There was this guy who appeared one day and started preaching a message he called good news. A lot of people heard it at the time. A few became his followers. And then he got killed by the Romans.

His followers kept spreading the message throughout the Mediterranean world — despite serious opposition. Today, Christians still preach a message. But is it the same one that the first guy taught Or has it become hopelessly syncretized with culture and politics? Or systematized and simplified (i.e., dumbed down) for efficient consumption and replication?

The real question: How is evangelism going in the twenty-first century — and does it need a rethink? KEEP READING

Mustard Seeds and Yeast
There are two short parables in Matthew’s gospel that show Jesus’ thinking about how the kingdom grows:

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Matthew 13:31-32, 33

So… how does the kingdom grow exactly? What’s the best evangelistic method? The best programs, resources, or techniques? Answer: none of the above.

There is some seed. It gets planted. And then we wait. That’s it. We plant the seed — the good news of the gospel, the way of God’s kingdom — and let it do its work.

We don’t coerce. We don’t manipulate. We don’t trap. We don’t scare people. It’s good news, remember?

Remember What the Good News Was?
Here’s how Jesus framed it in his hometown synagogue:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18–19

Freedom sounds good. Getting your sight back sounds good. Freedom from oppression sounds good. Compare that to:

  • “You’re lost.”
  • “You’re going to hell.”
  • “You need to join our church.”

Somewhere along the line, evangelism became more about fear than freedom. More about threats than hope. Worth noting: the “eu” part of εὐαγγελίζω (euangelidzo = evangelize) means good. (Think: eulogy, euphemism, euphonium.) If you want to share the good news, make sure it’s actually good.

The Problem with Industrial Evangelism
For many of us, evangelism is deeply ingrained with “lost/saved/conversion goals” thinking. Add some time-bound targets and “decision counts”… and you’re far from sowing mustard seeds. Historically, much of evangelism has been industrialized:

  • Decision-oriented programs
  • Mass meetings
  • “Sawdust trail” altar calls
  • Tracts, TV shows, and campaigns

The focus: create a sense of crisis and offer an instant solution. It worked… sort of. But the long-term fruit? Not so impressive. Think about it: You wouldn’t marry someone after a one-hour date. So why expect someone to commit to a lifetime of following Jesus after a one-hour sermon? Jesus didn’t work that way.

A Better Way?
What if you created a space to:

  • Share the teachings of Jesus
  • Engage real questions
  • Allow people to wrestle in community
  • Trust the Holy Spirit to work
  • Do it for a year with no conversion agenda?

You’d probably attract the poor, the imprisoned, the spiritually blind — exactly the kinds of people Jesus drew. Over time, people would engage deeply. Think deeply. And eventually ask: “What must I do?” (Luke 13:23, Acts 8:26–39, Acts 16:30)

Paul Got It
Paul didn’t think of himself as a soul-counter. He thought of himself as a seed-planter:

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe — as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:5–7

Paul was comfortable with dirt under his nails, no instant results, trusting God for growth. Are we?

Final Thoughts
After Conversion Day: Are we as intentional about discipling people and helping them grow as we are about snaffling decisions? Maturing in faith takes:

  • Time
  • Nurture
  • Encouragement
  • Patience
  • Love

Ignoring this is shameful. Prioritizing conversion over formation is the heart of Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:18–23).

One Last Thing: Creativity
Programmed evangelism often kills creativity. Are we still trying the same old methods we used twenty years ago? Culture has moved on. The world is hungry — but they aren’t looking for old slogans. They’re listening for:

  • Real justice
  • Real equality
  • Real compassion
  • Real hope

That’s all consistent with the gospel. That’s where ears may start to open.

Go on! Shape that message! Love is always a good core theme. The kindness of God and the meekness and gentleness of Christ as antidotes to “muscular’’, “strongman”, or “toxic” styles of leadership. Blessings instead of curses. Good news instead of bad. Oh, and don’t be all judgy (Rom 2:1-3, Matt 7:1-5). There are many possibilities.

Bottom Line
Now don’t get me wrong. I believe I have wonderful news to share. But I believe our real job is to:

Creatively make the gospel attractive.

Form Christ in people.

Titus 2:10; Galatians 4:19

And trust that it is God who makes the seeds grow.