Pitfalls of Evangelism (4)

FLIRTING WITH NUMBERS

It is an accepted rule (at least among Protestant churches) that the primary (sometimes, sole) yardstick in gauging the success of a church is its numerical growth. Hence, we often find statements such as this: "To reach xx members by the end of the year" appearing in the vision statement of many Protestant churches.

Churches are motivated and directed by numerical goals. Evangelistic programs, which are the primary activities of churches, are aimed at achieving the numerical goal. Take away these evangelistic programs, and churches will find themselves having nothing much to do. Take away the numerical goal, and churches will find themselves lost and unmotivated. (We need numbers to motivate us? How sad!)

Church members are busy involving themselves in evangelistic programs throughout the year. Such busyness in doing gives them a false sense of being good Christians. As the church members bring in new converts into the church, the converts are immediately forced to join the bandwagon and find themselves busy involving in evangelistic programs as well. Even though it may not be our original intention, but in reality we are actually bringing in more people into the church to become additional labour to bring more people into the church, and the cycle goes on and on.

We focus so much on outward actions in the form of evangelism and have often overlooked the more important aspect of our lives, our inner being. We are experts in evangelism but novices in the Christian way of life. Or perhaps, we naively assume that evangelism is THE Christian way of life, thinking that once we become Christians, our ultimate goal is to bring more people into the faith.

Such singlemindedness in evangelism has cause many to become disillusioned with the Church and with the Christian faith (and unfortunately with Christ), as if there is nothing else to the Christian life other than the endless pursuit of numbers. No deepening of the depth of the soul, no moulding of the character. Nothing but numbers. Shallow.

Is there more to our Christian life than numbers?

To be continued...