Evangelization Quick Notes I

Very Rev. Archpriest Robert Anderson

Evangelization, the proclamation of the Good News, is the fundamental activity of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

The Good News is that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son and Word of God, has destroyed the power of sin and death and has established the new creation of which He is the first fruit.

Jesus Christ enables all who accept Him on His terms to be able to survive death and to rise to new life.

Jesus Christ has utterly destroyed the power of the demons.

From the beginning the apostles and those after them obeyed the commandment of Christ to preach the gospel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

For our purposes, it would appear that evangelization must simultaneously take place in three major areas which are:

A. The active members of the Body of Christ. These are the people who are presently active members of the worshiping community. They are the ones who support the parish in many ways. These people are the foundation and back bone of the local Church and their support of any evangelizing activity on the part of the pastor is crucial. Without their support any outreach on the part of the pastor and a few members of the flock will encounter difficulty. These people are dedicated to the Church and should be able to expect a dynamic liturgical life, good preaching, pastoral care, catechetical instruction and a genuine Christian community. These are the people who will welcome newcomers and make them feel that they really belong and  are accepted. The priority in evangelization must be the building up of this group. If an authentic Christian community doesn’t exist, others are not going to be attracted.

B. Outreach to those who are canonical members of our Church, but for various reasons have drifted away. This group is much larger than group A. In some cases it was a matter of convenience to attend a Church that was much closer to their homes, while in some others it may have had something to do with social advancement and a reluctance to be associated with an immigrant community. In some cases our Church was simply not available. In some unfortunate cases, individuals and families left because of tragic misunderstandings with the priest or some members of the community. In the case of negative experiences, healing of unhappy memories by the Holy Spirit would probably be necessary before some people would even consider returning for a visit. There must be an outreach to this group and it is group A along with the pastor who must show the people in group B that they would do well to consider returning to their own Church.

C. General outreach and evangelization. The secularized, the unchurched, the lost, the searching, the confused, the list is endless. An increasing number of people are coming to the realization that materialism, consumerism, atheism, secularism etc. do not offer anything. People are really searching, but unfortunately in all the wrong places. People are looking for something that is true, authentic, and permanent. They are sick and tired of superficial fads. They are looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. They are looking for Jesus Christ. They are looking for apostolic Christianity, but they don’t know it. The Church, each and every local community, has a moral obligation to bring Jesus Christ to all who would accept Him.