Preaching the Gospel to the masses has been a basic method of evangelism since biblical times. It is still an essential approach in our day of population explosion. The evangelistic campaign and the ministry of the evangelist are inseparable: man and method stand together.
The Gift of the Evangelist
While the noun “evangelist” occurs only three times in the New Testament, the verb euaggelizomai occurs over fifty times. Jesus Christ, Paul, and ordinary disciples all evangelized; Philip, the deacon, and Timothy, a settled pastor, were “evangelists.”
But there was also a distinct “charisma” of the evangelist. Ephesians 4:11 states that “evangelists” are a gift from Christ to his Church. We conclude then that while all Christians are called to evangelism, some are specially called and equipped for the task.
The evangelist’s relationship to other Church ministries is complementary, not competitive. Said Paul, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” Neither evangelist nor pastor can say to each other “I have no need of you!”
The Church has a responsibility to the evangelist. It must recognize those whom God separates for this task, commission them for the work, support them by prayers and gifts, and rejoice with them in all that God does through them.
When a Church has no place for the evangelist, it denies itself a blessing God wishes to bestow. It also drives the evangelistically gifted into independent channels of expression. Unhappily, too many churches have no doctrine of the evangelist, and no practical structure to support his work.
Let the Churches find those who will seek the gift of evangelism! Then let them exercise the gift in faith, for just as evangelistic urgency comes in evangelizing, so the gift is realized and developed in using it.
The evangelist also has a responsibility to the Church. He must recognize that Christ is the source of his ministry, that his gift is intended to build up Christ’s body. His gift is not from himself but from Christ, not for himself, but for the Church.
The evangelist serves the body of Christ by adding new converts to that body. Moreover, Paul teaches that the gifts are to be used “to equip God’s people for work in his service” (Eph. 4:12 NEB). The evangelist is to evangelize and also to equip others to evangelize. As he evangelizes, he communicates something of his own passion and “know-how” to his coworkers. The whole Church is strengthened in its evangelistic task by the presence of those who have the special charisma of evangelism.
The Role of the Evangelistic Campaign