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EV Tips/ Outreach? Nooo, INReach!

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The evangelism team went to a combined church outreach on Saturday at the Huntington Beach Pier. Many churches combined to “outreach” to all the unsaved who so willingly and enthusiastically attended Christian programs, listened to Christian bands playing Christian music, and took lots of Jesus stuff.
null Yeah, right. When you were a pagan, how many Christian events did you attend, unless you were conned by a less-than-honest disciple.

As a rule, non-Christians don’t like going to Christian outreaches. Atheists don’t listen to Christian bands, New-Agers believe they are God, and agnostics are undecided about the whole thing. So what is the purpose of a combined church outreach? I think it’s a placebo we take in place of actually doing “something, something, something” for the Lord, something that might cost something.

Though there is certainly nothing wrong with churches getting together to celebrate the Lord—in fact, that is a very good thing, church unity and all—let’s be clear about what it is not: church outreach. To “outreach” means to “reach out,” to go out of your way to “reach” sinners. A cloistered cadre of canvas Christian “Easy-Ups” is a far cry from what Jesus meant when He said “Go!”

Ray Comfort and his Way of the Master film crew were outside the fair because as he put it, “The Christian bands are so loud that you can’t witness to anybody.”

Our team went outside the fair where the non-Christians were… lots of non-Christians. The first three kids we talked with came to a saving knowledge of Jesus—outside the fair.

We preached open air on the benches set up along the pier, just out of range of the blaring bands and “God loves you” messages. We even interviewed a Hindu family, each bearing the name of a Hindu god.

The age of Christian “outreach” fairs, “relevant” messages, and stadium crusades has passed.

Christians need to get away from the “dog and pony shows” of shallow, showy, salvation sermonizing, and get out onto the highways and byways—where the sinners are!

Am I wrong here?

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