Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Worship as Evangelism

Great quote from Ed Stetzer in his book Planting Missional Churches.

"Instead of focusing on a seeker-driven worship service, I believe it's better to ask why the church exists - and then to ask questions about the content of the worship service. Churches should exalt God, edify believers, and evangelize the world. Worship services, first and foremost, should exalt God. This statement underscores the imperative of God-centered worship. Believers should also be built up in the faith. Finally, authentic worship can evangelize unbelievers.

Believers who assert that the church is intended only for Christians assume continued preaching to believers will mature them to the point where they will evangelize the unchurched. I have yet to see this happen. Churches that are not intentionally evangelistic do not become evangelistic through quality Bible teaching alone. If knowledge led to evangelism, we would have reached North America years ago.

When the church exists for feeding believers only, those believers become spiritual sponges who absorb more and more knowledge. If those sponges do nothing but soak in a pool of their own learning, they eventually sour. An unchurched person can hardly feel welcome in such a setting."


Wow! That really convicts me. It's so easy to be focused on ourselves, it takes intentionality and discipline to remain focused on the disconnected.

Who are you investing in? Who are you inviting to TFC?

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