I love the story of Elijah in I Kings 17.  God met with Elijah and told him to “go.”  He sent him away from what was familiar to a land he had not yet been, to a people he had not yet met, to speak a message of hope they had not yet heard. He had no experience and very few resources.  I have to believe Elijah had moments of feeling like a misfit and even questioning whether God had the right guy for the job.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to share this ancient message within a cultural landscape that changes by the day. Like Elijah, I often feel ill-prepared and incompetent in my efforts to be faithful to God’s calling to “go.”  I am called to translate Jesus’ words (even doctrines) like sin, the cross, sacrifice and redemption into the message of ultimate hope for today's world, however, I often question how effective I am being in that task.  How exactly do I make this old message new again?

As Elijah’s story unfolds in I Kings 17:18, we find a woman who has just lost her son to death. Her poignant words to Elijah were essentially,

“Hey, man of God, is this all you have to offer? You tell me how
 sinful I am and then allow life to be ripped away from me!”

So often I wonder if the world is not sending the same message to us in the Church as we boldly proclaim Jesus as the remedy for sin and the hope for new life.  We have to ask ourselves, as the Church, what exactly are we offering that sets us apart from many great philanthropic and humanitarian organizations?  Elijah’s response to the mother’s accusation helps us answer that question.

Great intentions and carefully chosen words were insufficient to produce life. In the midst of his helplessness, Elijah calls on the Giver of Life to intervene in a supernatural way that only God can do.  His prayer was one that seemed to test God’s power right on the spot…

”God, if you don’t show up, here in this moment,
 my credibility is gone, and Your reputation will be at risk!”

He begged God to give life back to the boy. Elijah’s vulnerability and God’s faithfulness allowed him to speak life where there was death, and the young boy was miraculously given new life.  Elijah teaches us that proclamation apart from demonstration really makes for a good story, but unfortunately a powerless one that gets lost in a sea of great intentions.

Like Elijah, we in the Diocese of South Carolina, are discovering at least two things. One is that God has called us to go and proclaim his message.  We are teaching our leaders that we can no longer expect the un-churched to come to us. Regardless of how beautiful our church buildings or how incredible our programming, the majority of young adults do not have “church” on their radar as a viable resource for answering life’s deeper questions for meaning and purpose. That has led many of our leaders to step into uncharted territories of vulnerability, in essence becoming misfits, where they have needed to learn new cultures in their own communities.

We have encouraged church leaders to initiate and pursue partnerships with entities such as parks and recreation departments, coffee shops, home owner associations and YMCA’s to name a few. Wherever young adults are spending time, that is where we want to be. One rector, whose church had no one attending under the age of 30, cleared his schedule to assure he was leading the way in engaging this generation. The church decided to serve hotdogs and drinks for a local softball league as a first step in meeting young adults on their turf.  Through the rector’s leadership, this led to a weekly gathering in his home involving a dozen young adults.  A meal is shared and Jesus is being talked about. It took several months to get to this point, but all involved would say this is what is necessary to earn the right to invite people to follow Jesus.

The second item we are challenged with also comes from Elijah’s story. It is our prayer that our message would be accompanied by a demonstration of God’s power. We believe God is leading us to pray for His supernatural working in the lives of people we encounter. In other words, not to only talk about Jesus, but to emphasize what we pray in The Lord’s Prayer that “God’s Kingdom would come on earth” as it is presently being encountered in heaven.

Young adults in our diocese love to build houses and serve with various missions in both rural and urban settings, but we are discovering an increased interest in ministry directly with their peers.  This is requiring more of us to place ourselves in utter dependency on God’s power, knowing that apart from him moving, it may leave us looking a bit foolish.  Our hope, again just like Elijah, is to speak life where there is death. To share in Jesus’ ministry of proclaiming freedom where there is captivity. 

We are fully aware that this demonstration of God’s power has little to do with us, besides the fact that He has chosen us as a conduit to demonstrate that power.  Part of what we are encouraging our young adult communities to do is to send out pairs of people to pray for the physical and emotional healing of those they encounter. We are seeing many who are experiencing God’s freedom.  I would love to say that everyone we pray for is healed, however, I do know we are sharing in God’s heart to have His Kingdom come to earth; a Kingdom that is free from sickness and the bondage to our pasts.

The woman in Elijah’s story became convinced that Elijah was indeed from God after she witnessed God’s supernatural power through the faith of Elijah. Once true life had been restored, she believed. As we are faithful to go where God sends us and as we trust God to demonstrate His Kingdom power, we may never fully fit in, but we fully expect the doctrines of sin, the cross, sacrifice and redemption to come to life in fresh, new ways by those who are yet to believe.

Daron Taylor is the Coordinator of Young Adult Ministries for the Diocese of South Carolina

Evangelism: More Questions than Answers. That’s the Point.
The Rev. Stacy Alan, University of Chicago

Over the past few months, I’ve been having many conversations about faith and spirituality with a Jewish student.  We have talked at length about prayer and spiritual struggles; he has attended Episcopal services and heard me preach; we have reflected on the challenges of inclusive liturgy and language.  At no point do I imagine that this student will convert and become a Christian, but I’m also convinced that what we are engaging in is evangelism..... >>>

Come and See
The Rev. Mary Hileman, Oklahoma State University

"Come and See" is the most common phrase that both the students and I use to invite people to come to the Canterbury Center at Oklahoma State University. St. Augustine Canterbury Center is located in a store front on the southeast corner of campus. The traditional red door with the Episcopal Shield .... >>>

If you want to go far, go together
The Rev. Arrington Chambliss & Jason Long, Diocese of Massachusetts

Over the past ten months, I have learned the most about evangelism at Starbucks, and in a bar in Allston.  Evangelism is not about converting people. It is not about proclaiming “sinner be saved” or even about proclaiming from a street corner.  Evangelism is about relationships... >>>

The Big "E" Word
The Rev. Tom Brackett, Program Officer for New Ministry Development and Ministry Redevelopment at the Episcopal Church Center

Most of us are aware that there is a growing concern to “evangelize the Unchurched” for the sake of congregational growth. Lately, when I’ve heard that juxtaposition of terms (evangelize + un-churched), I’ve had to suppress a laugh, mostly because my mind conjures scenarios where my "unchurched" (and deeply spiritual) friends respond to such a proposition..... >>>