Building up believers and the New Testament church

The Church and Evangelism

The Ministry of Evangelism

In Ephesians 4:11 we are told that evangelists are one of the gifts that God has given to the church. The ministry of the evangelist is to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the multitudes. This ministry is given to men according to God's choosing, and they are responsible to God for the exercise of this gift. Of the five ministries mentioned in this passage, this is the only ministry that is primarily outside of the church. The other ministries function primarily within the church for the establishment and upbuilding of the saints.

All of the ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4:11 are gifts of Christ to the church for specific purposes. All answer directly to Christ for the fulfillment of their ministry. So the evangelist cannot look to the church or to other ministries for his direction. He has been given grace by God, and God will call him, prepare him, and provide for him as he carries out his God-given ministry. He should be a member of an assembly in good standing, and meet the requirements of ministry as outlined by Paul in I Timothy 3:8-13. His ministry may be fulfilled in one locality, or in conjunction with an apostolic ministry, or carried out in various localities where churches already exist.

The fact that the evangelist answers to Christ for the fulfillment of his ministry does not mean that he moves independently of the church or other ministries. All ministries should move in harmony with other God-given ministry and submit to recognized oversight in a gathering where such exists. Where it does not exist, there still will be a submission to other brothers and to the church as a whole. Obviously, for an evangelist's ministry to be effective, the fruit of the ministry (new believers) must be channeled into the local gathering. Where a church does not exist, the evangelist should be aware of the limitations of his ministry, looking to the Lord to provide help in establishing new believers in a local gathering so that the fruit is not lost.

Even though the evangelist is depending on God for all provision to carry out his responsibility, the church does not stand idly by and observe. The church should be girding him up in prayer, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in the matter of giving, and available as a channel of help as God would direct. Suppose the evangelist senses the Lord leading him to go into an area for a series of outreach meetings. I believe he would want the witness of mature brothers regarding this leading. The witness could be given before the church, so that every member could begin to pray earnestly for the movement of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men. The church is not directing the outreach, but the members of the local body are very much involved in support.

Notice that the church does not exercise authority over the evangelist or direct the work. There is a difference between lending support and directing. If the church tries to direct such a ministry, it places a burden on the assembly that God has not intended. As mentioned, the evangelist should seek the witness of the local leadership and submit himself to their counsel, but he does not look to the elders or to the church to direct the ministry. God has given the evangelist the grace to carry out his calling solely under the authority of Christ.

In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul exhorts Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist." While this may not have been Timothy's primary calling, he had the grace to perform the function to some degree. I believe we could say the same about all the other ministries mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. While there may be varying grace, any of these ministries could be used by God in some degree to proclaim the good news to the lost. In doing so, the Holy Spirit will likely lead in methods similar to those of the evangelist. For example, suppose a brother has a burden to reach out in his neighborhood with a Bible study. If this burden is from God, God will show him how to carry it out. He should want the witness of mature brothers in the assembly, especially the oversight. Other members should support in prayer and help as the Lord would direct. But the brother who has the burden will be responsible for the outreach, and will not expect the church as a whole to bear that burden.

If we understand that God's method of evangelism is "men filled with the Holy Spirit," it places a great responsibility upon the church as a whole. We are commanded to pray the "Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest" (Matt. 9:38). Prayer is a great ministry and responsibility of the church. If we do not have men who are prepared and burdened to take the message to the lost, we cannot bypass God's order and try to come up with another method. We need to go before God and ask for such men. God will hear our cry and send the help we need, either by raising men up within the body or by sending men from other localities. Either way, God knows what we need, and He will not fail us in any way.