If it is true that vital evangelism is the consequence of vital Christianity then it follows that the progress of evangelism depends more upon the state of Christians as such than it does upon the work of those who occupy the ministerial office. The exercise of spiritual gifts by preaching elders in the meetings of the church is not the primary means by which the gospel spreads. That exercise is limited both by time and by place, but the witness of Christians in the midst of the world is not thus limited. (p.97-8)
Joslin goes on to say:
Our concern to preserve the right content and accurate transmission of the gospel may lead us to overrate the competence of preachers to do this, and so underrate the ability of ‘many witnesses’ to perform this task with adequate competence but on a much wider scale. (p.98)Two conclusions I draw from this.
Firstly, a primary function of the preacher, through his ministry, is to equip the saints, not simply to 'perform' well in the pulpit. His ministry may appear less evangelistic than some, but it is necessary in the longer term.
Secondly any clamour from the congregation to reduce the teaching ministry (i.e. fewer services, shorter sermons) in order that the non-Christian may find services more accessible must be treated with suspicion. Over time church leaders may find that their people are no longer equipped and therefore are unable to witness in a way that draws people in. Then there will be no need for accessible services for then there will be no one to whom access is being offered!
No comments:
Post a Comment