PUTTING AN END TO WORSHIP WARS - Elmer Towns

unchurched Harrys and Marys of their community through carefully planned seeker services
designed to put the unsaved at ease so they can hear and understand the gospel.
EXPECTATIONS AND ROLES IN THE EVANGELISTIC CHURCH
Because of the nature of the Evangelistic Church, the pastor is more an evangelist who
preaches the gospel than a pastor in the traditional sense. He is the leader who motivates the
church in highly effective soulwinning endeavors and the administrator who organizes great
outreach campaigns. Success in ministry for pastors of Evangelistic Churches is often measured
by the number of recorded conversions, baptisms or net growth of the church over the preceding
year. When the church ceases to be effective in reaching significant numbers of people for
Christ, it is usually viewed as a sign of God withdrawing His hand of blessing from the church.
When that happens, one of two things follow. First, the pastor may begin addressing perceived
sin in the church family which is viewed as hindering God in reaching people. Second, the
pastor may be viewed as having lost his anointing and therefore he is responsible for the lack of
evangelism.
When worshippers come to church on Sunday morning, they expect there will be a clear
presentation of the gospel to those who are present. If the Evangelistic Church is seeker
sensitive, people expect the church service to be comfortable to those attending who may be
unsaved. If the Evangelistic Church follows the model described at the beginning of this chapter,
worshippers expect an upbeat feel to the worship service concluded with people responding to
the invitation.
The pastor of one Evangelistic Church preached one Sunday morning and no one
responded to the invitation. As he concluded the service, he asked the deacons and other pastors
to meet with him briefly in his office. When the group gathered, the meeting was indeed brief.
The pastor began referring to the lack of response during the invitation. He challenged them to
be leaders in soul-winning for the congregation to follow. It never did happen again even though
the pastor remained at that growing Evangelistic Church for over twenty years.
THE BONDING AGENT OF THE EVANGELISTIC CHURCH
The response of that pastor to a lack of response during an invitation is typical of those
with the unique evangelism common in Evangelistic Churches. These pastors and their followers
are deeply committed to the ministry of evangelism and are often very pointed in confronting
situations which they feel need to be addressed. This gift mix is expressed in the mission
statement of one Evangelistic Church which described itself as "preaching the Word of God as it
is to people as they are."
Evangelism is communicating the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit to unconverted
persons at their point of need so they can put their rust in Christ for salvation and become a
member of His church. These conversions take place as individuals repent of their sin and put
their trust in God through Jesus Christ, to accept Him as their Saviour. Normally, those who are
converted determine to serve the Lord in the fellowship of a local church. Those who are gifted