Volume 46 Number 7 March 2004
The world looks at appearances, but God looks upon the heart (1 Samuel
16:7). The world would not choose David, but God would. The world
rejected Jesus of Nazareth, but God exalted him (Acts 4:10-12; Philippians
2:9). A worldly point of view might adopt the following bona fide
occupational qualifications (BFOQs) for an ideal evangelist:
In the business world, employers set BFOQs in order to establish job
criteria. These criteria, if legitimate and non-discriminatory, are used
to deny employment, and trained interviewers carefully avoid asking
non-BFOQ questions. Of course, churches may set guidelines that reflect
doctrinal understandings. The fictional ad above is unfortunately the
norm in many churches of Christ. Not even the secular world would treat
people this unfairly! To deny a man the opportunity to preach on the
basis of marriage, age, children, or looks borders on the criminal!
Let's speak as the oracles of God (1 Peter 4:11). Let's be about the Father's business (Luke 2:49).
For some, there is the belief that having one full-time preacher will
attract people. Realistically, using the worldly model, small churches
cannot afford to hire the best, and therefore if they hire anyone at all,
they are at risk of hiring men with character or personality flaws and
limited abilities-otherwise these men would have climbed the ladder of
success to the largest congregations! Hence, a small congregation often
hires a man that will be largely unsuccessful in achieving what they
hired him for in the first place! What they get is trouble and division.
Consider Nashville, Tennessee. A body of believers was established in
1828. The elders and many of the members took turns preaching. They
started nearby congregations and appointed two evangelists, Tolbert
Fanning and Absalom Adams, to spread the word. David Lipscomb noted,
however, when they employed a full-time preacher, the spirit of
evangelism weakened, and their ranks were decimated by the apostasy of a
one man pastor, Jesse Ferguson. Ten years later when Philip Fall worked
with them, "not a member would pray at the communion service in public
worship" (James R. Wilburn, The Hazard of the Die: Tolbert Fanning and the Restoration Movement, p. 155).
The expectation of one man exclusively filling the pulpit was not
readily accepted by the brotherhood and cannot be scripturally defended
as God's role for an evangelist. Consider the words of J.W. Shepherd in
The Church, the Falling Away, and the Restoration, a classic work still being reprinted by the Gospel Advocate Company:
At our congregation in Kirksville, we have many preachers-men who read
from the Scriptures and teach. We have even more ministers-people serving
God and man through individualized ministries. Indeed, we attempt to
qualify the called. However, no one presently has been appointed to do
the work of an evangelist.
Elders need to give earnest heed to the preparation and appointment of
evangelists. Preparation, including both formal and informal education
and training, is a legitimate concern. Sadly, elders in many areas of
the country take a lax approach to evangelistic preparation. Timothy was
urged to give diligence, to study (2 Timothy 2:15). First Century leaders were aided by inspiration to give the early church a miraculous start;
God expects 21st Century men to use perspiration! Elders cannot expect
and should not rely on institutions to train evangelists. Higher
education can help prepare a man, but only elders can determine readiness
and appoint.
In my own preparation as an evangelist, I never had an elder to sit down
with me and suggest courses to take in school or to provide guidance. My
interest in preaching was seen simply as my own vocational choice. The
unstated assumption was that if I was good enough, likeable, and
scriptural that I could land a job.
And here lies the problem:
When it comes to the work of an evangelist, some hold forth questionable
criteria for his selection, preparation, and duties. God expects an
evangelist to convince, rebuke, and exhort (2 Timothy 4:1-5). There is not a word said about marriage, age, children, looks, or exact manner of
training. God expects a man to be prepared to preach to one or many. He
should study and learn from other evangelists and be an example of the
believers (1 Timothy 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 2:2). God expects an evangelist to work well with people, to be patient. God expects evangelists to be
appointed by elders and respectful of their guidance. Unlike a worldly
view, God's design is to put the most talented on the front-lines of
battle, providing small churches evangelistic support until the time they
can develop elders and deacons. We better mind God's BFOQs.
Another way that you can dialogue with me about these thoughts
is to visit our Discussion Board at:
The successful candidate for our ministerial (pulpit) position will be
between ages 30-50, married with school-age children, and educated in a
Christian college. Picture required.
"From the letters to Timothy and Titus it appears that the general work
of an evangelist was to preach the Gospel in other fields than the
congregation in which he held his membership, establish churches and take
care of them, appoint elders and deacons when such work was appropriate,
and to labor for such congregations as needed assistance, whether with or
without an eldership." (p. 48).
the
biblical role of an evangelist has been removed from an appointment by
caring elders who partner with a brother and relegated to a hiring by
committees who negotiate a job description with a man. In my experience,
I have seen full-time preachers abused and made the scapegoat for
congregational problems. I am persuaded that churches and elders will
one day give an account for this profane abuse! The very fact that God
has been so specific about qualifications for elders and deacons
illustrates that God expects these men to be the leaders, principal
feeders, and care-givers of his flocks.