What is CU? (cont...)

Evangelism

So, evangelism is something that we talk about a lot at CU, but what exactly is it? What does it mean for CU to be focused on evangelism?

For evangelism to be evangelism, people need to hear the gospel!

‘How are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?’ – Romans 10:14-15a

So for an event to be evangelistic, people need to hear the gospel in it – usually through a talk. ‘How will they believe in him of whom they have never heard?’

But the goal aim of evangelism means… evangelists!

If we want to see evangelism proceed, there have to be evangelists. Though some come in to CU evangelistic events simply from publicity, the vast majority come through personal invitations from the CU members. Ask people their testimony, and it is notably often through the witness of a Christian friend or family member that they became a Christian. So CU needs to be making fishers of men. The CU should lay on evangelistic events, but more than that, it should provide teaching and training and encouragement and support through which, we pray, the Lord will make many into ‘fishers of men’. So:

• Ask ruthlessly of any proposed teaching/seminar series, or house-party outline, or small group program: ‘Will this, under God, enable and equip us to be fishers of men?’… leave the rest to the churches.

• Ask how you can order CU so that all are introduced to evangelism, so that it is not perceived to be the role of the elite (beware how ‘evang team’ is spoken of!). e.g. How can hallgroups operate as evangelism units? How can we bring groups of people with similar friends together to pray together and encourage each other on in evangelism to that group etc?

(to be continued...)