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Equipping Evangelists

He Gave Some to be Evangelishts and Some to be Pastors

By Dave Roever

Dear Pastor:

I grew up in a pastor’s home and have vivid memories of evangelists. Thankfully, those memories are wonderful and lasting. With few exceptions the revival services always accomplished their intended goals—to revive (as in “live again”) the church.

I have seldom seen actual evangelism occur on the church premises. My dad, a pastor, did evangelism in the country of Mexico with H.C. Ball, A.C. Bates, E.R. Anderson, and others. I saw evangelism in the raw, bringing good news of life to those who were dead in their sins and had no need for revival. The difference between evangelism and revivalism is as different as night and day.

Inherent in the Pentecostal view of evangelism is self-sustenance. “Poor preach, poor pay,” some used to say. Offerings became the evidence of approval and success or failure. For many evangelists, finance became the determiner of God’s will to go or to stay. With no alternate source of income, a week’s rest meant a week without financial income, and that was not possible. Evangelists have no congregation to rely upon for continued support, no salary during vacation. While it is every minister’s duty to be financially wise and prepare for those unfunded days, I was reminded often that the best evangelists always lived by faith and never asked for minimums or predetermined honoraria. The thought of selling my services prevented me from asking for set financial arrangements. However, I knew if I ever stepped out of evangelism to pastor, I would follow the certain path of pastors preceding me—at least to know the financial arrangements before accepting the pastorate.
    Missionaries raise their funds before departure to the field, a requirement of the Division of Foreign Missions. Yet, for some reason, many pastors feel it is unethical for evangelists to do the same thing. After ministering for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, I learned that the effort could not be left to hope offerings for my crusades (citywide efforts). We budgeted for the crusade and prepared for souls to come to Christ at the same time.

However, I still do not demand a set fee and have no contracts to offer when I minister in churches. Mostly, I have learned to build strong relationships with pastors, and mutual respect reduces the surprise factor in the envelope at the end of the meetings. In fact, among the churches in which I have the joy of ministering, the years have brought nothing but trust and respect with negatives hardly worth mentioning. But the horror stories of some leave me wondering what went wrong.

While I know the relationships between pastors and evangelists remain positive for the most part, occasionally I am at odds over things beyond my understanding. Simple communication could stop most problems before they start. I have offended some of my dearest friends in the ministry and didn’t know it until several years had passed. Suddenly I realized I had not heard from them. When I called and asked, only then would they tell me or write it to me in a letter. Simply to turn off a relationship without explanation is undeserving of both parties.

Opposing views on materials for financial gain by the visiting evangelist is of real concern. I share the “ministry-related products only” policy and recognize the abuses by some, but my concerns go much farther. What is the goal in having the revival/evangelistic services? Does the church have a plan of attack? What preparations in prayer and finance have been made? What will the evangelist do all day—visit the prisons, schools, detention centers for youth, hospitals, and any other place to ease the suffering of the community? Challenge the evangelist with opportunities of ministry throughout the city and use his or her God-given talents to the max!

Keep open lines of communication concerning things uncomfortable to you and hear the evangelist’s side of the story. Insist that he/she hears you out and work together to resolve any confusion without delay. Never speak unkindly of another ministry if these efforts for resolution have not been attempted. This is required of both parties.

Evangelists often feel the reins pulled in by pastors if their ministry surpasses the more traditional lines of definition in denomination and support. By support, I am referring to a broader scope of financial development than love offerings. Through authoring books and developing tape and video ministries, some evangelists have created huge followings, and some have enhanced that with television ministries. Soliciting names from the congregation for mailing lists is unethical and should not be allowed. Many people will support fiery evangelists and never pay tithes to the storehouse, the church. Yet, the extension of ministries through public evangelism is a valid gift to the church and should be supported by church members’ offerings beyond their tithes and offerings to their church giving.

Some find fault with evangelists’ means of transportation. Their moneys are not invested in offices only. The ability to travel is the fundamental prerequisite for accomplishing their missions. Unless they are translated by the Holy Spirit, they will cover the cost of travel equipment on their own. And rightfully so. They don’t pay for the building the pastor preaches in either, and they should not engage in questioning the investment into the building project of the local church.

As for the crossing of denominational lines, evangelists should always be certain of the objective of their motivation. I minister in Baptist churches and served many years as a youth evangelist in the very Baptist Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. No one ever criticized it. Why? It was a popular ministry and shared the basic doctrines of the traditional church. Likewise, the Methodists, Lutherans, and many others—all having a common denominator—can accommodate evangelists who can cross those lines with extremely effective results in bringing harmony to the body of Christ at large and destroy ridiculous prejudices that have ripped open the Body for years. Recognize that cross-denominational, citywide evangelistic efforts build the Kingdom, not an empire.

The question is: Can the church be blessed too much in material blessings to be used for the kingdom of God? I don’t think so. And neither can an evangelistic ministry be too blessed. When one is blessed, all are blessed!

Yours for the harvest,

Every Evangelist

Dave Roever is an Assemblies of God evangelist from Fort Worth, Texas.