May 2003
Dear Sisters and Brothers in
Christ,
Christ is risen! Christ is risen
indeed! In this joyous season I write to you in another of my
occasional e-mail conversations with you. This one focuses on
evangelism and includes good news about the ELCA's commitment to
telling the Good News of Jesus Christ. At every synod assembly
last spring, we asked what the priorities of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America should be. The overwhelming response
was "evangelism and outreach." The 2001 Churchwide
Assembly called for a new evangelism strategy for the ELCA. The
final draft has received enthusiastic support and now will be a
primary focus of the 2003 Churchwide Assembly in August. Its
four objectives flow from an common opening statement:
Called by God in baptism and
empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America calls upon its members, congregations, synods,
churchwide ministries, and related institutions and agencies
to: call the church to prayer, prepare and renew evangelical
leaders, teach discipleship, and start and renew
congregations.
The full document can be read or
downloaded from the ELCA's Web site: www.elca.org/visionevangelism.
The strategy reflects a commitment to the ELCA being a dynamic
church of disciples, joyfully giving witness to Jesus as Lord
and Savior and actively engaged in God's world through
compassion and justice. The strategy will be incorporated into
the strategic directions for mission presented to the 2003
Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee. As one of the five strategic
priorities for the ELCA in the coming years, evangelism will
continue to be at the heart of this church.
As I reflect upon evangelism,
particularly in the context of parish and specialized
ministries, I invite you to consider these points:
+ Evangelism is the Good News of
Jesus Christ. Mark 1:1 proclaims that it is "The beginning
of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." The Good
News of Jesus Christ--that we have been saved by God's grace
through faith for Jesus' sake--is the heart of our proclamation.
Through this Good News, the Holy Spirit works to bring people to
faith.
This Good News is the Gospel. As
I travel throughout this church, I have been encouraging pastors
to consider not using the word "Gospel" in preaching.
My intent has been misunderstood by some. My concern is with the
use of the word "Gospel." It is a word which may be
familiar to people already in the church, but one that may hold
no meaning for those who are unchurched. It may, in fact, mean
something other than the Good News of Jesus Christ. For
instance, a Chicago sports writer used the word gospel 10 times
in a recent column. He began: "In the culture of the NFL
locker rooms, there are beliefs and then there is gospel."
Then he went on to say, "Gospel is the sacred but unwritten
rules of engagement."
To Mark's hearers, the word
gospel may have been associated with the Good News announced in
the public square, which declared a victory in battle by
Caesar's armies. Mark infuses the word gospel with a radically
new meaning. The word Gospel came to mean the Good News of God's
victory over sin, death, and the devil, achieved not through
military might, but through Christ's death and resurrection.
It is my hope and prayer that
through our telling of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Holy
Spirit will bring equally startling and life-changing results.
+ Evangelism is the vocation of
all the baptized. In the affirmation of baptism, we ask,
"Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with
you in Holy Baptism?" We go on to say what that means,
including "to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ
through word and deed."
Evangelism is the Holy Spirit at
work through the baptized, as each proclaims Christ and invites
others to come and see Jesus. It seems to be a great challenge
for us to move from thinking about evangelism as the work of a
committee--churchwide, synodical, or congregational--to thinking
about evangelism as the work of all the baptized in the world.
+ Evangelism is proclaiming and
inviting. I fear some shy away from the word
"evangelism" because it brings to mind images of
intimidation and interrogation. It is, however, the gracious
word spoken by forgiven sinners--often shy, but sometimes rather
bold--proclaiming the crucified and risen Christ. Evangelism has
the sense of wonder of the Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well
who ran to the people, inviting them to "Come and
see." Evangelism has the compelling urgency of Peter and
John responding to their accusers, "Whether it is right in
God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge;
for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and
heard." (Acts 4:19-20).
+ Evangelism is public and
personal. In day-to-day conversations, we share the love of God
in Christ Jesus with neighbors, colleagues, and family members.
The witness can be very personal, but it is also public. In
every ordination, the pastor pledges to, "... give faithful
witness in the world, that God's love may be known in all that
[we] do."
Evangelism is public because it
points to and participates in God's work in and for the sake of
the world. Sometimes we separate evangelism and mission, making
them seem like competitive priorities. Yet they are inseparably
linked and must be consistently integrated. Inviting people into
faith and sending people of faith in Jesus Christ into the world
are two movements of the Holy Spirit's work.
Finally, our work in evangelism
needs to reflect our commitment to being a more diverse church
and to being in ministry among persons living in poverty. I
trust this work will be rooted in God's grace, grounded in the
sacraments, and Trinitarian in scope.
I recently came across a
delightful brochure called "20 from 10: Twenty Insights
from a Decade of Evangelism." It is a recent publication of
a group of churches in England and includes insights that are
instructive for this church as well. The insights include:
- Most people come to faith
gradually
- Personal relationships are basic in evangelism
- Good evangelism is an invitation, not a confrontation
- Evangelism is about sharing Jesus, not about promoting the
church
- A changing culture demands changing approaches
- Evangelism among children and young people is a major
challenge
- Local initiatives are best
- Christian witness in ordinary life is at the heart of
effective evangelism
- Evangelism is part of well-rounded mission
- Evangelism needs evangelists, but we are all witnesses
- Personal stories are a powerful tool
The brochure can be downloaded
from: www.evangelism.uk.net/20from10/index.htm
May there be opportunities this
Easter season for you to hear and ponder the Good News of Jesus
Christ which we are called to proclaim to others. Thank you for
the privilege of serving with you.
In God's grace,
that through our telling
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
