Creating evangelistic culture in our churches is essential work to see the body of Christ fully equipped to be able to do all that she is called to do. Each of the fivefold cultures are needed in our congregations – in fact, they are non-negotiable if we want to build and lead a vibrant and healthy church. But what is evangelistic culture, and how do we go about creating it?
What is Evangelistic Culture?
Evangelists are those who bring good news – they share information that will transform someone’s life for the better in an instant. In their message is an invitation to the hearer to partner with the message and let it shape their life. Therefore, the defining marker of anything evangelistic must be built around the foundation of invitation to receive the good news. Anything else considered or named as being evangelistic must therefore serve and undergird this concept of invitation. Without ‘invitation’, something cannot be considered truly evangelistic.
A healthy church values church evangelism and has an evangelistic culture that creates an outreach focus. This leads to a mentality that seeks to present Jesus to those who don’t know Him.
Evangelistic culture looks to create a passion to reveal King Jesus to those who don’t know Him, through words, works and wonders. The word ‘evangelist’ means ‘herald’, which is someone who makes announcements or proclamations. Kings would have heralds who went out on the road ahead of them, declaring the king’s impending arrival and telling stories of the king’s power, wealth and might. This is the role of the evangelist, telling all who would listen about King Jesus.
Why is It Important?
A core aspect of an evangelistic church culture is that genuine conversions occur when we connect with non-believers beyond the church walls. Through these diverse encounters, they encounter the true nature of a loving God. This firsthand experience can spark a transformation in their hearts and lead them towards faith. An evangelistic culture creates an outreach focus that brings a number of benefits to a church:
A Strong Outreach Focus: This grounds the apostolic ministry in its core purpose: bringing God’s Kingdom to people, leading to witnessing, salvations and fostering a community of believers.
Guiding the Prophetic Voice: An outreach focus ensures that prophetic messages remain grounded in practical application and avoid becoming overly esoteric or focusing solely on inward experiences. This ensures that God’s message is communicated clearly and effectively.
Inspiring the Shepherd’s Heart: By prioritising outreach, pastors are reminded that there are still those outside the fold who need guidance. This prevents a focus solely on “tending” the existing congregation and encourages actively seeking new believers.
Bridging the Gap Between Teaching and Reality: When teachers are aware of the real-life needs of non-believers, their teaching becomes more relevant and impactful. An outreach focus highlights the importance of not only teaching the gospel but also demonstrating its practical application in everyday life.
In essence, a evangelistic culture stirs up believers and turns them outwards in order to win more worshippers of Christ.
What Happens if Evangelistic Culture is Lacking?
Without a foundation of healthy evangelism, a church can fall into one of two extremes:
- Seeker-Sensitive Stance: In this approach, the church prioritises attracting the lost through programmes and events. However, this can become manipulative, focusing on entertainment rather than fostering genuine encounters with God’s love, power, and truth.
- Inward Focus: Alternatively, the church can become inward-looking, primarily serving those who are already believers. This can lead to stagnant ministries and a decline in spiritual vibrancy.
Both these extremes are detrimental. Authentic evangelism strikes a balance: reaching outwards with genuine love and a clear message of God’s truth, while nurturing the early stages of spiritual growth of those newly part of the church community. This fosters a healthy and growing church that reflects God’s heart for both the existing believers and those who haven’t yet encountered Him.
Seven Keys To Creating Evangelistic Culture
Evangelistic culture has a number of distinctives which define and shape it. The culture wheel below serves as a valuable tool, outlining seven key distinctives that churches can prioritise as they create a evangelistic culture. Imagine the wheel as a mechanism driving motion forward – these distinctives are written in the present tense deliberately to represent ongoing and essential actions. For a church to thrive, these seven areas should be continually pursued.
Each of these distinctives is unique and essential in creating evangelistic culture, and if done right, will permeate and influence every area of a church.
Conclusion
I have created a guidebook to help church leaders with creating evangelistic culture. It walks through a five-step process and is full of biblical teaching and practical steps, including unpacking these seven distinctives, that will aid you in your task of cultural creation. You can find the guidebook HERE.
Also, if you want to discover your own fivefold flow by learning what your primary and secondary fivefold expressions are, and how they partner together in your thinking and doing, you can take my Fivefold Flow Assessment HERE.
This post is part of a series on creating fivefold culture. You can see the other posts here:
- Creating Apostolic Culture
- Creating Prophetic Culture
- Creating Evangelistic Culture
- Creating Pastoral Culture
- Creating Teaching Culture
