Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct.70

Contributor - Frank de Vries

Title - Canadian Congress on Evangelism

Topic - Evangelism

During the week of August 24-28, Christians from all over Canada met in the Capital City for a Congress on Evangelism. It was a privilege to be numbered amongst attending delegates. Also attending from the Reformed Church were Rev. H. Van Farowe and Rev. H. Heeg both from Ontario. At the outset I wish to say that the Office of Evangelism of the R.C.A. was willing to pay $75.00 per attending delegate toward the $125,000 budget of the Congress. Second, the Canadian churches of the west supplied $10,0 traveling allowance for western delegates (Has classis Ontario financially supported this significant Canadian congress?). Third, much of the materials presented at the Congress will be made available either in printed form or on magnetic 'tape. Fourth, in addition to this report, the Pioneer will print a number of papers or excerpts. In this report I do not wish to be only factual but rather I will try to share with you the flavor of the Congress. Some background information is necessary. In November 1966 a World Congress on Evangelism was held in the divided city of Berlin. This was sponsored by the American Evangelical bimonthly magazine 'Christianity Today'. Berlin inspired a chain reaction of Congresses. West Africa 1968; three in 1969 namely, Singapore - S.A. Asia, Bogota, Colombia - S. America and Minneapolis - U.S.A. The World Congress inspired some Canadians to organize a Canadian Congress in 1970.

What is a Congress? It is a coming together - a meeting. A meeting of people with 'opposing views'. The phrase 'opposing views' implies hostility, discontent and conflict. Some of these were present at the Congress (the Press generally glorified in it). It could not be otherwise - not all thought alike. It is amazing how toward the end of the Congress there was a great unanimity of thought and spirit. What revealed itself the first few days was misunderstanding, disappointment and frustration on the part of some delegates, which was caused not so much by the Congress as such, but rather by prejudiced, preconceived expectations as to what the Congress should be like. They did not come with an open mind. On the second and third day,.of the Congress frustrations ana disappointments were aired. The men who organized the Congress had a seemingly different purpose in mind than some of the delegates did. Congress was a time of encounter for people representing 34 denominations and 12 organizations such as Bible societies, Intervarsity etc. The Congress therefore, was a happening where opposing views were expressed, examined and struggled with, in order to come to a clearer understanding of God's will for the Christians in Canada in the 1970's. The Lord was present at the Congress through His Holy Spirit. He led us into His truth !

The purpose of the Congress was outlined by the Chairman of the Congress - Rev. Dr. Leslie Hunt. 1. Time of meeting; 2. Time of listening; 3. Time of exploration; 4. Time of great witness; 5. -Time of study. All these were more or less achieved. Exploration and study received great, and in my humble opinion, necessary emphasis. Let me briefly state how these various desired purposes were accomplished.

FELLOWSHIP:

To bring people together with such diverse spiritual, cultural and ethnic backgrounds is a praiseworthy achievement. Thanks be to God! It was an appreciative experience to share a room in the Chateau Laurier with a Presbyterian from Ontario, and a Mennonite from Winnipeg. I am sure, if we had been living at the time of the Reformation, the Mennonite brother would have respectfully been immersed in the Ottawa River by the Reformed brethren. We prayed together! Strange? I had lunch with two fellows from Nova Scotia, and members of the Salvation Army. One morning I had breakfast with a former pastor of the Chalmers United Church in Guelph.

LISTENING:

According to Dr. Hunt the Congress should be a time of listening to God in prayer; What does God have to say to us, to the individual and to the community. That His Spirit may fill and refresh us. There was this time of listening, time of prayer. Prayer groups met every morning before breakfast and some in the evening when many of us were physically and mentally almost too tired to pray. Sessions were opened and closed with prayer. Prayer is a humble indication that man is at least willing to listen to the voice of God. There was listening to the Word of God.

EXPLORATION:

An exciting thing about the Christian faith is that there is always room for exploration, for discovery - to seek, to search. For the people of God there are always new horizons. The Christian faith is not a static faith- it never arrives. Only the Lord comes! Therefore, as long as He has not come, the people of God must be engaged in adventurous explorations. What do they explore? First the Holy Scriptures. This was done at the Congress. Capable men shared with us the illuminating fruits of earnest Bible study - I am thinking for example about the three papers presented by the Archbishop of 'York, F. D. Coggan - 1. The Man for Others; 2. The Servant in Isaiah and in the Ministry of Jesus; 3. Church Renewal. The last words of this man of God to the Congress were:

Obedience to the divine command to evangelize will humble us - but is not that just what we need? It will lay bare our sinfulness, and will bring us back to the Feet o f Jesus. But it is there, precisely there, that the place of renewal is to be found, I know no other."

Dr. Carl Henry had also done a lot of Biblical exploring on the subject of Evangelism. He clearly showed us the basis and content of evangelism. Let me share with you a few quotes from one of three addresses:

"The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only convincing explanation for the existence of the Christian Church as an evangelistic movement in the world."

"The death of Jesus of Nazareth was indispensable, but without His bodily resurrection the Christian Church would have been still born."

"Sad to say, modern churches are often comprised of people unsure whether or not they are Christians. (Yes, sad to say How true in our R.C.A. - F.d. V.). The early Christians knew that active faith in the crucified and risen Redeemer requires putting one's body on the line."

Every morning a Bible exposition was given by different people. The first by Dr. L. Hunt (Anglican) and the others by Mr. W. Wilding (Plymouth Brethren), Mr. D. Freeman and Rev. R. Johnson (Pentecostal). Dr. Hunt put his finger on a problem that plagues the contemporary Church when he said:

"Let us remind ourselves of this pertinent truth. Christ did not die in order that we might not die, but rather in order that me might dying to our old selves

Christian exploration is more than Theological and Biblical exploration. We live in the world. What kind of a world. What philosophy of life does modern man have. We must understand him. After all, his philosophy shapes and forms his world and his conduct in it. It above all influences the Christians. If Christ says 'watch' what must we watch for.

Dr. Kenneth Hamilton gave a stimulating and elucidating analysis of our western secular world. His first paper dealt with Secularism. I am giving you a little taste of his discerning mind:

"Any attempt to cut of the secular from the sacred in order to preserve the sacred, is certainly unbiblical. Religion as such is not the answer, anymore than secularism as such is the problem. The field in the world (Matt. 13 : 8), and there is no separate plot for growing religious persons in . . . Man's secular existence is good only when it is the kind of existence t"t has been given the blessing oi the Holy God."

New Evangelism - another one from his second address:

"Yes, the Church of Jesus Christ is needed in the world; or Jesus would not have founded it, loved it, and given Himself for it (Eph. 5 :25). But the Church is surely not needed because the world is apt to get into a rut and needs a little inspiration to get on with the job of building the future. The task of Christians cannot be to act as cheer-leaders crying "On world, On world, On! Change for the better!"

The secular Christless society needs the sacred One to redeem it.

In his opening address Dr. Hunt stated: "We must know and understand the nature of those mighty forces that are shaping our present society and changing it." The informed and critical mind of Dr. Hamilton has at least helped me to understand more fully the 'nature of those mighty forces'. But there were others who shared with us their enlightening observations, Dr. H. Fallding from Waterloo University and Dr. Larson from the U.S.A. These Christian men, scholars in the fields of Sociology and Anthropology respectively, addressed us in the exploration of 'Urbanization' and 'Communication'. As a sample of Dr. Fallding's address taste this quote:

"We are Job's comforters . . . if we blame a person's sin for injuries received from the social and cultural world."

Who has created the present day 'social and cultural world'? Who are reaping the consequences? How often do we point an accusing finger at the welfare recipient or the hippy, who bear the marks of a sick social and cultural order?

A French-Canadian, Mr. Fernand Saint-Louis, Director and Evangelist of the largest French radio evangelistic program in Canada, "La Foi Vivifiante" took us on a tour of Quebec. We discovered:

"There is a New Quebec in the making - a vibrant and radical change from the past which used to be more church centered and rural, to an assertive, energetic realization of all the potential in its people, and for us evangelicals: evangelistic opportunities! ... Many Catholics are anxious to discover the teachings of the Bible."

The explorations of God's Word and the world happened not only in formal settings, but time was also set apart for interaction between speakers and delegates. A Bare-Pit' was set up in which young people fired their questions at the speakers. Many young people were earnestly searching for answers to questions which every Christian has because, he is a member of the new order in Christ and His Kingdom, but must also live in this world in the flesh. This creates spiritual tension and at times doubts and frustrations.

Rev. Denis Clark, General Secretary of the World Evangelical Fellowship gave us four very illuminating addresses on Evangelism in World Perspective. Rev. Clark is a reservoir of knowledge concerning the church throughout the world. He shared some prophetic insights in the trends and development of churches in many countries. In one of his concluding remarks he had a few words to say about training of ministers.

"Young men and women such as Titus, Timothy, Phoebe need to be recruited to work with older experienced men in active communication of the Christian faith in an apprenticeship program, as against this preoccupation with ideas in theological seminaries . . . biblical pattern, take Timothy and put him with Paul, and I notice our Lord took men and they were with Him for three years in action, not just in a little learning centre . . ."

For this remark he received a thunderous applause.

Methods of Evangelism were explored in workshops which were held every afternoon. I'm not sure how well the workshops have lived up to their expectations. There was a total of about 40 workshops with different themes: Preparing for Evangelism, Evangelism and changing understandings - Evangelism in context - Evangelism and the rejected.

WITNESS:

The Congress was also a time of great witness. The Church and world were able to see Christians of various cultural backgrounds and theological persuasions listening, praying, studying and struggling together. Also every afternoon during lunch hour there was an outside outreach program. A speaker - a rock group - or other music - testimonies. It seems to me, that it would have benefitted the witness of the Church, if some songs had not been played and sung, and some testimonies had remained unspoken. The Good News should not be made to look cheap - Christ never did. Identification with the lost, the suffering, the hopeless people is a Christian calling, but such does not mean that we have to identify with a perverted form of music, of dress, or language. Jesus took the form of a servant but His robe was too costly to be torn in pieces. Even though He was dressed in a very expensive robe, the poor and social rejects flocked around Him - because He identified Himself with them in their lostness and hopelessness. Jesus took on human form but not human degradation. He was degraded and disgraded by human hands. Also the secular arts need to be sanctified.

The final service of witness was held on the steps and grounds of the Supreme Court of Canada. From the National Arts Centre we marched behind the Salvation Army Band to the Supreme Court Building. Evangelist Dr. Leighton Ford spoke, Homer James and others sang. Very traditional, nothing exciting. A bit pomp like? I thought. Yet, there was a witness - great? Did the unbeliever hear? Was he there?

STUDY:

Study along with exploration received a great emphasis at the Congress. In fact most of the time was spent in study or digesting the fruits of study. Many theological problems, conflicts and doubts needed to be clarified for many people. There seems to exist theological derangement in some areas of the Canadian Church as to what evangelism is. Is it preaching the Gospel for personal conversion, and that only, or is it Social action? or is it both? What is humanitarian and what is Christian action? What do we mean by 'Secular' and what is the 'Sacred'? How are these two related? The Church is called to proclaim the Evangel. Is she equipped to do so? These and some other basic questions needed to be answered - Confusion had to be unraveled. Spirits had to be tested. A theological understanding of evangelism is necessary before genuine Christian witness can happen. However, the following observation by Archbishop Coggan is a necessary one to remember:

"We may go far this week with an understanding of the theology of evangelism; we may get a clearer view of the contemporary scene - secularization, urbanization, pluralism, and so on - and wrestling as I do in my ordinary work with these factors I would be the first to stress their importance; we may lay plans for evangelistic advance in Canada and in other countries which we represent I hope we shall. But you cannot begin to talk about evangelism until you have looked squarely at the evangelist. Who he is in himself is absolutely basic - what he is, not primarily what he says. That is why evangelism is so soul-searching an enterprise for the man who engages in it. He cannot do it, unless he be, in every fact, a man of God, the servant of God."

CRITICISMS:

The first few days criticism was leveled against the Congress by some delegates on the point of too much academic work, long addresses. Or as one prominent church leader said, "to much Godtalk". God has revealed Himself. He has spoken. What He has said, especially in Jesus Christ, must as clearly as possible be understood. But if this 'God-talk' only remains talk, the Congress has failed to achieve its objective to be a launching platform of word and deed for action and service in the world.

A related criticism was that there should have been more inspirational addresses. Archbishop Coggan answered this rather well when he explained: Where as an inspirational address may create a lot of heat of short duration, a well-studied address usually gives long lasting light. Light there was abundantly at the Congress and therefore also inspiration which will burn for years to come! Yet, another criticism was that the Congress should have provided the delegates with plans and strategies for evangelism. If given, that would have made evangelism rather easy. What plan for what church, for what part of the country, for what people? No, the Congress was not a computer turning, out easy answers. The Lord still exhorts - What says the Spirit to the churches - to each local church. He is the Good Shepherd who daily has different opportunities and plans for His people to witness as He leads them through this world.

SOME CRITICAL EVALUATIONS:

1. It seems to me that evangelism was viewed in a too narrow sense. Conversion and social action - two sides of the same coin. This makes me feel a bit uneasy. I ask: "What relationship has evangelism to political action, lacational action, legal action, labour action, etc." Indirectly, this question was answered in various ways. One example are these words from Dr. Hamilton: "The task of the 'Church is certainly to serve human life, to be secularly active in the secular sphere, to be in the world (as Jesus Christ was) in the form of a servant." Yet many specific questions remain unanswered.

2. A second criticism is exactly that of specifics. We heard that the renewal of the church is necessary before it can be an effective, genuine evangelizing servant Church in the world. What I would have liked to hear in more specific terms is what the Church, the corporate body, the organization, has to repent from. After all to be converted to Jesus Christ is to turn away from and do away with certain things. Perhaps, if .each church cast away some superfluous practices and unnecessary identifying symbols, the true light of the Gospel through the Church's witness might become more visible. But what to cast away? Jesus was quite specific to the people of His day.

3. My third criticism is in regard to the march to and service at the Supreme Court grounds. I think that it was not necessary to show the world how Canadian evangelical Christians are. I am referring to a display of national and provincial flags. I have the feeling that the flags impressed upon the minds of the observers our secondary loyalty to the Dominion of Canada and not our primary allegiance to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The two are not synonimous. That must be clearly understood by the Church as well as the world. Besides, is the world not getting too small to be too overly nationalistic? In regard to the march, I wonder whether it was fitting to play the song: Onward Christian Soldiers. It seems to me that this was more in agreement with the display of flags ' and the philosophy of Mr. Paisley from Northern Ireland and Mr. C. McIntire of the U.S.A. I liked the emphasis of the Congress the servant-Church. I think it would have been far more fitting to the occasion if we had played and sung on the streets of Ottawa: Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty the King of Creation or the more modern tune: We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord.

Despite the criticism that can be leveled against the Congress, in my opinion it was a blessed event in Canadian Church history for five reasons.

1. Excellent speakers cleared up for many people theological doubts and much fuzzyness, while others were soundly confirmed and encouraged in their position.

2. The Congress built a bridge toward more effective co-operation between Christians of different (and where they different ) denominational and cultural backgrounds. It removed many divisive suspicions and distrust.

3. The Congress was a much needed spiritual impetus to move the Canadian people of God unitedly into the unknown future of which Christ is Saviour and Lord.

4. The Church has despite its shortcomings given a witness to Jesus Christ. Those who have ears let them hear!

5. For the first time I had the experience of meeting with fellow Canadian Christians from coast to coast.

God has spoken - He calls to proclaim Jesus Christ in the 1970s. He calls to serve in the 1970s.

I have a compelling conviction that I must get off the 'launching platform' - I am ignited - are we moving together? We must! We are a Body!

Address Congress on Evangelism: 5740 Yonge St., Willowdale 442, Ont.

Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.