Week 8 - Who’s Listening?

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. John 5:24a

Romans 10:14  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? (ESV)

This week’s blog is condensed from pages 51-55 of Ken Priddy’s book, The Silent Church. Priddy’s work makes a good counterpoint to Rick Phillips’ book, Jesus the Evangelist. Phillips does an excellent job of laying out the content of the gospel message. Priddy, on the other hand, discusses the effectiveness of how that gospel is presented. This is, in some ways, the classic issue that committed Christians have faced down through church history—first, getting the gospel message right and then, getting the gospel message out. Notice how Priddy addressed this in working with the leadership of a national church. The same issues apply to us at Redeemer.

“With over 80% of American Protestant churches in plateau or decline, every regional and national church entity needs to provide resources to return the majority of its churches to health and growth. This was the intent when I presented our ministry to a particular national board. I emphasized that our approach to church revitalization is built on two platforms, spiritual renewal and strategic initiative. I explained that most churches tend to emphasize one or the other. Those that emphasize only spiritual renewal experience a “spiritual pep rally.” Interest and excitement flare up for a short season, but without backing the spiritual with the strategic, the fire dies out and ministry returns to status quo. Those that emphasize only strategic initiative chase the new methodology of the moment. This creates some energy and short-term gains, but without spiritual renewal the church’s ministry will soon return to status quo.

Later, I sat with the board’s revitalization committee. I soon discovered that this group resonated strongly with spiritual renewal, but wasn’t really appreciating the value of strategic initiative. I was asked: “I know there’s a place for strategy, but isn’t it really all about the power of the proclaimed Word of God?” Well, it’s hard to argue against the power of God’s Word proclaimed, yet I needed to defend strategic initiative. I knew they would respect a thoughtful, biblical and theological response, but it was time to break for dinner. So I asked, “Do most of the pastors in your denomination proclaim the Word of God?” They answered, “Yes.” I continued, “Then if it’s all about the power of the proclaimed Word of God, why are most of the churches in your denomination in plateau or decline?” Point – Game – Match!

That night I couldn’t sleep. I felt that I had made my point, but had hardly rallied these leaders to embrace strategic initiative. I prayed into the early hours of the morning, reading here and there in Scripture. Suddenly it hit me. It’s not just the power of the proclaimed Word of God—it’s the power of that proclamation when it falls on the ears of the unbeliever. Strategic initiative is the commitment of a church to put unbelieving ears within reach of Gospel proclamation.
The next morning this new insight was very well received. The riddle asks, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The answer is, “Yes.” Sound, by definition, is vibration and as the tree falls, vibration occurs whether anyone hears it or not. However, if a Gospel proclamation is made and there are no unbelieving ears to hear it, has the Gospel truly been proclaimed? No. Webster defines the word proclaim as, “to announce or declare in an open or ostentatious way, to indicate or make known publicly or openly, to extol or praise publicly,” and defines the word proclamation as, “something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement.” A strategic initiative will put an unbelieving public within range of the proclaimed Word.

Churches that choose to preach and teach the Word of God without employing strategies to penetrate their communities will continue to talk only to themselves. The strategic question is not, “What’s being proclaimed?” The strategic question is, “Who’s listening?””

Priddy is assuming that the content of the message must be clear and biblically orthodox. But once this is in place, who is going to hear the message? The truth of the gospel can be affirmed by those who already know it, but it can only be proclaimed to those who don’t know it. Thus, Jesus told his followers to go and proclaim this message among the nations to those who do not know it. Few of us have the opportunity to travel the globe proclaiming the gospel message. However, there are those in our daily lives who need to hear this proclamation. God has sovereignly placed you on this planet to proclaim the wonder of the gospel to those whom you know. There are men with whom you come in contact who are enslaved to Internet pornography; who are flirting with drunkenness; who are looking for excitement outside of their marriages; and, who are more committed to their sports team than they are to their families. You will meet others whose lives are tied to the value of their 401k or who are embittered by the nation’s political climate. These people need to hear the gospel proclamation. Yes, invite them to church, but also tell them why: proclaim Christ to them.