The Greek word Ευαγγελιστής means to proclaim glad tidings, a messenger of good. It denotes a preacher or proclaimer of the Gospel.
The Evangelist can either be a preacher who stands before a crowd imploring people to be saved, or perhaps an individual sitting across from someone on a plane or in a living room, encouraging him or her to accept Christ.
The person with the gift of Evangelism usually is outgoing and personable. He or she has mastered a technique of paying compliments to every stranger and asking lifestyle questions such as: “Where do you work?” “How many children you do have?” “In what part of the country were you raised?” When not talking with people about their soul’s relationship with Jesus Christ, the Evangelist is often quiet.
If you are an Evangelist, you have the Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by communicating with people who are beyond your natural sphere of influence and leading them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The Evangelist is constantly consumed with the need to confront sinners with the Gospel or encourage other Christians to do the same, by directly telling them to do so or by encouraging them with a recent experience. The Evangelist memorizes Scripture in order not to be caught “flat-footed” while witnessing, and often quotes Scripture in an attempt to influence others through God’s Word.
Sometimes the Evangelist turns off other Christians and even lost people because of the “sales pitch” used. Some consider him or her kin to the used car salesperson or vacuum cleaner salesperson. However, much of that perception is because of how others view the Evangelist, rather than as a result of the Evangelist’s own motives or desires.
The definition of the Evangelist as found in the Greek is an indication of the ministry of any person who has the gift of Evangelism. The confrontational witness (some prefer the term “soul winner”) is not limited by lack of opportunities, but makes opportunities. Some people define the gift of Evangelist as a church-planting gift, but that limits the scope of the gift. That definition may have become popular because of the fact that most church planters have the gift of Evangelism and it fits the task of outreach and saturation evangelism needed to successfully begin a new work. Church growth in any type of church probably has at least one gifted Evangelist involved at the center of outreach, regardless of the church’s age or size.
Because of the importance of outreach in the church, God has given two ways to evangelize a lost world. First, He gives every Christian the role of witness. Second, He gives some Christians the gift of Evangelism (approximately 10%). It is important to understand the difference between the two.
The solution is to pair young Christians in ministry opportunities with seasoned, mature Christians who have the gift of Evangelism. The young Evangelist will learn much about presenting the Gospel by watching the seasoned Evangelist minister to the lost.
Source: by Dr. Larry Gilbert | ChurchGrowth.org
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Genesis University.