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The church is highly evangelistic, bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to all those throughout the world. We are a faith that seeks to grow, baptizing new believers. At the same time, in the United States, our culture has become increasingly secularized and church membership has dropped. As a society we no longer have any expectation that people will automatically attend church. In fact, only about 40 percent of the country does. While this has caused a crisis in many mainline denominations due to lost membership and declining financial strength, it also presents new opportunities for evangelism. Evangelism today means speaking to a culture that is increasingly secular.
Bring the gospel to the culture. Do not expect the culture to understand the gospel. In church, we are surrounded by people who believe as we do and share our vocabulary. Even those on opposite ends of the political spectrum in the church can both enjoy singing the same hymn! It is not so with those who have no church background. For someone not brought up in church, words like “lectionary”, “stewardship”, adn “theology” have little if no meaning. More and more, individuals are completely unaware of even the basics of the gospel message. This leaves us with a choice. We can hope that these people come to our churches, willing to learn. On the other hand, we can start with what they know and understand and help them learn about what we know and love. A church had a sermon titled, “What would Jesus say to the World Wrestling Federation?” This church knew something. They knew that secular people, unfortunately, know much more about professional wrestling than they do about Jesus Christ. This church decided to start with the culture and move to Jesus. Preachers should know at least a little about Brittany Spears, Jerry Springer, the Super Bowl, the TV show "Survivor", MTV, video games and whatever else is popular in the culture. That can be a start to move people towards Jesus. We cannot transform the culture if we have no understanding of it.
Present the Deep Meaning Inherent in the Christian World View Since the 1600s, Rationalism has gripped the Western world, emphasizing science and a rational approach to the universe. Things like faith have tended to be subjected to subtle ridicule, or at best made to seem irrelevant in the "real world". While science has brought us many benefits, it has not answered such basic questions humans have always asked. Science does not tell us how the world came to be, who created us or what will happen after we die. Secular people, like many Christians, view the world in rational scientific terms. However, secular people do not experience the answers to "the big questions" of life, and this produces anxiety in many. Many of those who come to our churches are seeking answers to deeper questions they have for their life. There is a great opportunity for Christians if we can understand and respect the scientific world view, and yet be aware of its limitations. At the same time, we should be articulate enough to assert the Christian world view. We have answers that modern science simply cannot provide.
Christian Community – a Precious Commodity As technology has advanced, community has declined. People in our culture have become busier, and many have ironically become more lonely at the same time. As the earliest chapters of Genesis tell us, it is not good for humans to be alone. Chat rooms on the internet are a sad substitute for connecting with a community that loves us and cares for us. Churches have within their midst a precious commodity: community. Events where people can get together, make friends and deepen relationships are rare in our culture. Churches have always specialized in this. Do not underestimate the power that even simple community events can have.. Potluck suppers, spaghetti dinners and cookouts can provide life-changing connections for lonely people.