The Lament Of Pastoral Evangelism

Even when they may have not previously met, by experience, pastors frequently share a unique and common bond. Conversations will reveal that one standard connection amongst pastors comes in the form of a lament. It is what I have started to call, ‘The lament of pastoral evangelism.”The lament of pastoral evangelism is simply this: a pastor's discomfort (and perhaps even disappointment) at his inability to share the gospel with unbelievers regularly. Acknowledging the reality that most pastors work within the church, their contact outside of the church is more limited than most people. It's not merely less contact, but a pastor's lifestyle means that his connection is less consistent as well, meaning that having regular contact with the same people outside of the church to establish relationships is not as expected.

How does the pastor overcome these circumstances, then? I suggest that there are two areas of responsibility in which the pastor may have an impact. Admittedly, with a glance at the subtitles, it seems that these areas are so broad they cover every area of pastoral responsibility. Yes, that is true, but let's consider how a mindset towards evangelism may impact those areas and help us overcome the lament of pastoral evangelism.

‍Make the Most of Your Time Inside the Church

‍Rare is the church that is filled only with believers. Whether long-time attendees or first-time guests, on any given Sunday, we can expect that in the chairs are some who are not inwardly converted. The Lord does not remove pastors from the opportunity to share His truth, but rather, every week He gives them a prime moment of sharing. He does this by bringing some unconverted individuals to church and giving pastors a platform to share the truth of the gospel with them unapologetically.

A pastor's opportunity for evangelism does not revolve around unbelievers only, but it also directs our interaction with fellow believers. It comes in the form of what a fellow pastor calls pre-evangelism. He would tell you that pre-evangelism consists of those pastoral duties that prepare the church for evangelism. While pastors may have less contact with unbelievers regularly, their congregations still participate in the world. Therefore, part of the pastor's call is to equip the body of saints for engaging the gospel with those who need it. This also means preparing the church to receive those who may show up at the church interested to know more (or needing discipleship) as a result of those gospel interactions. In this way, pastors carry a vital role in reaching people with God's truth, even if they are sometimes limited in their interactions with unbelievers.

‍Make the Most of Your Time Outside of the Church

‍These roles inside the church come with a warning for our work outside of the church, though. We must maintain a level of self-examination and caution so that we do not use our responsibilities inside the church as an excuse to neglect our roles outside of the church. While contact with unbelievers may be less frequent, this does not absolve any of us pastors from our responsibility to preach the gospel to unbelievers.

This call is for all believers, and we can trust that if the Lord has ordained this as the process for propagating His Word, then He will also provide opportunities. However, because the percentage of a pastor's time with unbelievers is less, it means he must make the most of that time. Being vigilant to the opportunities presented to us, pastors must share the gospel both more aggressively and more wisely. The pastoral lament of evangelism rings true. It adequately expresses the difficulty of the pastoral lifestyle in terms of evangelism.

The reality of this simply means that pastors must make the most of their time, first by capturing their time outside the church by using the opportunities God has placed before us. However, when those opportunities are less, then we must remember the work that we do beforehand, first by equipping evangelists in the church to make converts and equipping the church as a whole to receive new converts. In this way, the pastor's value and role sometimes extend beyond directly sharing the gospel.