Despite, perhaps, the alarming title, my plea is to see Reformed and Presbyterian Churches whole-heartedly embrace outreach. I know many denominations are great about foreign missions, but what about local? Our neighbors need the gospel, too!

You’ve probably heard this story, though the rendition may be slightly different. Many years ago a woman approached D. L. Moody and expressed her disdain for his evangelistic methods. “Mr. Moody,” she said, “I don’t like the way you do evangelism!” He replied, “Ma’am, how do you do it?” She responded, “I don’t.” Moody retorted, “I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”

Whether some version of this story is true or not, what I enjoy about this tale is Moody’s enthusiasm for outreach. Although you only get a glimpse of it in the aforementioned story, his heart for unbelievers was exceptional. He shared the gospel in the most intimate settings (i.e., one-on-one conversations) extending to large masses. He heeded the call to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:5-6). This, I would like to believe, is a desire of all Christians. Though everyone is not as gifted in this area as Mr. Moody, we all want unbelievers to come to faith in Jesus Christ. Yet what I find interesting is the way some people go about it.

Since my Christian background is diverse (e.g., Baptist, Non-Denomination, Reformed and Presbyterian), I have had the opportunity to glean from various perspectives regarding outreach. Some knock on doors, some give out gospel tracts, others talk to people on college campuses, and some befriend people in an attempt to eventually share Christ, while others stand on boxes to share the gospel with the masses. But it wasn’t until I transitioned into Reformed and Presbyterian circles that I encountered something new—advertising and debate.

Perhaps it sounded innovative for a time until I realized the crowd being catered to—Christians! Those who placed advertisements in magazines or on websites sought to gather those already reformed, or possibly newly seeking a reformed church. Those debating sought to win those advocating different doctrine to the basics of the reformed tradition (e.g., the doctrines of grace). This is not outreach. Regarding the latter, Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, said, “We do not regard it to be soul-winning to steal members out of churches already established, and train them to utter our peculiar Shibboleth: we aim rather at bringing souls to Christ…” (The Soul Winner: Advice on Effective Evangelism, 5). Regarding the former, this is a great means of promoting one’s church, but again this is not outreach. Properly speaking, or at least in my interpretation, outreach is interacting with unbelievers, sharing the gospel with them, and inviting them to church. It demands that you roll up your sleeves, allow the sweat to drip down your brow from fear, and you open your mouth (Col. 4:5-6).

Though my experience is limited, I fear that some of us have become proficient at helping others church swap. That is, if you are looking for a biblical and confessional church, we are here. If you want your doctrine straightened out, we are here for that, too. But when it comes to reaching out to those who have very little understanding of Christianity, we lack. And in doing this, we are missing out on our call, as a church, to reach into the highways and byways compelling people to come in and see the glory of Christ in his gospel. We are missing out on the joy of seeing conversions and watching people profess their faith for the first time before they are baptized. Indeed, by in large, it seems that we are lacking in this area, but we are not hopeless. We are capable; we just need a little help.

Despite, perhaps, the alarming title, my plea is to see Reformed and Presbyterian Churches whole-heartedly embrace outreach. I know many denominations are great about foreign missions, but what about local? Our neighbors need the gospel, too!

So where do we begin? Many of us don’t feel like we are gifted evangelists. We break out into a cold sweat just thinking about talking to others. Should we use gospel tracts? Do we need to befriend others before sharing the gospel? What about cold-call personal evangelism? What about stay-at-home mothers? Single parents? Men and women who work full-time and don’t have as many opportunities to share the gospel? How do we engage our community with the gifts that the Spirit has given us despite our perceived lack of time or our social gifts? Please consider reading an article that appeared in Modern Reformation (vol. 20, no. 2 – March / April 2011), “Let Your Words Be Gracious: A Glimpse into Personal Evangelism.” Also, you can find some examples of personal evangelism at www.youtube.com/iamonlyaservant . For more information, stay tuned!

Leon Brown is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and currently serves as Assistant Pastor at New City Fellowship in Fredericksburg, VA. He holds MDiv and MA degrees from WTS California and is presently pursuing doctoral studies in OT and the Ancient Near East.