Proclamation evangelism:

Proclamation evangelism started for me when I was a brand-new pastor. At the time, I was among those who thought that “evangelism is for the professionals,” so I had invited a popular evangelist to hold a series in my church. A week before the starting date, the evangelist said that he would not be able to do it. I panicked. I started calling all the evangelists I knew. What to do? A friend said, “Why don’t you do it?” My reaction was, “Are you talking to me?” However, without prior experience in proclamation evangelism but with much prayer, I took the challenge—and close to 30 people joined the church through baptism.

The experience transformed my life and ministry. What is proclamation evangelism? It is declaring the good news found in Jesus that transforms the lives of those willing to accept God’s message. I have seen numerous lives changed by the power of God, as revealed in Jesus on the Cross. From drugs, drinking, and fornication to selfishness and the love of money and power—people are freed from the bondage of sin.

However, proclamation in the context of changed lives requires careful consideration of the proclaimer, the proclamation (the message), and the proclamation’s results.

The proclaimer

A friend had baptized more than 100 people each year. I asked him his secret. “I think it has to do with my prayer life,” he replied. “I spend a couple of hours each day talking with God.”

His point was clear: The speaker’s spiritual life is an important factor in proclamation evangelism.

Concerning success in preaching the truth, Ellen G. White says, “Human strength is weakness, human wisdom is folly. Our success does not depend on our talents or learning but on our living connection with God. The truth is shorn of its power when preached by men who are seeking to display their own learning and ability.”¹ The proclaimer needs a living connection with Christ, the central theme of the proclamation. White adds, “Seek Jesus, brethren, confess your sins, plead with God day and night, until you know that for Christ’s sake you are pardoned and accepted. Then will you love much because you have been forgiven much. Then you can point others to Christ as a sin-pardoning Redeemer.”²

This reality came home to me the first time I was asked to preach in English, my second language. I did all the preparation for my messages, but I did not pray and ask for the Holy Spirit. I stood in front of that audience—and flopped. Then, I realized that I could not preach without the power of the Holy Spirit. Before the next sermon, I prayed, fasted, and asked the Lord to take over my mouth. As a result, two amazing things happened during that second sermon: first, as I preached, I spoke clearly and understandably, and secondly, people came back to hear me preach. The Holy Spirit provided a miracle.

Proclaimers need to prayerfully consider their spiritual connection with God and their dependence on the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

The proclamation

A proclamation is “a public and official announcement.”³ Proclamation evangelism is, then, a public announcement of the gospel, an official message from God about the hope found only in Jesus Christ. It may be the only opportunity an individual has to hear the good news, so it cannot be treated lightly.

This responsibility of proclamation must weigh heavily on the preacher’s heart. Proclamation evangelism must be a priority for the proclaimer. But it must be more than seeking to report success in numbers. The proclaimer must have a passion for leading people to Jesus.

To be successful, the pastor must do more than preaching. Proclamation evangelism is not an isolated event; it must be a part of a cycle. When evangelism is part of a year-long process, the church family will see positive results. Doing more than expected trains the congregation in reaching out to their community. This will “expand” their “capabilities and potential.”⁴

All aspects of preparation must be thought through, including how to advertise and where. When I was a ministerial student, I was asked by the pastor of an English-speaking church to do a series in his town for its Spanish-speaking population. I agreed and explained what he needed to do to connect with the people. On the starting night, not one person showed up, except for the pastor. It turns out he had placed an ad in the local English newspaper—in English. Though this is an extreme example, don’t we do the same when we think that preparing for an evangelism series is just a matter of randomly sending out a few thousand flyers?

The need for the church to create a cycle of evangelism is covered in a comprehensive “Proclaim Evangelism” program developed by David Klinedinst, director of Evangelism and church growth for the Chesapeake Conference. This cycle is clearly outlined in the four yearly training sessions that explain how to (1) create a culture of evangelism in the church, (2) conduct an effective evangelistic series, (3) lead people to decisions, and (4) conduct follow-up ministries.⁵ Proclamation requires preparation, intentionality, planning, and consistency.

The evangelism cycle is often likened to agriculture. To harvest a good crop, a farmer knows he cannot just casually throw seed on the ground. He must entirely prepare the land before planting the seeds. The farmer then continues keeping the soil clean, getting rid of weeds, and protecting the crops. After all that comes the harvest.

Prayerfully consider that in the evangelism cycle, proclamation evangelism is the harvest. Success requires intense preparation, careful work while the event happens, and then intentional follow-up.

Proclamation’s results

The proclamation must lead people to understand their sinful condition and then offer them the solution: surrender to Jesus. The proclaimer needs to present more than an intellectual message. It can be 100 percent true but fail to lead people to Christ.

Craig Loscalzo, renowned pastor and professor preaching, states:

Evangelistic preaching is persuasive preaching: we see a desired response, and we consciously attempt to influence the attitudes and behaviors of our listeners. That should not surprise us. The gospel is inherently persuasive. Its message is intended to evoke changes in people’s attitudes and to elicit transformation of their behaviors (2 Cor 5:17). Motivated by our love for people, we want to persuade them to accept the gift of new life in Jesus Christ. The gospel has reached deep inside of us, convicted us of our sin, has healed our brokenness and made us whole persons in Jesus Christ. The gospel has set us on a lifetime pilgrimage of walking with Christ. We desperately want others to experience this salvation. We want to persuade them to receive God’s offer of life.⁶

Loscalzo’s last two sentences in the previous paragraph show the passion of the Proclaimer. Desperate to lead people to Christ. This passion connects the preacher and the sermon with the hearer of the proclamation. That gives meaning to the message. Susan Hedhal, former chair of Proclamation of the Word at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Pennsylvania, says, “Hearers want to know what this all means for today’s living in contemporary culture that offers daily evidence of non-Christian views or even anti-Christian actions and speech.”⁷

Effective proclamation includes four elements: engage, instruct, convict, and inspire.⁸ A preacher who is intentional in having these four elements can stand in front of an audience knowing that the Holy Spirit will do the work, that the message will be powerful and relevant, and that God will produce the intended results.

Proclamation evangelism must extend an invitation and then help people decide for Christ. So many times, as I am in church and listening to a sermon, my heart is moved. As the preacher is concluding, I am ready to stand and raise my hand, acknowledging my desire to follow Christ. But the preacher does not extend a call.

As you engage in Proclamation Evangelism, keep in mind that proclamation will not yield results if we do not extend a call. Extend the call—lead them to a decision—in short, help listeners choose Christ!

Exhortation

Paul exhorted Timothy: “I charge you . . . : Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. . . . But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:1–5).

Paul’s exhortation is for us today. You, too, can be part of proclamation evangelism. Surrender your heart to God, find resources and make them your own, prepare the church for “a cycle of evangelism,” and then preach your heart out. It is what we are called to do.

Do not wait until circumstances push you, as they did with me. Be ready in due season to give an answer for the hope that is within you. Study the Word and be prepared to proclaim the gospel when God gives you an opportunity. Through proclamation evangelism, your life and ministry can, and should, be transformed, along with the lives of those who hear the words that God has called us to share.