Overcoming a Church Culture that can Silence Evangelism Activity

We are called to be salt and light—influencers in a dark world. Yet, when it comes to evangelism, it often feels like the world’s influence is often louder than the Great Commission. Surprisingly, that societal pressure to stay quiet about our faith doesn’t always come from people in our community. Sometimes, the influence to stay silent comes from inside the church.

In Luke 14, Jesus enters the home of a prominent Pharisee. The atmosphere is tense; he is being “carefully watched.” In front of him stands a man suffering from abnormal swelling. Jesus asks a pointed question: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”

The response? Total silence.

Mosaic law didn’t explicitly forbid healing on the Sabbath, but church tradition as interpreted by the Pharisees did. The “experts” in the law were paralyzed by their own culture. They cared more about maintaining the “way we’ve always done it” than the suffering man standing right in front of them.

Today, that same silence often greets pastors when they talk about evangelism. We’ve developed a church culture that subtly whispers:

• “Let the pastor do the talking; that’s what he’s trained for.”
• “We pray for and support missions financially, so someone else can do the work.”
• “Verbally sharing my faith just isn’t my thing.”

We have turned the Good News into a spectator sport, where we cheer from the pews while the professional church workers or gifted church members take the field.

Jesus exposes the culture of silence with a brilliant illustration. He asks the Pharisees if they would rescue a child or an ox that fell into a well on the Sabbath. Of course they would!

When a child is in danger, traditions go out the window. A mother whose toddler is trapped in a well doesn’t worry about “proper procedure.” She screams for neighbors, calls the police, and dives in headfirst. Desperation overrides propriety or protocol.

We are often dumbfounded by the Pharisees’ silence. How could they value a rule over a human life? Yet do we see our neighbors through those same eyes of urgency?

When we see a friend on the precipice of eternity, or a child wandering into a cult, or a coworker drowning in hopelessness, how are we being influenced that keeps us quiet?

There are people in your community right now who are struggling spiritually. Some may have praying grandmothers and desperate fathers who are pleading for a believer—any believer—to come and plant a seed. They don’t need a professional; they need a person who cares more about their soul than about being culturally polite.

Jesus didn’t wait for permission to heal the man with dropsy. He saw a need and moved. Perhaps we can prayerfully consider how we are being influenced? What may be keeping us silent? We can trust that Jesus is right when he says that the harvest is ready and the workers are few. We can believe that God is already preparing hearts to hear the message of salvation. They are appearing before us, ready to hear some Good News.