GOSPEL workers of today and tomorrow dare not make small plans or move from shortsighted motives. The world of tomorrow presents a challenge to the man who plans to work therein. It certainly requires him to put every one of his powers to the stretch to meet its challenge.
After the Reformation, those bodies that continued fervent grew and became powerful. The others lost ground and became generally frozen in an icy round of formalism. Let me present a few thoughts concerning some of the fundamental aspects of the situation that I believe the evangelist of tomorrow will see.
Simple Technique
First of all, I believe that the evangelism which will successfully reach the minds of the people of tomorrow must be greatly simplified in technique. The world of today has become so complicated in its social structure that we evangelists have sometimes felt we must meet it with a complicated technique. The history of this tactic, however, seems to me to show its bankruptcy. While the new technique is fresh it might very well attract attention, but like yesterday's newspaper or last year's automobile, it is soon out of date. We all recognize that the gospel is God's plan for saving mankind and it has nothing to do with planned obsolescence. It seems to me that many of our flashy new techniques appeal only to the class who are looking for some type of surface thrill. I am impressed by the fact that thinking people will pay good money to hear someone play an excellent 300-year-old sonata in exactly the way it was played during the seventeenth century if it is done well. The gospel is the most appealing and attractive thing in the entire world to the mind and heart of man. It never goes out of date. We had nothing to do with its formulation, but God is depending upon us to deliver it to the world. Is it possible that we are dressing up with saxophones, cannon blasts, and fire sirens that which would be a beautiful melody if played simply as a violin solo?
Not only do I believe that the evangelism of tomorrow should free itself of its preoccupation with gadgetry but I believe that the total program of evangelism must begin to specialize in pure gospel witnessing. We are sometimes prone to spend a lot of time on side issues. I am continually endeavoring to remind myself that neither welfare work nor Bible teaching, book selling or healing, writing or lectures, are ends in themselves. We think evangelism will somehow be done successfully through these modes. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If we hope it will be done "somehow," it usually will be done "nohow."
Honesty
The second characteristic I believe will typify the evangelism of tomorrow is that of honesty. I do not mean to suggest by this statement that evangelists of former days have not been honest. In fact, as one studies the history of evangelism he finds that beginning with Peter Waldo and his followers down to the present time there have been unbelievably few who ever were involved in any scandal. What I mean by honesty is, for instance, that the evangelist will be more concerned to make sure that he has a worthwhile message to deliver than that there is a large crowd to hear it. He will be more concerned that the statement he is about to make is authentic than that it will make a startling impression. He will be more concerned about being a real expert in his specialty, the Bible, than in trying to pose as an expert in some other field in hopes of impressing someone with his breadth and depth of learning. He will be more careful to ascertain facts of situations than he is to condemn some person or organization that seems out of line. He will be more interested in understanding the real feelings of the person rather than merely pressing upon him his advice, however good it might be.
The generation of tomorrow will be the most critical audience anyone ever tried to teach. The level of higher education has doubled in the past decades and will doubtless double again during the career of the evangelists of tomorrow. One of the results of this will certainly be that tomorrow's great middle class will be prepared to detect propaganda, fallacies, misstatements, shoddiness, and cant faster than the audiences of any previous generation. The minister himself will have to be trained either by personal or formal education so that he can speak from an experience broad and deep enough to captivate the minds and hearts of this new generation of people.
The Task of Laymen
I believe that the evangelism of tomorrow will be largely dependent upon the devotion and zeal of godly laymen. Disguise it and deny it as we might, it is not as easy to get an audience today as it was prior to the advent of television. If our own people are unwilling to leave their sets and attend meetings, then the chances are slim indeed that many non-members will attend. I think it would be safe to say that where public evangelism has been successful, it has been so, to a great extent, because our people have rallied to the cause and brought their neighbors, friends, relatives, and loved ones to the meetings.
It is possible that the evangelism of tomorrow will stand or fall not in the tent or meeting hall but in vital worship experience for every member. This must include personal, family, and church devotions. The Biblical plan for stirring people to action is for them to catch a vision of the "Lord . . . high and lifted up." If our people are not being presented with that vision day by day or at least on the Sabbath day, it would seem very doubtful that they will be ready to act their role in the evangelism of tomorrow.
It is my conviction that we have lost a large share of our potential audience. We have done this particularly in centers where a large number of Christians of the same persuasion live. This has been partly due to the fact that true Christians are a separate people. To a certain extent holiness is separation from the world. It is sometimes difficult for us as Christians to make friends with our neighbors if they are not interested in spiritual things. But a good plan is to invite them to our home to spend an evening with us. Perhaps we could share a meal and then show some pictures we have taken, or play some games. I don't believe, however, that we will have very fruitful results evange-listically if we invite our neighbors over, mumble a few words about politics and the weather, and then sit back to watch TV. There are many things that are uplifting in which we can invite our neighbors to participate with us. However, if we invite them over only to make friends, we have not accomplished very much. W"e must keep our goal in view—that of introducing them eventually to our dearest Friend—the Lord Jesus Christ. And we should remember also that if we fraternize only with those who drink no liquor, use no tobacco, profanity, or poor language, we will be excluding many whom God could reach through us.
True to the Bible
The fourth characteristic of tomorrow's evangelism is that it must be true to the Bible. Where evangelism has strayed from this norm it has usually degenerated into either a mere church-joining campaign or theological pugilism. Joining the church is a step that those who have heard the message of Christ should take. And we emphatically insist that purity of doctrine is tremendously important. However, the Biblical idea of evangelism transcends both of these pseudo goals.
Instruction and persuasion have their place in evangelism. I do not subscribe to the oversimplification that insists that the gospel is "caught" not "taught." We recognize an element of truth in this cliche, though. The Christian's "first mile" is to impart the truth of the gospel, but then he must go the "second mile" and do all he can under the Spirit's guidance to get his friend to take the step of total commitment to God.
Evangelism that is true to the Bible always will call for a verdict about Christ. Not always will it make the man expert on the details of dogmatics; not always will he make preaching his career; but he will always make Jesus central in his plans.
It seems to me that we evangelists would do well to frequently ask ourselves "How does my work compare with that of Jesus, Paul, and John?" Such an inventory would be awakening, I am sure.
In Tune With the Times
The fifth characteristic I would like to suggest is that tomorrow's evangelism be in tune with the times. We may not always like the tune. We may have an alternative one to present. But if we don't get the attention of the people, they will never know we exist, or that we have anything for them that is worth while.
It has been said that our greatest need as evangelists is to trust more in the Lord. To trust in the Lord does not mean that we will be careless in our preparation of the sermons we preach or that we will cease to put forth efforts toward getting a positive Christian verdict. Trusting in the Lord will demand that we exert ourselves:
1. To become scholars worth listening to.
2. To learn what people think and how they feel.
3. To meet people amid the babel of today, so we may call them to the rest and peace that is in Christ.
Tomorrow's evangelism must no longer neglect the intellectuals. It must not become discouraged, however, if no mass movement of "brains" begins to accept the simple gospel. But it must be willing to enter the Areopagus as well as the market place and factory.
I believe in the Lord's purposes for His church. May none of them be hindered by us.
