What is ‘Effective Evangelism’?

“Josh, I understand what you do, but does that method of evangelism really work today?”

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve been asked that question. Whenever someone hears about our different evangelistic efforts, one of the knee-jerk reactions is to immediately question the effectiveness of the method. I certainly understand the reasoning behind the question – we want to make sure we do things well and biblically; we don’t want to waste time and resources on methods that fail to convey the good news. However, when we ask these kinds of questions, we need to think carefully about how we measure ‘effectiveness’.

Often, when someone asks, ‘Is it effective?’ what they are really asking is, “How many people have been saved?” While the question is commendable and reveals a desire for the salvation of the lost, we need to realise that such questions are often built upon pragmatism, not biblical theology. This question looks past the message and begins to look for results; then, from the results, a judgement is made on whether someone is ‘effective’ or not. The danger of measuring in such a way is that we may fall into an ‘ends justify the means’ approach to assessing evangelism.

When our assessment becomes focused on results, it’s easy for us to move away from a biblical method of evangelism and instead begin to drift into the realm of marketing and sales. We want results, so we take the latest high-pressure sales technique, attach a Bible verse or two, and use that method to get ‘results’. This approach is evident in the numerous books and programmes designed for church growth and outreach, many of which are built upon ideas from the business world rather than the Bible.

I’ve been in discussions about evangelism where people have asked, “How do businesses attract new customers?” or “How do companies get people interested in their product?” Then, taking the methods of the world, they try to force them into evangelism. I suggest that such methods are not the biblical way of measuring ‘effective evangelism.’

I have a radical idea on how we can assess the effectiveness of our evangelistic methods; it is so radical that you may want to brace yourself! Here’s how we can determine if a method is effective or not… examine the method in the light of Scripture!

Once you’ve recovered from such a shocking statement, let me try to argue my case. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we are told that Scripture is sufficient for all things, and that through the Word of God, we are “…equipped for every good work.”

I assume you believe evangelism is a good work; since that’s the case, we should look at Scripture and conclude that the Word of God is sufficient to establish, determine, guide, and judge our evangelistic methods. We don’t need to go to the business world or have a degree in marketing to be effective in evangelism; rather, we need to open our Bibles and let our evangelistic methods flow from the wisdom of God.

Whenever we assess the effectiveness of an evangelistic method, we need to examine what the Bible says. We mustn’t become secular pragmatists by letting the world determine our methods; rather, God should establish our methods and message.

The Bible tells us we are to be witnesses to Christ (Acts 1:8) and to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15), but it doesn’t command us to make people into Christians. We can’t force people to be saved, and we cannot convert someone. The pragmatic approach assumes we can save the lost, whereas the Bible says that is God’s job (Jonah 2:9). We are called to be faithful in proclaiming the good news, but the results of our ministry are up to God. We cannot cause anyone to be born again; that is a work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:8). We are simply called to make known the good news of Jesus.

Effective evangelism is not determined by results; rather, it’s determined by the question, “Was the biblical gospel proclaimed or shared?” If the answer is “Yes!” then effective evangelism has taken place. Albert Mohler said, “Our responsibility is to get God’s Word to their ears. Only God can get the Word from their ears to their heart.”

I know it’s tempting to be pragmatic in our approaches; I truly understand. I’d love to see thousands of people coming forward to trust in Jesus, and by God’s grace, we may see that! But, if we want to see people truly saved, we need to cast off the worldly pragmatic approach and instead return to our Bible. Let us be faithful in proclaiming the biblical message and then trust God for the fruit!

As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

We are called to plant or water; we cannot bring the increase. Effective evangelism occurs every time someone hears the gospel; even if that person never repents, the evangelism was still effective.

There will be many times when you share the good news and never see an increase; perhaps you will labour your whole life and not see much fruit – that’s OK! There is nothing wrong with not seeing a harvest; what matters is that you are faithful. God will use His message in His way and according to His purpose; you just need to share it.

For some of you, it may take many years to see the harvest from your gospel witness. I heard from a pastor who said that twelve years ago, he shared the gospel with a couple during door-to-door visitation; years went by, and nothing more was heard. But one day, that couple came to church and told the pastor that God used the seed sown over a decade earlier to bring them to Jesus.

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