Jump directly to the Content

Evangelism that Flows

In the early days of the city of Chicago, some bold engineers succeeded in an amazing feat. They actually reversed the flow of the Chicago River. Instead of dirty water flowing into Lake Michigan, the river was dredged and channeled to flow out of Lake Michigan to a canal that eventually connected to the river system that would flow into the Mississippi River. A similar challenge awaits every pastor who takes the Great Commission seriously. The natural flow of most churches is not toward evangelism. The reasons are many: a culture increasingly hostile to the message of Christ, fear of rejection, an inward focus on our own needs. Even so, some pastoral "engineers" have succeeded at reversing attitudes in their congregations and are seeing notable results. Leadership invited three such leaders to discuss the task. Jerry Cline has served nine years as pastor of Upland Evangelical Mennonite Church in Upland, Indiana. Before that he served ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Am I working too hard?
Am I working too hard?
From the Magazine
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Hamas attacks in Israel have a grotesque ideological history and deserve unflinching moral judgment.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close