Preaching Evangelistically
Myron Augsburger
I remain committed to evangelistic preaching, not just because of the Great Commission, but also because of its great satisfaction.
—Myron Augsburger Since day one, the church has used one method to reach out to people more frequently and more successfully than any other. It's the way the gospel was brought to Europe by Paul, and the way it spread throughout the West by the Dominican and Franciscan orders, among others. It was central in the life, worship, and outreach of the Reformation. It was the means by which lives were ignited and entire towns transformed in the great awakenings in this country. Today, it remains the one task, more than any other, that most congregations expect of their pastors, because it is the main vehicle for communicating to them and the larger community God's grace and peace. I'm talking, of course, about preaching. A church can and should reach out to the community in a variety of ways, many of which are discussed in this book. But we would be remiss if we overlooked preaching, particularly evangelistic preaching. All preaching seeks to communicate God's grace and peace, but evangelistic preaching is unique. In that sense, it deserves particular attention. Objections to Evangelistic Preaching
In spite of its noble history, some preachers remain hesitant about evangelistic preaching. Many wonder about the place of the evangelistic sermon in a church setting, where the hearers supposedly are already believers. The four objections I encounter most, and my responses, are these: • Evangelistic sermons don't help believers. Since evangelism is aimed at the unbeliever, and since unbelievers usually constitute only a small minority of a congregation, some preachers reason that the evangelistic sermon is ...
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