The Church Answers Podcast

#155 What the Revitalization Movement Is Missing: Accountability for Evangelism

Thom takes three episodes to share what he sees missing in most sectors of the revitalization movement today. In this episode, he shares good news about a renewed emphasis on evangelism, but he is concerned that this emphasis does not have inherent accountability.

Duration:: 11m
Broadcast on:: 11 Mar 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

Welcome to the Church Answers Podcast, presented by Chanian Associates. Chanian Associates are the accounting firm for the church. Now get ready for fast-paced insights on key issues affecting the local church today. We release three episodes each week, so make sure you've seen or heard them all. And now, here is the CEO of Church Answers, Tom Rayner. We're taking the three episodes of the Church Answers Podcast this week to talk about what revitalization movements are missing, or what revitalization is missing in many churches. Just as a reminder, if you happen to listen to the previous episode, number 154, we talked about culture shifts. One of the big things missing in many revitalization attempts are movements. Culture shifts, changing the culture to one of an outward focus. Again, because this is a series, we have them independent obviously. You can listen to one without the others, but we're tying three together this week. An episode to number 154, 155, and 156 are all talking about the issue of what is missing in revitalization, or in revitalization movements. Once again, I have to give the caveat that this is not a sweeping generalization. It is typically what is missing. We understand that in many churches, quite frankly, they are doing a lot of things, right? They're not missing some of these issues. But as we have helped church and revitalize for a few decades now, it seems really, really like I'm old, maybe I am. As we have done that over these years, we have found out that many churches attempt to do revitalization, or many network and denominational leaders or consultants, try to resource or help in revitalization without these three emphases. All right, we go back to episode number 154, if you want to hear it again, about culture, the shift of culture is missing. In this particular one, we're going to talk about not just evangelism is missing, but accountability for evangelism. Hey, you heard the introduction, church answers, five castes brought to you exclusively by Chaney and Associates here. Let me just, let me just make a promise to you. You call them up and tell them you're interested in their bookkeeping, their cloud bookkeeping, they're the counting firm for the church. You get information from them and you're not going to leave them. Churches do not leave Chaney and Associates and you'll find all the other great things they do. Contact our friends at Chaney and Associates. You can see the link, chaneyassociates.com. We love them. We invited them to be our sponsor, which is the way we do things because we want to bring the best to you and Chaney is absolutely the best. Thank you, Steve Chaney, the founder of Chaney and Associates, but the entire team in this California firm, this reaching churches all over the place, Chaney and Associates. Okay, what the revitalization movement is missing, accountability for evangelism. Hear me well on this. Two things will naturally disappear in churches. Two things will naturally disappear in churches unless there is supernatural intervention. Let me say that again. Two things will naturally disappear unless there is supernatural intervention. Those two things are corporate prayer, which means the church is truly praying together, not perfunctory prayer, not just a quick list of who's sick or not. That's important, but ultimately the church is coming together in passionate prayer, corporate prayer. That's one of the things that's missing. Another thing that's missing in many churches is evangelism. You've heard me say that probably from your perspective, ad nauseam. I don't think I've said that ad nauseam because it can't be said enough, but evangelism is missing. Rarely do I come across a pastor, a consultant, a denominational leader, a network leader who disagrees with me. They will say, yes, the great commission is important. Yes, evangelism is important. They will affirm that reality, but then they will say, but why are churches not evangelistic? Or if it's a pastor, why is my church not evangelistic? Just think of the reality of Satan, the enemy. And if he could get his way in our churches, which he does sometimes, what is it that he would try to get us to do less of? Well, you could talk about worship. You could talk about growing in the Word. You could talk about all those things that are really important to churches, but where he seems to have succeeded more than others is corporate prayer and evangelism. The enemy wants to cut off our supply chain. What is our supply chain in the spiritual warfare? Our supply chain is prayer, depending upon God listening to him, talking to him, coming together in fervent, passionate prayer. The enemy wants to cut off our supplies because the enemy knows if he cuts off our supplies, we have no strength that we can't go into the battlefield of spiritual warfare. Once we go into the battlefield of spiritual warfare, what is one of the primary things we're doing? Well, think of what Jesus said as he was giving one of his last admonitions to his followers. Great commission, Matthew 28, go and make disciples of all nations. In other words, find people who are not believers, make them into believers and help them to grow as a follower of Christ. And then in Acts 1 8, his last words, it's really his last will and testament, if you will, on earth before he ascended to heaven. He said, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." If evangelism was that important to Jesus, so much so that that was the last word he said before he was lifted up, ascended into heaven, don't you think it's important for us? So, why is evangelism missing in many churches? When we affirm it biblically, we affirm it methodologically, we affirm it in our spirit, but we don't do it. I want to suggest to you that one of the primary reasons that evangelism is not emphasized and practiced in a way that is obedient to God is because we don't have any type of inherent accountability. When we come together for corporate worship, our presence, our attendance, is our accountability. When we are in a small group or a Sunday school class, again, our presence is our accountability. When we begin to take or do ministry in the community, we are visible doing that ministry. We may sign up for a mission trip. We have so many things that have inherent accountability. Evangelism rarely does. And such is the reason that only 5% of churches do anything evangelistic in the course of a year. 5% that's not again, Sam and I will remind you that is anecdotal, that is not a database piece of information or statistic. But we think it's very close. 5% of churches, only 5, will do anything evangelistic in the course of a year. And again, anecdotally, fewer than 1% of churches have any type of ongoing evangelism, emphasis, and we define ongoing is simply doing at least one thing once a quarter. When we introduced the hope initiative, what we were hoping, no play on words intended, what we were hoping would happen is that there would be an implicit accountability that takes place. People start going through this 30 day emphasis. They connect with each other. If it is done like one of the ways we recommend it through text message or meetings, and they are inherently accountable to one another, the pastor is accountable to the group. The group is accountable to each other and to the pastor. And they do this for 30 days and this built in accountability. I really believe, and by the way, I've said this many times, we didn't invent the hope initiative. We discovered what churches were doing and we took their best practices and created it from what churches were practicing, these churches that truly have accountability. What I love about what happens in the hope initiative is that there is inherent accountability to do evangelism. As long as you are doing this 30 day emphasis, whether you do it four times a year or once a month, or whatever your church does, you are increasingly making yourself your church accountable for evangelism. Okay, can you think of some other way, this rhetorical? I know you can't answer me because I can't hear you, but are there some other ways that you can create accountability for evangelism? Sure, they are limitless. You can think of some beyond just what we do in the hope initiative. But here's what I'm saying, you not only need evangelism in your church, make sure that there is some type of inherent accountability. So it's not one and done, this big burst of activity and then you forget all about it, something that is ongoing and becomes a part of what the church does. What is missing in many revitalization movements and churches? Yeah, evangelism, but specifically accountability for evangelism. You create that inherent accountability and you see what God will do with your obedience to him. Once again, this is the church answers podcast. We're talking about what the revitalization movement is missing. In part one of this, which was episode number 154, we talked about this culture, the culture shift that is necessary. In this episode, we talked about not only evangelism, but we talked about accountability for evangelism as well. We'll finish this up in episode number 156. We'll talk about leadership assessment is missing in many revitalization movements. I hope you're enjoying these. You get all three of these this week, all three at one time. And we thank Chaining Associates as always for being our sponsor, our only sponsor. And thank you, the listener and the viewer. If you're YouTube, subscribe, give us a like. If you're listening on your favorite podcasting up or are at the church answer site, let us know you're there, give us a good rating or review. We thank you for being a part of the church answer podcast. We'll finish these three next episode. I'll see you in episode number 156. You have been listening to the church answers podcast presented by Chaining Associates. Chaining Associates are the accounting firm for the church. You need to focus on ministry. Chaining will focus on finances. Also, please subscribe and give a review to the church answers podcast on YouTube and on your favorite podcasting app. (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]