Recently in Evangelism Category

"How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?" -- George Carlin

Have you seen the signs for Deer Crossing, Bear Crossing, Duck Crossing, even Frog Crossing? There are even stranger signs.

Of course the answer to Carlin's question is that the signs are placed where the animals are known to cross. Why is it funny? Because bureaucrats and politicians decide where human crossings are, and try to get the people to cross there, and Carlin is applying that concept to animals.

Deconstructing the joke doesn't make it funnier, but it illustrates our expectations of people.

We people like to think we can corral other people into paths we make. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't. People take shortcuts across corner lawns and cross in the middle of the street. Anywhere a rut is worn into the ground in urban or suburban areas, it's likely that people have created an unofficial path.

In churches, we often seem to want to set up our crossings on our terms. People in the church decide when they want to have worship, where they will worship, and what style the worship will take. This is great for the people who make the decisions, but then the question becomes:

"How do they get new people to come at that yellow church sign?"

What we rarely do is to look at where people actually are: physically, geographically, and even in terms of free time. Instead, we assume people will alter their schedules and lives to come to our churches.

But we're not looking to reach the people who already have their lives arranged around Sunday morning - these people are probably already going to a church. We want to reach the people who walk others paths in life.

What we need to do is to figure out where people are: physically, geographically, and in terms of free time. We also need to consider where they are emotionally, theologically, socially, and whether past experiences with the church have altered the paths they walk.

Then we need to place worship experiences at the places people are known to cross - places where people are open to worship, in their times, in their places, in their styles.

This is what emergent worship is about. It's about serving the spiritually hungry more than about getting people into our trendy restaurants. It's about creating community around the lonely more than about filling rooms in our inns.

It's time we start putting up the signs where people already cross.

I know that, historically, the threat of Hell has been a powerful tool in bringing people to the church. But I suspect it doesn't work so well anymore.


For those who do not believe in the supernatural at all, the threat of Hell probably sounds something like this:

There is a place of eternal torment (I can't prove this scientifically). That's where you're going after you die (I can't prove this scientifically). But there's another pace you can go where everything is wonderful (I can't prove this scientifically). You will go there if (you believe in Jesus/give your life to Jesus/are baptized/stop drinking/stop being gay/stop believing in evolution/go to my church/tithe/etc.)

I don't think the threat of Hell is very powerful for those who don't believe in an afterlife.


For those who believe there is more to existence than what they see, is the threat of Hell working? If an evangelist is a messenger of the Gospel, or good news, then how is "you're a sinner and are going to Hell" either good (who wants to be told they're going to be punished forever) or news (when this is preached via television, radio, film, book, and billboard)? Yes, I know the good news follows - you can be saved - but if you have to deliver the bad news of damnation to preach the good news of salvation, a lot of people are going to opt for not listening at all.


More importantly to me, however, is how the early church attracted people. People seemed to be attracted to how Christians cared for each other and community. I don't see a lot of Helfire preached in Acts.

I'm wondering whether that's what we ought to be doing: preaching the good news of capital L Love. And in preaching, I mean first living the Love between us: our family members, our congregational members and friends, across congregations, associations, conferences, diocese, synods, and denominations. If we can first practice that Love and concern between each other, and then expand that circle so it becomes so large that everyone is within its perimeter, people will come to see us as a loving people. Then we can talk about a god whose Love is even greater than ours, and maybe we're starting the work Jesus called us to.


I don't recall the citation for the Bible verse that said "Go ye into all the world and tell people they're damned". If there is such a verse, let me know. Until then, I will take up the version of the Great Commission that says I am to preach the Gospel, the Good Word, that everyone is loved.