The Evangelist and the Local Church

“You don’t understand Josh! I am so passionate about evangelism, but my church isn’t. I feel like they are just pulling me down and putting out the fire within me. I’ve decided I’ll no longer go to church; I will simply go out witnessing instead.” 

I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard the above statement. In some ways I understand the frustration; I can feel the tension of being passionate about evangelism, but at the same time feeling like no one else wants to share the gospel. I remember when I first started getting involved in evangelistic work, all I wanted to do was spend my time speaking to people, and if that meant skipping church then so be it. But thankfully, the Lord had put godly leaders in my life who were able to guide me more biblically. While zeal is good, zeal without knowledge is not (Proverbs 19:2). 

The truth of the matter is that Evangelists need the local church. We are made to be in fellowship, and not lone rangers off running around doing our own thing. Moreover, I would suggest that it is counter-biblical for someone in evangelistic work to separate themselves from a local fellowship.

Below I want to make a biblical case for why we need the local church, and I would suggest that if you claim to be an Evangelist, yet are not in submission to a local church, then you need to step down from ministry until such time as you are biblical in your conduct. 

1) Gospel Workers are Sent Out by the Local Church

When we think of the Apostle Paul, it is very easy for us to focus upon the latter parts of his ministry; yet, what we need to remember is that Paul started somewhere. Even though Paul was called to be an Apostle, what we see in Acts 13:1-3 is that he was still accountable to a local church. 

Acts 13 tells us that it was the church in Antioch which after praying and fasting separated Paul for gospel work. Paul wasn’t a lone gun. He didn’t run around doing his own thing, rather he was sent out by the local church. Since the Apostle Paul was sent out by a church, then surely it stands to reason that today’s gospel workers need to be endorsed and sent out by churches too. Moreover, since Paul was in submission to the local church, then today’s preachers need to be in submission also. 

To operate independently of the church is to be counter biblical. 

2) God Makes the Local Church Central

If the local church isn’t important, and if God does not care if we are in fellowship or not, then what do we do with the many New Testament epistles which are written to local churches (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; Philemon 2)?

God spends much time giving Scripture to churches, not some lone ranger Evangelist. The pattern we see in the New Testament is that the local church has a central role to play in God’s redemptive plan for the world. Moreover, we see that the Lord Jesus walks amongst His churches (Rev. 1:9-20) and that He then gives seven letters to seven geographical churches (Rev. 2:1,8,12, 3:1,7,14). 

The example of the New Testament is that the local church plays a central role. To be separate from the church is to be counter biblical. 

3) God Places Converts in Local Churches

I have heard many Evangelists say that they aren’t interested in having people come to church, but I would suggest that is the opposite of what we see in the Book of Acts. As we read through Acts, we see the Holy Spirit doing many wonderful deeds. People are being converted, and revival is breaking forth, yet where do all the converts go? We see throughout Acts they end up in local churches. When people are saved, churches are formed. 

I don’t doubt for a moment that every Evangelist wants to see people saved, but if someone is saved, then what should you do with that person? The example we see in Acts is that the convert should be joined to a local church. It would be complete hypocrisy for an Evangelist to recommend people attend a Bible-believing church, while at the same time refusing to attend himself. God places Christians in local churches; to refuse to attend a church is to be counter biblical. 

4) God has Given Ministry Gifts to Local Churches

If the local church isn’t important, then why are we told that God has given gifted men to the church? In Ephesians 4:11-13, we are told that gifts have been given to the church, including the gift of an Evangelist, but this gifting is not to be used for self, rather it is to be used to equip the local fellowship. 

Also, we see that in local churches, God has established leadership positions that are to be filled by qualified men (1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-16; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). These qualified men are appointed as leaders within the local church (Phil. 1:1), and to them, the local congregation is called to submit (Heb. 13:17). 

How can a lone ranger Evangelist say they are in submission to the leaders God has placed over them if he doesn’t attend church? By separating away from the local church, the Evangelist isn’t operating in the gift that he claims to have, and he is in rebellion against the God-ordained means of teaching, growth, and soul-care. The leaders in the local church are given to care for and shepherd those bought with the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28). How can this occur if the Evangelist refuses to be in submission to a local church? 

5) God Commands Christians to Physically Gather 

Hebrews 10:25 is a very well-known verse that commands us to not forsake gathering together. Sadly some, in an attempt to justify their rebellion against God, have said that this verse isn’t speaking of the church, rather it can be fulfilled by a couple of Christians getting together to chat. 

I would suggest that such an interpretation is in error, and it ignores the Jewish audience that is being addressed. When it comes to biblical interpretation, we always need to ask – who is the initial audience? In the case of Hebrews, it was the Jewish people. Once we have established who the intended audience is, we can then ask – how would they have understood what is being said? 

For instance, Hebrews 10:25 mentions “assembling together,” for the Jewish reader, they would have immediately known what was meant by the word “assemble.” In the Old Testament, we see that the corporate religious gatherings were called the “assembly” (Ps. 89:7; 107:32; 111:1). These gatherings were formal and structured. They were not individuals meeting together to chat about spiritual things. Hebrews 10:25 must be understood in this light. 

When we are commanded not to forsake the assembly, we are being commanded not to forsake the formal gathering of the church. We know this gathering is formal and structured because 1 Corinthians 11 – 14 explains how we should act when we come together. Every Lord’s Day we are commanded to assemble; to refuse to be part of a local church is to be counter biblical. 

 6) God uses the Local Church to Correct and Teach Us

 All Christians know the battle with sin. There are times when we war against sin, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we overcome evil. But then there are times when we have blind spots that we may not see or times when we go off into sin. In those cases, the Lord has chosen to use the local church to bring correction (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5). 

If an Evangelist separates himself from the local church, then he is choosing to remove one of the means God has ordained for our sanctification. To be isolated away from a local church is not healthy for an Evangelist (or indeed any Christian!). 

Also, God has chosen to use the local church as the means to bring teaching, fellowship, and administration of the ordinances (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 11:17-34). By refusing to attend church, we are separating ourselves from the God-ordained means of growth. The church is the pillar of truth (1 Tim. 3:15), so if we want to grow in truth, we need to be in a local church.  

I fully understand the frustration of being evangelistic and sometimes feeling that the local church is restricting, but our feelings are irrelevant. What matters is what God says in His Word. God commands us to be in a local church. He has given the local church, not a bunch of lone rangers. To separate yourself from the local church is to be counter biblical. 

Evangelist, serve and love the church. Find a good local church and submit to the leadership God has appointed over you. If you refuse to be in submission to a local church, then you are disqualified from ministry, and you are showing you are not currently called. 

Don’t be counter biblical, instead, make much of Jesus by being in the local church, just as God commanded.