Brad Waggoner is a close and longtime friend. Over the past several years, I’ve seen the fire of evangelism burn in his life like I’ve seen in only a few Christians.
On the one hand, he puts me to shame. On the other hand, he encourages and motivates me.
I asked him a simple question: “How many times in a week do you share the gospel with someone?” He hates to count. He hates to even hint of boasting. Finally, Brad gave me his rough estimate. Six times a week. Three hundred times a year.
That’s not a typo. He starts a gospel conversation with someone three hundred times a year.
Brad has discovered a high degree of receptivity to what he presents, rarely encountering resistance or anger.
The hunger is great. But the workers are few.
The Urgency of Personal Evangelism
Jesus told us about this reality two thousand years ago: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” (Matthew 9:37-38).
There weren’t digital devices then.
But there were distractions. Misplaced priorities. Conflicts among religious people.
Satan finds a way to get us off track from our evangelistic focus. His methods change, but his motivation is the same. The enemy will do all he can do to depopulate heaven.
Why Evangelism Is Becoming Rare in Churches
Evangelism is becoming rare in many churches. The digital world hasn’t helped.
As churches embraced technology, many leaders assumed that broader reach would lead to greater evangelistic impact. It hasn’t. The gospel is being shared less, not more.
Digital tools are excellent for communication. They help us deliver sermons, promote events, and encourage people to attend. But evangelism isn’t just communication. It’s personal. It’s relational. It’s uncomfortable. And most importantly, it’s slow.
We’ve replaced conversations with content. We’ve replaced going out into the community with uploading to a platform. Evangelism has quietly shifted from being a church-wide effort to a passive assumption that someone, somewhere, might watch or click.
The Great Commission Requires More Than Digital Outreach
But the Great Commission was never about clicks.
Jesus didn’t tell us to post the gospel. He told us to go. He didn’t instruct the early church to build a digital presence. He told them to be present—among the lost, among the hurting, among the nations.
One-on-one evangelism rarely feels efficient. But it remains the most effective way people come to Christ. They hear the gospel from someone they trust. They ask questions. They see the message lived out before they believe it for themselves.
A handshake matters. Eye contact matters. Inviting someone to sit beside you in worship matters. These small acts often lead to spiritual breakthroughs.
Some churches have forgotten how to do this. They’ve grown so comfortable producing content that they’ve stopped training people to share their faith. They’ve assumed livestreams can substitute for lunch invitations.
But they can’t.
We’re not called to be media companies. We’re called to be disciple-makers. And disciple-making begins with gospel-sharing.
The world is hungry for something real. So are your neighbors. They don’t need a better video.
They need someone to tell them about Jesus.
Taking Time to Celebrate
It’s been said so often it sounds cliché: We are what we celebrate.
But clichés often become clichés because they’re true.
Churches that celebrate large crowds will chase large crowds. Churches that celebrate slick programs will perfect slick programs. Churches that celebrate budget surpluses will focus on stewardship—and rightly so. But when was the last time your church celebrated a gospel conversation?
Not just a conversion. Not just a baptism. A conversation. A gospel seed planted.
Too many churches treat evangelism as an obligation to be fulfilled rather than a joy to be shared. But evangelism was never meant to be drudgery. Jesus described it as a harvest. Paul described it as a race worth running. Peter described it as proclaiming the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness. Joy is baked into the mission.
We must recover that joy.
That starts by intentionally celebrating evangelism—big and small. Here are a few ways churches can do that:
1. Celebrate Gospel Conversations, Not Just Decisions
We certainly rejoice when someone comes to faith in Christ. Heaven does too (Luke 15:7). But we also celebrate the faithfulness that precedes the fruit. If a member shares the gospel with a coworker, or invites a friend to worship, or pens a handwritten note with a verse of Scripture and a personal testimony—we honor that. We share that story. We thank God for the courage it took.
When a church celebrates only the finish line, most members feel disqualified. But when we celebrate steps of obedience, we cultivate a culture of encouragement. Evangelism becomes a shared journey, not an isolated event.
2. Include Evangelism in Your Testimonies
When churches feature testimonies—whether during worship services, on video, or in written form—include stories of evangelism, not just stories of salvation. Feature members who overcame fear to share their faith. Highlight moments when God used someone unexpectedly. These testimonies remind the church that evangelism isn’t reserved for experts or extroverts.
One church I worked with started every staff meeting with a “Who Did You Invite?” moment. Another church closes each Sunday service by reminding members of someone they’re praying for and inviting to church. These small shifts reframe the whole culture.
3. Pray Out Loud for the Lost—By Name
Few things shape a church’s priorities more than what it prays for publicly. When you pray for the lost by name in small groups, you model evangelistic urgency and dependence on the Spirit. This kind of prayer naturally lends itself to celebration when someone you’ve prayed for comes to faith.
4. Recognize Evangelistic Effort Without Glorifying Individuals
Celebrating evangelism doesn’t mean building egos. It means reinforcing faithfulness. You can share stories without turning people into heroes. The real hero is always Christ. And the real goal is always His glory. But when we thank a volunteer for reaching out or acknowledge a Sunday school class that’s grown through outreach, we’re reinforcing a gospel-centered culture.
5. Celebrate Evangelism Slowly and Sincerely
There’s no need to rush a good story. Let it breathe. Let it sink in. When someone is baptized, tell the story behind the baptism. Who shared Christ? How did the relationship unfold? How did God move?
There is no greater reason to celebrate than when a person moves from death to life, when a member shares their faith despite fear, when a prayer is answered after years of persistence. These moments remind us that we’re not just doing ministry—we’re living the mission.
And yes, we are what we celebrate.
So let us celebrate evangelism boldly, joyfully, and often. Let the church be a place where gospel obedience is honored, where the harvest is anticipated, and where the joy of salvation never grows old.
Adapted from The Revival of the Analog Church: Why Your Church Should Be Personal and In-Person by Thom S. Rainer, releasing in October 2026 from Tyndale House Publishers.
