When thinking about evangelism—reaching the lost and dying world with the power of the gospel—there are many truths we must hold to if our evangelistic efforts are going to be consistent, God-honoring, and effective.
One truth that we must hold to in our evangelistic endeavors is so basic that you might wonder who would oppose it or question its validity. The truth is this: the church is essential for evangelism. Yet, sadly, I often hear objections to this foundational truth. In this chapter, I will support the above statement with Scripture and demonstrate that the church is absolutely essential for all of our evangelistic endeavors.
Evangelism in the New Testament and Church
If we examine God’s Word with an eye on the topic of evangelism, we will find it difficult to locate an evangelist laboring on their own, separate from the church. For example, the twelve apostles constituted the first church and commenced their preaching ministry as a team, not as individual evangelists with distinct ministries (Acts 2:1-13). When converts started filling the church in Jerusalem, the apostles were there with the congregation, teaching and preaching and breaking bread with them (Acts 2:42-47).
As the apostles continued their ministry, they did so in vital connection with the church: “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:32-33). It was within the context of the church that Stephen was selected by the apostles to help care for the Hellenist widows (Acts 6:1-7) just prior to being murdered for preaching Christ (Acts 7:54-60).
Even when new, well-meaning preachers were corrected, they were pointed to a church. Take Apollos, for example. Although he was bold with the truth, he didn’t possess the complete gospel message. He needed some help. When he was corrected, he was sent to Achaia by his local church. The local church in Achaia received him, to which Apollos was said to be a blessing to “those who by grace had believed.” (Acts 18:27). Evangelism was vitally connected to the local church in the book of Acts.
Excuses, Excuses
I’ve been street-preaching for many years, and I often engage with Christians who have a visible passion for evangelism, but who don’t want to be part of a local church body. They usually offer one of these three excuses:
“There are no good churches nearby.”
“None of the churches in my area want to do evangelism.”
“I am part of the universal Church, so I don’t need a building.”
We will address these more superficial objections in a moment. An objection that carries a little more theological weight comes from those who appeal to the Old Testament to make their case. These folks usually point out that evangelism was often conducted in the Old Testament by the prophets of God—most of whom were alone when they were preaching to the nation. Jeremiah, for example, was by himself, preaching to a rebellious nation. These evangelists conclude, therefore, that they can also conduct a preaching ministry on their own and don’t need the church. There are several problems that arise with this line of argument, however.
First, the Old Testament prophets were given direct revelation from God to instruct, warn, and admonish Israel as a nation. But God is not revealing himself this way today (Heb 1:1-2), nor is the church constituted in the same way as Israel was. That is, Israel was a theocratic nation whose laws, political structure, and civil codes were all dictated by God’s law. The church is not a nation, but a body of regenerate believers in the Lord Jesus Christ that finds expression in local gatherings throughout the world.
Second and related, Old Testament prophets spoke primarily to the people of Israel. Whether it was a call to repentance or reminders of promises and prophecies, the prophets mainly aimed their instruction at the nation of Israel. Of course, all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16-17). Nevertheless, the gospel message that we proclaim today is not for a specific ethnic group or nation. The gospel is for every nation, tribe, people, and tongue (Rev 7:9). Our evangelism is for all people in all places, great and small, rich or poor, as we see in Paul’s message to the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:30).
Lastly, the church itself was not established at the time of the Old Testament prophets, so we cannot invoke the prophets of old as biblical examples for the New Testament church evangelistic methodology. Jesus said, speaking of a future reality, “I will build my church” (Matt 16:18). On the day of Pentecost, the starting point of the church in Jerusalem, we saw Peter preaching to the people. Many believed, repented, and were baptized (Acts 2:41). These new believers didn’t stop with conversion. They would “devote” themselves to discipleship under the teachings of the apostles (Acts 2:42-47). From the day of Pentecost with the conversion of 3000 men, we see the evangelism efforts directly tied to the local church as it was growing rapidly in number. If someone wanted to disagree with this point, then the biblical account would read differently. It would read to the effect of, “They were believing and getting baptized and then going about their way.”
As to the three trivial excuses I mentioned above, we can offer the following answers. First, the excuse that there are no good churches nearby is most likely rooted in the evangelist’s unduly high estimation of his own discernment and spiritual maturity. In other words, the evangelist thinks too highly of himself and his ability to discern between good and bad churches. It is often difficult, however, to persuade someone that there are sound churches in the area precisely because their attitude toward the church has been shaped by neglecting the church. When a person is isolated from the body, they “break out against all sound judgment” (Prov 18:1). That is, the more they cordon themselves off from the local gathering of God’s people, the more they develop over-wrought assessments of themselves. The longer the isolation continues, the higher the estimation of themselves grows. Soon, they start to view themselves as the only truly obedient Christian in the area because they are fulfilling Christ’s call to evangelize the lost while other Christians are staying safe at home.
In light of the number of churches scattered in every part of the U. S., however, it is exceedingly rare to be in a place without a sound church. There will always stronger or weaker churches, but if one really wants to find a true, gospel-preaching church nearby, they will be able, with some effort, to locate a church that preaches God’s Word and maintains a gospel presence in their community.
As to the excuse that no nearby churches want to do evangelism, we must concede that it may be true, sadly, that few local churches are actively pursuing intentional evangelism as a corporate body. When an evangelist offers this reason for his refusal to join a local church, we can grieve with him. But we must quickly note that a lack of local church evangelism is no argument for why the evangelist can’t join an otherwise sound church and help them develop their evangelistic ministry! Indeed, this would be a wonderful opportunity for the evangelist to deepen his own ministry and use his gifts to equip the saints for evangelism (Eph 4:12). He should locate a gospel-preaching church, humble himself (1 Pet 5:4-5), submit himself to the church’s leadership (Heb 13:17), explain his passion for evangelism, and patiently and prayerfully seek the affirmation and approval of the elders to develop their evangelism ministry. For someone who is passionate about evangelism, it may be difficult at first to wait upon the leadership—but this is exactly what this evangelist needs. He doesn’t need to cease his current ministry. He only needs to place himself under the accountability of the local church and her elders and, meanwhile, ask the Lord to grow the evangelism ministry at his new local church.
But it must also be noted that the problem may not be that no local churches are actively pursuing evangelism. Rather, the problem may be that there are no local churches that are actively pursuing evangelism the way the evangelist wants to do evangelism. Again, this attitude is likely rooted in pride and a conceited assessment of one’s own gifts and discernment. In either case, what the evangelist needs is to humble himself and submit to a local body of believers and its leaders. Until he does this, he will be outside of God’s will for evangelism despite his great efforts to reach the lost.
Finally, when an evangelist says that the church is universal and that he doesn’t need a “building,” we must respond by first noting that out of the 105 times the New Testament uses the word “church,” over seventy times it refers to a local church or group of local churches. In other words, the local church is a priority in the New Testament, not something to be neglected in favor of the universal church. Such thinking is foreign to the apostles and their New Testament letters. If someone is a Christian, they belong to the universal church (1 Cor 12:13-14), and the universal church always finds expression in local gatherings of believers who have intentionally organized themselves around apostolic teaching, fellowship, worship, and qualified leadership (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Tim 3:1-8; Titus 1:5-9, Heb 13:17). The physical place in which any local church meets is irrelevant. They may meet in a traditional church building, a warehouse, a commercial strip mall, or a house. The material nature of the church is of no concern. Rather, it is the people who make up God’s temple (1 Pet 2:4-6). To neglect these people is to sin against Christ (Heb 10:24-25).
Ordo Evangelii or Order of the Evangelist
When Christ gave the Great Commission, he said, “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” (Matt 28:19). I am sure you notice the word “Go” at the beginning of Jesus’ directive. We are told to “Go,” which is at the heart of evangelism and missionary work. After all, if you are not obedient to the simple command to “Go,” there will be no evangelism. Actually, the word “Go” in the original is best translated with the phrase, “as you are going.” In other words, Jesus is telling his discipleship that in the course of daily life, as we go from place to place, we are to make disciples. Jesus also gives us a clear direction where to go. We are to go to “all nations” and “to the highways and byways” (see Luke 14:23, Matt 22:19). Isn’t it wonderful to have an unrestricted field to sow seeds of the gospel? But have you ever wondered, “What is the starting point for evangelism?” Can anyone just up and go?
To answer these questions, we must first observe that the Lord Jesus was speaking to his apostles—those who would eventually be the leaders and pastors of the first church. Through their faithful preaching of the gospel, many churches would be planted and grow. Through the church’s witness, the apostle Paul would be converted and become a missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 8-9). Paul would be equipped for his lifelong missionary task by Christ himself through direct revelation (Gal 1:11-12). Nevertheless, he was sent out for his work by the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3) and had his ministry affirmed by the church in Jerusalem (Gal 2:7-9). Even though Paul received direct revelation from the Savior himself, his ministry was tied to the local body of believers. The point here should be obvious: the local church body was the necessary starting point for the work of evangelism in the early church.
Second, Paul links evangelism to the local church in his letter to the Romans.
For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they 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? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom 10:11-15)?
If someone must be sent, then the obvious questions are: sent from where, and from whom? A person cannot just read the Bible and say, “See, I got converted and Jesus said to go, so I can just go and evangelize?” This may be the experience of some new, zealous believers as they start telling everyone they know about the goodness of the Lord immediately after their conversion. But initial evangelistic passion cannot be used as an excuse to conduct a life-long evangelistic ministry apart from the local church. Such a conclusion would not be in line with the biblical order as expressed in Paul’s statement above. It may even be dangerous for both the evangelist and his listeners.
Often, when someone is first converted, they have minimal knowledge of God and of Scripture. As they evangelize, they will need constant nourishment, instruction, and admonition of God’s Word to correct their wrong thinking, refine their theology, sanctify their lives, and sharpen their understanding and articulation of the gospel. In God’s design, this instruction comes through the regular preaching and teaching of God’s Word in the local church (2 Tim 4:2).
We can summarize the early church’s order of evangelism as follows: (1) Jesus appointed the apostles to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8); (2) the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and empowered them for ministry as the church was birthed (Acts 2:1-13); (3) initially the church was led by the apostles and eventually a plurality of elders at each local church (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; cf. Acts 15:4; 16:4); (4) gifted men in each congregation equip the body for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:12); (5) the local church sends out its people for evangelism and missionary work.
The Dangers of LRE (Lone Ranger Evangelism)
What I first started in active evangelism, I quickly realized that spiritual attacks were noticeably increasing in my life. There were distractions of sight and mind, temptations and frustrations, cheers and fears. It became clear to me that I needed to have a solid and steady stream of biblical truth pouring into my life if this light was going to stay lit in the world of darkness and despair (Matt 5:14). If I was to remain a lamp, I needed a lampstand, the local church body (Rev 1:20). After all, the devil would love nothing more to discredit, disrupt, and destroy these intentional evangelistic outings I was engaged in.
In addition, I personally wanted accountability in my evangelism efforts—not just from anyone, but from other like-minded believers, pastors, and Christians who, if needed, would encourage, guide, and correct me. This is God’s design for his people. When we are by ourselves, we are susceptible to sin, pride, wrong thinking, and foolish behavior (Prov 18:1). God uses our brothers and sisters and the elders of the local church to protect us from being deceived by our sin (Heb 3:12-15), and to help us remain humble (1 Peter 5:1-5). In my case, I love the elders and fellow saints at our local body, as they have a passion for evangelism, and encourage me in my efforts as a street preacher. Humility is essential in evangelism, and those who reject the biblical mandate of being a part of the local body usually (if not always) are showing signs of pride. This is very dangerous, as it opens the door like a gateway drug to other issues of sin. This practice also undermines their ministry.
Imagine seeing someone preaching the gospel and hearing what appears to be a great message. They get the gospel right, and they are knocking all the questions out of the park, quoting the Bible left and right. You excitedly walk over and want to tell this person and say, “Great job,” and ask what church they attend. Their response is: “I don’t go to a church.” How shockingly inconsistent! The credibility of everything they just said is now in question. Would anyone even want to believe that person? This self-appointed evangelist has distanced himself from the very people for whom Christ died and whom Christ loves (Eph 5:25), yet he is now telling others that they need to believe in Christ. He is exhorting people to repentance, yet he is disregarding one of Scripture’s central commands: to not neglect the local gathering of believers (Heb 10:24-25). This kind of inconsistency will only hurt, not help, our evangelistic endeavors. Unfortunately, when you see someone engaged in street evangelism these days, whether handing out tracts, holding a sign, or open-air preaching, it is usually safe to assume neither he nor the group he is with is part of a church.
In conclusion, there is no excuse for the LRE, biblically speaking. Those who are presently engaging in a formal evangelistic ministry in such a way must recognize that this is an unbiblical approach to evangelism. Furthermore, these self-styled evangelists should be avoided if they are not willing to repent of their unbiblical evangelistic methodology. Yes, it’s true that God can strike a straight blow with a bent stick, but we must be careful not to mistake God’s mercy for God’s approval. If you want to be in accord with biblical evangelism and glorify God in it, I urge you to become part of a local body—the church—and humbly submit yourself to God’s design for evangelism.
This article was taken from our forthcoming book, Proclaim: A Comprehensive Guide to Christian Evangelism (Summer 2025).
