allowing these hindrances to remain? Alternatively, do we have a responsibility to remove them and get on with the work God has asked us to do as His faithful servants (Matt. 25:14-30)? It is obvious by now what my own position is in this regard. We see from numerous scriptural passages that we do indeed have both a privilege and a responsibility to carry out the purpose of evangelism along with acts of mercy. The essential proof-text is Matt. 28:19-20. However, there are many others such as Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 8:26-27, 35; 16:6-10.

Understanding that evangelism and acts of mercy are fundamental to Christianity is only the starting point however. Nor should we say that it is up to individual Christians alone to carry out evangelism.

Evangelism is essentially presenting the gospel through the act of preaching (remember Rom. 10:14-15). An aspect of the great commission that we often ignore is that Christ delivered it to His apostles who were the first ministers of the gospel, who were also its first elders or overseers, and on whom Christ built His new covenant church.

This means that it is up to duly ordained ministers of the word (as the rightful successors to the apostles) to preach to sinners. It is then the work of the Holy Spirit to apply this preaching to the hearts and minds of lost souls.

How are ministers to undertake this task? Are they to do it alone? Do they simply stand at the front of the congregation, hoping there are some who have yet to hear the gospel? This is certainly a part of what will happen, but members can do much more than simply listen with patience as the minister explains for the umpteenth time the purpose of the law and the necessity of the gospel for sinners. He needs the help, support and active participation of his entire flock.

In this, as in so many other aspects of church life, the elders hold special place. It is their responsibility, by virtue of their position and office, to ensure their congregation carries out all the purposes of the church, and this must include evangelism and acts of mercy.

It is not my purpose here to offer any particular strategies or methods. This is really a matter for each congregation to decide. There are as many ways as there are members. Many ways have worked as a means to build relationships and trust with unbelievers within a given community. It is really the time, energy, vision, ingenuity, talent, creativity and commitment of a congregation’s members that are the limiting factors. Nevertheless, if your congregation can do nothing else, it can pray.

Pray for the lost. Pray for the unbelievers you see on the streets and in the alleys. Pray for the homeless in the community, pray for those who work in the shops and other businesses. Pray for other churches in the area and even local agencies that they will be a sure help for those in need.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, do not forget to pray for yourselves. Ask God to give you a heart for the lost sheep, the prodigal sons and daughters in your midst. Ask Him to fill your congregation with the compassion and mercy that means so much to Him. (Matt. 25:30-46).

Ask Him to give you the strength to overcome your own fear and shame. Ask Him for courage to risk the calumny and contempt of even those you are concerned for, who will reject you and revile you because of Him. For has He not told us that as they did to Him, so they will do to us (Mat 5:11; John 15:20)? Yet such is the obedience to which we are called (1 Pet 4:14, 16, 19).