Carrot-On-A-Stick Evangelism?

Today at Vacation Bible School the children who had brought a friend with them to VBS received Gummy Worms as a reward.

The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me, especially as the children who brought guests were called up to the front and prominently praised and rewarded. 

I don't have a problem with "honest wages for honest work;" after all, that's how the Real World usually works.  I do, however, have a problem with teaching kids that "doing outreach" results in acclaim, praise, and material rewards.  The truth of the matter is that so often the Holy Spirit's work of conversion is messy, invisible, and only very rarely traceable to one single person's efforts.  Even when it seems to us that an unbeliever comes to faith because of the efforts of a single person, shame on us if we give the credit to the person instead of to the Holy Spirit!

Comments

[Barb the Evil Genius]

I always felt guilty for never bringing friends to church or Sunday School or VBS when I was young. But then again, most of my friends were Catholic, or otherwise churched, even if minimally.

[Marie N.]

Well-stated! It seems that is a part of the VBS schedule that could have been left out.

[Elephantschild]

I don't have anything against inviting friends, for sure. The more kids, the better of course. But turning that aspect into a contest bugged me!

[Roger (Big Cotton)]

There's a mega church down the road from us that resorts to this type of stuff constantly--and it's in no way limited to the kids. The members are constantly told to bring their friends. Why? So they can hear the gospel? Well, maybe there are some in the ranks that believe that. God only knows. But this is a church whose sole purpose seems to be about growth for growth's sake. There are building plans and stages and it all comes with a certain amount of people (i.e. who give money) to sustain it. It's "bass ackwards", I tell you (pardon the French). I've been "witnessed to" by these people in Starbucks. When I tell them that I'm already a believer and that I'm active in another body of Christ, they tell me that I should come to THEIR church sometime. Ugggghhhh!

Jesus tells us to "go out and preach the gospel." That doesn't mean that we cannot bring people to church. It doesn't mean that non-believers who visit the church cannot hear the truth and put their trust in the person and work of Christ. But it doesn't seem like bringing them to church was "Plan A." Church is for the believers to get together. Can we use the building for outreach? Sure.

Elephants Child, I like what you stand for more and more each day. I used to be a bit of a snob about what "flavor" of church was the right way, but over the years people like you (and a few Catholic friends) have shown me that God is working all over the place. I'm not talking about pluralism or anything like that (I think you know that).

I always look forward to reading your blog.

And that reminds me, here's one that you and your readers might enjoy...

http://lovetruthandjustice.blogspot.com/

Jeff (aka "skypigeon") is a fellow open-wheel racing fan, a good man, and a believer who just happens to go to a Catholic church.

[Elephantschild]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a good comment, Big Cotton. You summarized the whole idea very well, I think.

Evangelism really is our job as individual Christians, in our families (our children are our first mission field, no?) and in our vocations. It's not only the pastor's job, and it's not really the function of the church as a body, either.

The Sunday morning feast of Word and Sacrament feeds the believer so that they're *capable* of confessing Christ throughout the week! If an unbeliever is there and converted by the hearing of the Word, all the better!