The Seismic Shift in Outreach
There
has been a seismic shift in outreach that few church leaders are understanding,
much less pursuing.
From
the 1950’s to the 1980’s, the vanguard of evangelistic outreach was direct
proclamation of the gospel. Whether the
crusades of Billy Graham or the creative approaches of Willow Creek Community
Church, presentation led the way.
This
led to joining a community, and eventually, being discipled into participation
with the cause.
From
the 1990’s thru the 2000’s, community took the lead. People wanted to belong before they
believed. Skepticism was rampant, and
trust had to be earned. Once enfolded,
Christ was often met in the midst of that community.
Cause,
again, was the last to take hold.
From
the 2010’s forward, “cause” has become the leading edge of our
connection with
a lost world, and specifically the “nones” (and it is increasingly best
to
replace the term “unchurched” with the “nones”). Consider the recent
Passion Conference in Georgia. What arrested outside media attention
was the
commitment to eradicate modern-day slavery, not the 60,000 students in
attendance much less the messages related to the Christian faith.
In
a word, “cause.”
This
made the gathering of 60,000 college students in the Georgia Dome for that cause become attractional. In other words, then and only then did
“community” come into play. Then, after exploring
that community, Christ could be – and was – introduced.
Think
of this shift in terms of moving people through stages of introduction:
1950’s-1980’s:
Unchurched
>>> Christ >>> Community >>> Cause
1990’s-2000’s
Unchurched
>>> Community >>> Christ >>> Cause
2010’s -
Nones
>>> Cause >>> Community >>> Christ
It
is important to note how far the message of Christ is from the mind and
sentiment of the average “none.” It’s
not that the church should “bury the lead” in terms of putting Christ at the
end of the line – remember, we’re talking strategy. It’s just that leading with Billy Graham’s
simple “The Bible says” was a strategy designed for people in a different place
spiritually than many are today.
The
more post-Christian a person is, the more evangelism must embrace not only
“event/proclamation”, but “process” and “event/proclamation.” Earlier models were almost entirely “event/proclamation”
oriented, such as revivals, crusades, or door-to-door visitation. As I’ve written about in other places, this
is only effective in an Acts 2, God-fearing Jews of Jerusalem context.
“Process”
models are needed in Acts 17, Mars Hill, nones/skeptical contexts.
Like
the one we live in today.
The
presentation of Christ must remain central to our thinking, to be sure.
That is the only reason we are even talking
about strategy; the goal is to present Christ and Him crucified. But is
that where we start? On Mars Hill, the spiritual illiteracy was so
deep that Paul had to begin with cultural touchstones, lead in to
creation, and
work his way forward.
It
took him a while to get to Christ.
And
community? It matters, but the average
person has tastes of that already. Maybe
not functional, but they don’t seem as drawn to it as they used to be. Perhaps it is because of the lure and
illusion of social media, or because they’ve simply given up on it, but it’s
not the great “search” it once was.
So
there has been a great, seismic shift.
Today, it is cause that arrests the attention of the world.
Which
brings us to the challenge.
First,
to recognize the seismic shift, and begin to strategize accordingly.
Second,
to realize how difficult this will be.
If cause is in the lead, and community close behind, the church is at a
deficit. In the minds of many, our
causes have been mundane (let’s raise money for a fellowship hall!) or
alienating (Moral Majority!). And the
close second of community? Our
reputation for dysfunction in that area is legendary.
But
there is great irony in the challenge.
Jesus wed mission and message together seamlessly, proclaiming the
Kingdom that had come while healing the leper and feeding the hungry. He mandated concern for the widow and the
orphan, the homeless and naked, the imprisoned and hungry, while speaking of
the bread of life and a home in heaven.
In
other words, we should have been nailing this all along.
And
if community is lurking in the back of the minds of people as a felt need, that
should be a calling card as well. Jesus
challenged his followers about the importance of observable love toward one
another as the ultimate apologetic for His life and ministry and message.
And
even if it takes a while to get to Christ, He should be presented raw and
unfiltered in all of His scandalous specificity. As Moltmann proclaimed, “the crucified God.”
So
as we ponder the rise of “cause” as the cultural bridge over which to walk,
perhaps the greater truth is more elemental:
Do all three.
Imagine
a church that had community, cause and the undiluted message of Christ in the
vanguard of its efforts.
It
might just become the church Jesus had in mind all along that would reach the
world.
James Emery White
Editor’s Note
James Emery White is the founding and
senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the
ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell
Theological Seminary, which he also served as their fourth president.
His newly released book is The Church in an Age of Crisis: 25 New Realities Facing Christianity (Baker Press). To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, log-on to www.churchandculture.org,
where you can post your comments on this blog, view past blogs in our
archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the
world. Follow Dr. White on twitter @JamesEmeryWhite.
