Dear friends in Christ,
At a time when the headlines seem to be dominated by bad news, I thought it might be nice to share some good news about the Good News. For years, the trends in church attendance and so on have been depressing. There are signs that a revival may be under way, though we donât yet know if itâs a big or a small surge. Still, we can be encouraged.
Iâve read several articles lately with good news for the church. The long, slow decline of Christianity in the USA seems to have leveled off. More people are reading the Bible. Many who opted out of religion are finding that âspiritual but not religiousâ may not work long term. Young people seem more interested in churchesâin the UK and the USA. Anecdotally, Iâm seeing more and more Episcopal congregations thriving, with measurable numerical and spiritual growth.
Taken together, these signs point to the fertile soil for casting seeds. Does your church have an evangelism plan? Are you sharing your faith?
For too long, I have heard Episcopalians speak as if evangelism is pointless. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Let us share the Good News of Jesus with the world, not to prop up our declining churches but because people are thirsty for the waters of life. This might be just what we need to surviveâand even thriveâin a challenging world.
Sharing the Good News is a good thing to do because Jesus told us to. He wants us to share the love of God extravagantly. If we follow him, will we not want to fulfill his commandment to preach the Gospel to the whole creation?
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
P.S. Check out Forward Movementâs website for evangelism resources.
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