Fortunately , pastors are not left without an example . They can look to Jesus just as Paul did . In 1 Corinthians 11:1 , Paul said , “ Imitate me , as I also imitate Christ .” Joel Green states , “ As Jesus is the Chief Shepherd and elders are shepherds , so Jesus provides the ‘ pattern ’ and elders a ‘ model .’ Their leadership is realized in their embodiment of the character of Christ .” 1 Jesus naturally shared the gospel both with his life and with his words . The pastor must know Jesus intimately if he is to be an example to his church in the practice of evangelism .
Those of us who are pastors already know that evangelism should be part of what we do and who we are . In fact , 97 percent of surveyed pastors say they believe it is their “ responsibility ” to model personal evangelism . 2 But even though we ’ re keenly aware of our evangelistic responsibility , there are still many pastors telling people they should share but never embracing evangelism as part of their own lifestyle .
God doesn ’ t expect pastors to simply coach from the sidelines . He expects every pastor to be a player-coach . A player-coach is one who holds both the position of the coach of a team and a player on the team .
Famous baseball player-coaches include Tris Speaker , Jimmy Collins , and John McGraw . Basketball player-coaches include Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkens . Some would also include Lebron James into that lineup , but he hasn ’ t officially made that jump quite yet . In many ways the pastor is not just a coach telling everyone else what to do ; he is also a player on the evangelism team , modeling what it looks like to embrace a lifestyle of sharing Christ .
Everything rises and falls on leadership . Pastors cannot expect their staff , their deacons , their lay leaders , or their congregations to do something they aren ’ t modeling and / or prioritizing .
If the pastor isn ’ t a church-growth guy , there ’ s a good chance his church isn ’ t experiencing church growth . If the pastor isn ’ t prioritizing and emphasizing evangelism or celebrating life change on a regular basis , there ’ s a good chance that isn ’ t happening either . We as pastors have a huge responsibility and an even greater opportunity to lead our people to prioritize what Jesus tells us to prioritize . But at the same time , the gospel should be our passion , not our business .
“ 97 percent of surveyed pastors say they believe it is their “ responsibility ” to model personal evangelism .”
Do the Work of an Evangelist Paul wrote to his mentee pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 : “ But as for you , exercise self-control in everything , endure hardship , do the work of an evangelist , fulfill your ministry .” Pastors today , like Timothy , need
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