The image that often comes to mind whenever we hear the word “evangelist” is a Billy Graham, Billy Sunday, or George Whitefield. Maybe we think of a John Wesley or a Francis Asbury. Or, the image is that guy on the college campus stopping students on the way to classes or the gal on the sidewalk with a microphone in hand. Or, maybe it is that person sharing the gospel via an app or in a virtual world using a VR headset.
The imagined paradigm usually includes someone who heralds the evangel, calls for responses, and moves on down the road. While such is one important manifestation of an evangelist’s ministry, it is only part of the calling. And because we often limit our thinking to those actions, we create a stereotype that fails to provide a complete understanding of the work of evangelists.
But let’s take a moment to consider the few times, three to be exact, the word “evangelist” is found in the Bible. Philip is called an evangelist (Acts 21:8). He preached the gospel in Samaria and to the Ethiopian (Acts 8). That makes sense: An evangelist heralds the good news to unbelievers with an expectation they will repent and believe (Acts 20:21). Philip had the title; he had the actions.
Paul sends Timothy back to the Church in Ephesus that was already well-established and had elders (Acts 20:17-38). One of the exhortations to this young apostolic worker included him doing the work of an evangelist (2 Tim 4:5) which included preaching to those far from God but, in all likelihood, involved another expression.
The third use of the word is found in Ephesians 4:11-12. Along with apostles, prophets, and pastor-teachers, the evangelist is responsible for “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.” This is interesting. We are often quick to attach this responsibility to pastor-teachers. Yet, Paul notes a portion of the evangelist’s ministerial jurisdiction involves those already in the Kingdom.
I believe it was D. James Kennedy (of the Evangelism Explosion model) who said, “I would rather train a soul-winner than win a soul.” He understood the value of equipping the saints and the multiplicative result if more sowers and harvesters were in the fields. The evangelist was to spend time with believers developing and releasing them for ministry.
But what about you? What to you think was part of the ministry of the evangelist beyond sharing the gospel with unbelievers? If God has called you to be an evangelist, how do you view your actions in light of Ephesians 4:11-12?
Part of the challenge is defining terms. Is the drug addict who had a radical transformation and now is foaming at the mouth excited to tell everyone about the good news that saved him an evangelist? Certainly, but he might not be the guy who is gifted to train others. And there might also be the person who is an extremely gifted teacher and trainer who isn’t the greatest evangelist themself. This can be the case in almost every arena of life — Bill Belichick was a decent football player at Wesleyan University in Connecticut but not even close to an NFL caliber player and yet he is now one of the great coaches of all time.
I would hope that the drug addict turned rabid gospel sharer would at least catch the vision for taking others with him though. He might not be the best teacher/trainer but he – and all of us – can model faithfulness to the core missionary task.
Good word, Aaron. Maybe a way forward is to consider while all believers are to be evangelistic, all are not evangelists in the Eph 4:11-12 sense. Just as all believers are to be pastoral and teach “one another,” not all are pastors and teachers.
Hi JD
Excellent. Building on Acts 14.21-23 and your book Apostolic Church Planting, which we are still (after 5 yrs) trying to practice in an east-end Montreal Baptist Church plant, there are probably four main activities to four target groups for the evangelists (appointed or volunteer): 1) reaching the unregenerate in the city (Ac 14.21), 2) discipling the willing newbies (14.21), 3) teaching and strengthening the whole group of newbies plus [unsollicited] transfers from other cities (Ac 14.22), keeping the main thing the main thing for everyone: OUTREACH which includes ongoing training in theory and actual evangelism of the EE type, and 4) naming elders, with all having a heavy evangelistic strain and some having a specific evangelist calling. René Frey, 75 yrs old and importuning our apostolic Father to provide a long term assistant for me.
Amen!
Hello, I head the evangelism department at church. Reading your article on this topic has given me fresh insight of how to broden the scope of our outreach. Please give me access to the entire article to add the great ideas on “evangelism “?
Thank you, Olive. I am delighted it has helped you. However, this post is not an excerpt from an article.