Evangelist | APEST
By Charley Dever
“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.”
“Sir,” the servant said, “what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.”
Then the master told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”– Luke 14:21b-23
“Repent or Burn!”
One brisk October day in East Lansing, Michigan, a few friends and I navigated the crowded campus towards the towering Spartan Stadium. It was a perfect day for a college football game.
As we drew closer to the stadium, we heard the familiar gameday sound of a man yelling through a megaphone. This man wasn’t leading cheers. He wasn’t hyping up the crowd for the big game. Instead, he and a small group of “street evangelists” were alternating between Bible verses and personalized condemnations of students who passed by.
I typically avoided this group. Unfortunately, on this particular day, my friends and I were headed straight for them. As we walked past, my roommate became the unfortunate target of the man with the megaphone. Pointing directly at my friend, he yelled, “Jesus is coming back! Repent or burn in hell!”
After we successfully made our way past the group, my friend turned to me with a smirk and said, “So, that’s what you’re about…”
True Evangelism?
For many, the word “evangelism” immediately conjures up memories of street corner preachers, door-to-door salesmen handing out gospel tracts, or scripted presentations that pressure people into saying “yes” or “no” to Jesus on the spot.
These images have left a bad taste in our mouths, causing “evangelism” to become a bit of a dirty word in certain Christian communities. These approaches feel impersonal, condemning, and dehumanizing. But are these examples truly evangelism? When Paul writes that Jesus gave evangelists to serve, equip, and build up the Church (Ephesians 4:11-12), is this heavy-handed approach what he had in mind?
The Evangelistic Impulse
The word evangelism comes from the Greek word “euangelion” which means “good news”. Therefore, an evangelist is one who brings good news. A person with an evangelistic impulse has an innate ability to connect the message of Jesus with the deepest desires and longings of those around them. They are passionately invitational and inherently inclusive.
Evangelism that is impersonal, condemning, and rooted in fear is antithetical to its Biblical meaning. In fact, rejecting those approaches may be a sign that you possess a true evangelistic impulse.
Someone with an evangelistic heart yearns for others to see, experience, and understand the goodness of God. They want people to know they belong in the family of God—that there is a place for them at the table. Consequently, they are deeply disturbed when they see people being turned off or pushed away from this good news.
Ultimately, an evangelist is an enthusiastic recruiter, a gifted communicator, and a gatherer who is constantly looking for ways to invite others into God's family.
The Shadow Side
Like every spiritual gift, the evangelistic gifting comes with its own unique blind spots. Because evangelists are so passionate about including those outside of the community, they can easily overlook those inside the community. They desperately need the grounding voices of the shepherd and the teacher to keep them from ignoring the needs and the growth of those who are already in the room.
When evangelism is detached from genuine relationship, it quickly becomes impersonal or dehumanizing. When the goal is to get as many conversions as possible, it misses the point of Biblical evangelism: sharing the good news that everyone has a place in the family of God.
Someone with an evangelistic impulse must commit to the hard, slow work of building relationships with no agenda. While there are certainly occasions where the good news about Jesus can be shared in a single conversation (like Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8), the message must still be rooted in that person's life and experience. More often than not, doing that well requires a real relationship.
Is This You?
Here are some common characteristics of someone with an evangelistic impulse. If these traits resonate with you, you may carry this specific spiritual gifting:
Recruits for a Cause: You naturally gather people around a vision and mobilize them toward a shared purpose.
Passionate Communicator: Your communication style is driven by deep conviction, sparking interest and curiosity in others.
Focus on Transformation: For you, the core issue of any human dilemma is ultimately helping people come to life-changing faith.
Contagious Enthusiasm: You are naturally enthusiastic about the good news, and that energy easily rubs off on those around you.
Desire for Response: You don't just want to speak into a vacuum; you deeply need others to hear, engage, and actively respond to the message.
Contextualized Message: You excel at personalizing the message of God's love, making it highly relevant to a person's unique life situation.
Kingdom Momentum: You are powerfully motivated by a desire to see people take concrete steps out of isolation and move toward Christ.
Belief and Belonging: You long for a response from people that doesn't just stop at mental agreement, but leads them into true community and belonging.
Moving Forward
If you carry an evangelistic voice, you are vital to the health and growth of your community. You invite and welcome others into the family of God and keep the community from becoming self-focused and insular.
Remember that because your focus is naturally fixed on those outside your community, you can easily neglect the needs and the growth of those inside it. Don’t neglect your relationships with fellow believers. Listen to the pastoral and teaching voices around you because they will keep you rooted in your community. They will serve as a healthy reminder that those already sitting at the table need your unique perspective and gifting just as much as those who are not yet at the table.
