"In Christ, we are never alone in an ultimate and enduring sense, and that is great news to the lonely."
Ed: It’s hard to deny that we are living in challenging times culturally. The church’s influence is fading, and we are struggling to find answers to some hard questions. What’s your take on the health of the church today, especially as it relates to our witness?
York: What’s hard is that witness as a category itself seems to be disappearing. I find myself struggling with pastors and lay leaders in their understanding and acceptance of our role as witnesses. I feel that the church growth movement of the 1990s into the 2000s did so many great things for the church. That era developed the category of leadership in the church, created new standards of excellence in worship and platforming, and changed modern-day preaching forever.
At the same time, witness gravitated toward something lay people did by merely bringing others to church programs. The idea that an average, everyday Christian could simply explain the good news of Jesus to another person and call that person to a decision has all but disappeared in our churches.
Many Christians need to be persuaded that personal witness is a good and dutiful part of their relationship with God. I believe we need a witness revolution, a basic conviction that the gospel is good news for those around us.
Ed: Evangelism has especially fallen on hard times. It seems that everything else—even good things like discipleship—has overwhelmed our passion for sharing the love of Jesus with others. What does evangelism look like today and how can we begin to develop a passion for showing and sharing the love of Jesus on a daily basis?
York: The challenge is that for most Americans, times are great. We sit and sip our $6 lattes and people-watch at our favorite coffee ...
from
http://feeds.christianitytoday.com/~r/christianitytoday/ctmag/~3/SmsBcSr4Oto/preoccupied-love-lifting-high-evangelism-york-moore.html
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