Churches without Evangelists I. Introduction A. Let us consider a condition that many congregations have experienced, continue to experience, and which many will in the future experience B. Churches without evangelists! C. A situation that arises for many reasons 1. A transition: one evangelist has left, congregation is looking for another 2. Economics: a congregation may not be able to support an evangelist, and outside support may not be sufficient or is impracticable 3. Size: a congregation might be too small for one 4. Preference: some congregations choose not to have an evangelist D. Regardless of the reason, churches in that situation must continue to function! 1. Despite what some believe, a church can function and do so effectively, even when no evangelist is present! 2. Examples exist even in the New Testament of churches without evangelists 3. God still expects a local church to represent the body of Christ, promote His purposes even if no evangelist is working with them (1 Corinthians 12:12-28, Philippians 1:27) E. Let us consider how a church can function without an evangelist! II. A Reminder: Evangelists, Their Work, Their Burdens A. As we begin, it is good to remember who evangelists are, what they do, and the burdens far too often imposed upon them B. Evangelist: one who proclaims the euangelion, the good news/ gospel of Jesus 1. Acts 21:8, Ephesians 4:11, 2 Timothy 4:5 2. Philip as an evangelist; his work can be seen in Acts 8 3. Timothy as an evangelist; his work made manifest in 1 Timothy 4. Evangelists as having role in equipping saints for ministry C. Evangelists work to proclaim the message of Jesus to believers and unbelievers, encouraging and building up all 1. Also called preachers because of their preaching functions; nevertheless, evangelists more than preachers, and others can do work of preaching (like elders, 1 Timothy 5:18) 2. Also often called ministers, yet all believers are ministers (1 Corinthians 12:12-28, 1 Peter 4:10-11)! 3. We see Philip's example of preaching to people who have not heard of Christ, teaching them about His life and work (Acts 8) 4. We also have Paul's exhortations to Timothy for him to teach, preach, and exhort Christians to avoid dissension and squabbling, hold fast to the truth, be aware of and avoid false teachings and perversions of truth, and to exhort brethren to live lives consistent with Christ and His message (1 Timothy) 5. This is accomplished not just by preaching and teaching but also through personal example (1 Timothy 4:12) 6. Therefore, evangelists often do all or most of the preaching for a congregation, active in the teaching of Bible classes, holding Bible studies for believers and unbelievers, a spiritual resource for members, and often directing initiatives of evangelism D. Sadly, evangelists often expected to be burdened with other tasks 1. As an individual Christian, the evangelist ought to do what he can to visit members in distress, serve by cleaning and in other ways, facilitate social events, and participate in social events 2. Far too often, however, Christians look to evangelists as the "spiritual professional," and thus anything and everything spiritual is his responsibility and his alone 3. In some places he is expected to visit every member who is sick or in some need, to attend every social event, and to be available at any moment for any reason when any member needs something 4. Where there are no elders (and, sadly, even in some places where there are elders), evangelists are often seen more as a pastor than an evangelist, and so he is expected to all but govern the church and do all the functions to keep it running 5. Furthermore, they are to please everyone at once, be perfect, endure heaping amounts of criticism, and still do God's work with a smile 6. Little wonder, then, why so many evangelists burn out and/or get discouraged! E. Thus we see the position of the evangelist, Biblical and otherwise 1. A position of value-- this should not be denied 2. They have an important role in promoting the Gospel 3. Unfortunately, too many are too often distracted from their true work or actively hindered from pursuing their true work to do work that other Christians should be doing! F. How, then, can churches function without someone filling this role? III. Functioning without Evangelists A. We must first dismiss some misguided views of what happens when there is no evangelist working with a local congregation 1. An evangelist makes the church: a church should be able to function and glorify God even when an evangelist is not present 2. Without an evangelist, the local work will collapse: if this happens, then it is evident that there was too much being expected out of the evangelist! 3. Without an evangelist, there is no guidance: the church should be guided by Christ and His Word even if an evangelist is present (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 4:2); if there are elders, it is their job anyway (1 Peter 5:1-4)! 4. A church is not worth being a part of if there is no evangelist: Christianity and the church are not about evangelists; the attractiveness of a particular local congregation should involve all the members as much as an evangelist (or the lack thereof) B. Nevertheless, there are challenges when a church is used to having an evangelist and then enters a period without one! 1. Even if a church is well-organized and service is distributed well among all members, it is nice to have a full-time worker 2. It is more convenient to have a point man for Bible studies, evangelism, preaching, and the like 3. Many congregations are full of people who work for a living, and those who work in the home have many obligations, and often the elderly have many physical challenges 4. In such an environment, it is good to have an evangelist with a flexible schedule who can devote time to Bible studies, gospel promotion, and the like! C. While it may be challenging in many ways to have no evangelist, the work can and must go on! D. Consider Philippi, Thessalonica 1. From what we can tell, neither church has a full-time worker 2. But they have members who engage in service and they are all promoting the gospel in their lives (Philippians 1:27, 1 Thessalonians 1:6-9) 3. They might have itinerant evangelists like Timothy stop by and encourage them for a few weeks (cf. Philippians 2:19-22, 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5) 4. You might expect that these churches would be weaker than other churches 5. And yet they represent two of the most mature churches with which Paul ever worked (Philippians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 9-12)! E. Therefore it is evident that a church can be strong and grow even without a full-time evangelist! F. It just requires more work for everyone! 1. The members must step up to the plate when there is no evangelist! 2. It is not as if the work somehow vanishes when there is no evangelist; the work is just as much there, and is just as critical as before (cf. Matthew 9:36-38)! 3. Men with some ability will have to take care of the preaching and teaching 4. A congregation can still facilitate Bible studies, community outreach, Bible correspondence courses, door knocking, websites, etc. 5. In reality, evangelists are not wonder workers: there is nothing an evangelist does that is so specialized that other believers are not able to work to accomplish the same 6. The work can go on and thrive even without a full time evangelist! IV. Benefits A. It may surprise you, but there can be benefits to going without an evangelist! B. Ownership of the Work 1. The lack of an evangelist requires members to own the work 2. They may quickly come to appreciate the work evangelists do! 3. Regardless, by doing more of the work, they take greater ownership of their role within the congregation and can grow as disciples of Christ (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28) C. Healthier Attitudes Toward Spirituality 1. It is easy for some to look at their spiritual lives as another thing to consume when there is an evangelist doing much of the work 2. When there is no evangelist around to expect to do all the work, such ones may start to understand that Christianity is an all-hands-on-deck affair! 3. They may get more involved with the work than they ever would have with an evangelist present! D. Greater Connection Among Members 1. Without an evangelist, it falls upon the members to organize and develop their own means of encouraging each other outside of the assembly 2. Many times this can lead to greater connection among members since they are relying more on one another! E. Growth 1. When members have to step up, they get a chance to grow in their abilities 2. Teaching, preaching, promoting the gospel, strengthening one another, etc. 3. Opportunities for growth abound if members are willing to take advantage of them! F. The lack of an evangelist, therefore, need not be a death sentence or descent into weakness and oblivion for a local church-- if the opportunity is taken, it could lead to greater growth and cohesion among members! V. Conclusion A. There are times when congregations go without evangelists B. While there is a place for evangelists, and their role is beneficial for congregations, they do not make up a church, and a church can function well even without one around! C. But the local church can only succeed when each and every one of its members agrees to stand up and take on various responsibilities and forms of service! D. Whether a church will grow or wither without an evangelist is mostly dependent on the attitudes of its members and their willingness or lack thereof to step up and get the work done! E. The circumstance might even lead to personal growth and other benefits! F. Let us all resolve to serve God and advance His gospel in our communities whether there is a full-time evangelist with us or not! G. Invitation/songbook