What Makes Evangelistic Preaching Effective?

By Michael Benson

I was privileged last July to be at the final ordination service conducted by retiring General Superintendent, John A. Knight. By his record keeping he has ordained a full ten percent of those ministers presently serving globally. Though the ordinands and their journeys into ministry are all different and unique, the formal ordination language spoken at the time of the laying on of hands remains the same. The charge by the General Superintendent of sixteen years included one of the earliest of texts on the tasks of ministry. It was first given by Paul to Timothy. “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5.)

A simple reading of the text implies that there is a particular work to be performed by Timothy in his pastoral duties that is evangelistic in nature. The work of an evangelist is in addition to “preaching the Word” (v.2) but a word study will reveal that the New Testament places the work of an evangelist and the proclamation of the good news as similar if not identical meanings.

Ergon is the common word for work and can mean “activity.” The controlling verb (poieson) in verse 5 is an aorist active form meaning “to do” or “to perform” or “to cause to happen.” Euangelistes means: “one who preaches the Good News.” To “do the work of an evangelist” then is to make the effort needed to see that the good news that Jesus is the Christ of God is preached to all. This word is found again in the spiritual gifts list in Ephesians 4 (“The gifts he gave were that some would be…evangelists”) though it is not found in the lists of Romans 12 or 1 Corinthians 12.

While he was never identified as a euangelistes, proclaiming the good news was a fundamental motif in the understanding Jesus had of his own earthly work and ministry as Messiah. When Jesus stood in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth and read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah he was very purposeful in his language. More than a herald (keryx), bringing an important announcement, Jesus identified both the act of proclamation and the gospel message when he identified himself as the one who was anointed to bring the “good news to the poor”; i.e., to do the work of an evangelist (Luke 4:18).

Paul is no less emphatic in understanding his evangelistic preaching role. Christ did not send him to conduct baptisms but to evangelize (1 Cor 1:17). And what is more, “Woe to me if I do not preach the good news” 1 Cor 9:16. Evangelistic preaching was the boundary set by God for his work in Corinth (2 Cor 10:16) and he hoped that God would extend that boundary “in lands beyond.” He had sighted in his soul to go to Rome and professed an “eagerness” (Ro 1:15) and an “ambition” (Ro 15:20) to do the work of an evangelist in their midst.

What is to be gleaned here is that the fulfillment of the role of an evangelist is dependent upon the content of the message proclaimed. To put it another way: one who preaches the good news of the kingdom is an evangelist. For Timothy, or any one else for that matter, to fulfill Paul’s charge to “do the work of an evangelist”, he would have to focus on a particular aspect of his ministry, namely preaching. And that focus must include this theme: The good news of the kingdom is that Jesus has come to save all humankind. What makes for effective evangelistic preaching then is the clarity and fervency with which the gospel of salvation in Christ is proclaimed.
Chief among concerns for effective evangelistic preaching is the content or data that is being proclaimed. Namely, that in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the spiritual needs of any and all people can find their resolution. Evangelistic preaching is concerned to proclaim that the death of Christ paid the price for our sins. More than that, that Christ was raised from the dead and his disciples can enjoy new life in him, and that the power of God that raised Christ from the dead can powerfully keep us victorious over sin’s sway.

Effective evangelist preaching must stay clear of heralding what is simply a good announcement. While steps to overcoming eating disorders and tips for raising happy teenagers may be an important theme in the teaching (kerygma) ministry of the church, it is not the good news. The Good News is the message of salvation by faith in Jesus and those who proclaim this Truth affect all who have ears to hear.
Further, such preaching must hold out for a decision to be made regarding this good news. Implied in the proclamation is the call to make a decision about what is being said. The words of Jesus recorded by Matthew, “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (4:17) show an obvious relationship existed in the mind of Jesus between hearing this message and deciding what to do about it. If the sermon is simply sharing some positive values found in the Judeo-Christian tradition, then individuals are left to choose if they want those values. But preaching the gospel is to proclaim a person, Jesus, and to require the hearer to make a determination about who this Jesus is and about his claims as the anointed One.

Finally, evangelistic preaching is effective when the minister exhibits a dogged determination to present the themes of the gospel. After Jesus had read from Isaiah in the synagogue, the crowds wanted him to stay and heal their diseases and infirmities. Hear his purposeful declaration of the importance of doing the work of an evangelist: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God” (4:43). There was a time to work as a healer. But this wasn’t it.

The effective evangelistic preacher will not give up these themes, succumbing to the temptation to be more relevant or need-centered. No man or woman hath a need like that of the soul when it is not at peace with God. Many things may be helpful to men and women. But not everything will change their lives. The Good News is a particular message, focused on particular truths about Jesus. The minister who takes his or her ordination vows seriously will not shrink back from this clear proclamation.

~Michael Benson is an itinerant evangelist in the Church of the Nazarene holding revivals and conferences on spiritual formation and renewal. He and his wife, and children reside in Nashville, Tennessee.