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Wednesday, April 20, 2005

3. Our conviction must be that evangelization emerges from the heart of the Church rather than being fabricated at the periphery.
The Church is a product of mission before it becomes an agent of mission. The Church needs to share the good news of Christ constantly, not only when it gathers as a congregation but during the entire week when it is scattered as salt and light in the world. Evangelization is not a hiccup, but an uninterrupted heartbeat. It is not a program, but a way of life. Every day of our lives, every person and every community communicates a stream of messages. To live is to communicate. The question is, what kind of message are we communicating? The Church is defined by the message that has brought it into existence. It takes a community to communicate that message.
Brad Kallenberg reminds us, "The gospel is sung not as a solo but as a choral piece. The way Christians live with each other can powerfully illuminate the good news. Only then can outsiders say, 'I see what you mean.'" While we must never underestimate the power of individual testimony, we must not overlook the importance of networks of believers with the potential to penetrate into every segment of society.

Labels: mission, reinventing evangelism