Evangelism

Evangelism & Shepherd of the Valley

Evangelism is both a call and a response. The gospel of Mark concludes with the familiar verses: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Surprisingly, the word “evangelism” isn’t found in the Bible. While there are 30,000 different words used in the Bible, even the word “evangelist” is found only three times.

The term evangelism comes from a Greek root, which essentially means “good news.” Pointedly, the word “gospel” is derived from the old English word “Godspell,” which means good word, or good news. Its reference is to Jesus Christ.

On one hand, we at Shepherd of the Valley hear a call to evangelism in Matthew’s gospel. At the same time, recognizing what God has done for us in Jesus Christ prompts a response – our desire to share the good news with others.

How so?

Like any Presbyterian enterprise, we have a committee that focuses on evangelism. Its tasks are (1) to keep our call/response to share the good news in front of the congregation, and (2) to assist the congregation in those endeavors.

Some of our evangelistic efforts are corporate, and may be at the direction of the Evangelism Committee or other congregational ministries. Those group efforts include publicity (newspaper, phone book), messaging, such as our dynamic signage, which conveys our services, and Biblical texts, and finally, youth and adult outreach expression, such as our annual Chile Fest celebration to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

At Shepherd of the Valley, our larger emphasis is on individual evangelism. The most compelling communication is often one-on-one. Here, as Christians, we see our opportunity to share our understanding of God’s grace, extended to others and ourselves. As a congregation, our strength isn’t in door-to-door campaigns (though we have and will do them), but rather in quiet, personal encounters where we can share with another what a life-changing impact Christ has on us.

Quoting Sherron George, a Presbyterian missionary and seminary professor, “Salvation is a gift of grace that God freely gives, but God chooses to communicate and offer this gift through human agents. We simply take advantage of opportunities to articulate and explain our personal faith in Jesus Christ and our life as his disciples, and leave the results to God's Spirit.”

We invite you to share in our journey.