Evangelism



From Pastor Stewart | The ALPHA Course | Cursillo and Pilgrimage

From Pastor Stewart…

To The Ends of the Earth
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 2 Timothy 4:5

In 1974, a Presbyterian missionary named Ralph Winter made a landmark speech to the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. This speech would eventually be called “The New Macedonia,” and it would set the tone and focus for evangelism and world missions for decades to come.

From his exposition of Acts 1:8, Ralph Winter developed something he called “the
E-Scale.” The E-Scale has become a widely used reference tool for describing God’s plan for the nations, and in it Winter identifies four different kinds of evangelism, each distinguished by the cultural distance the evangelist must span in order to communicate with his or her intended hearers. What follows is a description of the E-Scale itself, and how it may be applied to the life of First Presbyterian Church.

• E-0 (Jerusalem) refers to the evangelism of people who are already a part of a Christian church. It’s about re-igniting the passion of those who may have at one time professed Christ as Savior and Lord but now have fallen away into maybe a nominal relationship with Him. In essence, E-0 evangelism is about re-evangelizing ourselves. No real cultural barriers are crossed.

Our “Jerusalem” is First Presbyterian Church and its members. Do you know of anyone who could benefit from having their spiritual batteries re-charged? First Presbyterian is just now becoming involved in a movement called “Presbyterian Cursillo” or “Pilgrimage.” Cursillo weekends are held at a number of places within a day’s drive. These events are designed to bring believers into a deeper relationship with Christ and to heighten their joy in their life with the Lord. I have personally seen many Christians, because of their involvement with Pilgrimage, move from the periphery of faith to an active awareness of their ability to become leaders in the work of God’s Kingdom.

• E-1 (Judea) refers to evangelism of people outside the Church but within one’s culture. Only one barrier is crossed: the membership boundaries of the Church. E-1 evangelism—evangelism. People need to hear the gospel in their own language and understand it in a way that they can pass on to people like themselves. This is the type of evangelism with which most people are familiar.

Our “Judea” is the Greenville County region and its inhabitants. Last year First Presbyterian once again began to offer the ALPHA class. ALPHA offers a place where “seekers” can learn more about the Christian faith in a low-key and non-intimidating atmosphere. Our television and radio ministries (First and Foremost) and even door greeting on Sunday mornings can be considered a part of E-1 evangelism. In the future, classes on how to share one’s faith on a person-to-person basis also will be a part of our church’s continued program. Look for some exciting new initiatives from the Missional Ministry Task Force as well.

• E-2 (Samaria) requires evangelism of people of different but similar cultures. Two barriers are crossed: the membership barrier and an additional cultural distance that may require a separate church fellowship to be formed. E-2 evangelism can happen both locally and abroad.

One can think of our church’s support of Foothills Presbytery and its work with Spanishspeaking persons as E-2 evangelism. This ministry is based in our sister church, Russell Memorial Presbyterian. As we all know, many Spanish-speaking people live in our region, and their language and customs are quite different from our own. Ministries that are specifically dedicated to
Spanish-speaking persons and that are led by them can more effectively engage in E-1 evangelism (the most fruitful and ideal type of evangelism) than a church solely made up of English speakers.

Anytime we support an overseas missionary (and FPC supports about 25) or send teams to places like Alaska to work with the Native American people there, we are doing E-2 evangelism. Typically, there are already Christian churches in these places—even though they may be small ones—and our task is to come along and support them and their E-1 evangelism efforts.

• E-3 (the ends of the earth) is evangelism of people of radically different cultures. Evangelists need to cross at least three barriers: the membership barrier, a language barrier, and a major lifestyle barrier. E-3 evangelism is the hardest form of evangelism. The easiest way to determine whether you are doing E-3 evangelism is to ask this question: “If someone came to Christ in this culture, would there be an already existing church where the person could attend?” If the answer is “no,” then you are engaging in E-3 evangelism. E-3 evangelism efforts are directed toward “unreached people groups,” ethnic groups that have no viable and growing Christian witness within them. Thousands of these people groups are still to be found, especially in places like Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, although this list is slowly shortening because of a mighty, Holy Spirit led movement of committed believers who are going to these hard-to-reach places.

Earlier this year, First Presbyterian was introduced to the foremost instructional course in North America on E-3 evangelism, a course called “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.” A full two-thirds of the participants were not members of FPC, but so much energy was released into our church as a result of this course that a number of new classes and initiatives have been launched (see sidebar). Truly, there is a growing desire among us to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ taken even “to the ends of the earth.”

May we be fired with the same vision, passion, and purpose of the first Christians who followed Christ—such that we will not rest until every people, every nation, every tribe, and every tongue have had an opportunity to hear the Good News of the One who sends us.

First Look

Is God calling you to consider membership here at FPC?

Then we invite you to attend
First Look, a three-week exploration of the meaning, benefits, and responsibilities related to membership at First Presbyterian Church. The class will be offered in 2012 at the 9:40 Sunday School hour in the church parlor on these dates:

January 15, 22, 29

Come learn what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, what Presbyterians believe, and how you can experience the full benefits of membership here at FPC.
For more information call Beverley Alberson at balberson@firstpresgreenville.org.
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