Unbinding the Gospel -- A Review

Martha Grace Reese. Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism. With Afterword by Brian McLaren. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2007. ix + 150 pp.

For many Mainline Protestants the “E-Word” is almost a dirty word. The “E-Word” is, of course evangelism – which apparently in the minds of many equates with Evangelical, which equates to Religious Right, and thus not something one wants to deal with. Martha Grace Reese wants to unencumber the Gospel from the bonds that hold it in. Mainline Protestants have an urgent message, but they seem to be afraid to share it with the world.

Reese is a Disciples of Christ pastor, an attorney, and now evangelism consultant. She has a vision for Mainline churches and she wants them to know that “evangelism knows no theological bounds” (p. 6). We’ve been told that Conservative churches grow, and in some ways that’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. They grow, apparently because the members are more willing – perhaps more motivated by a “fear of hell” message – to tell the story. But if we Mainliners believe that what we’re doing is important, that there’s a reason why we spend our Sundays in worship, then shouldn’t we be willing to say why? Shouldn’t we be willing to invite others to share in our joy?

Reese opens the book by explaining her purpose: “It’s intended for members and pastors of churches that want to start living a more exciting life with God and with each other” (p. 3). If the Gospel is after all good news and good news needs to be shared. What follows in the book is at times conventional wisdom, tidbits found elsewhere in books about evangelism, and strong words of encouragement to those who may find evangelism either difficult or distasteful.

The book’s ten chapters break into three parts, the first part lays out the reasons why we should evangelize and provides the statistics that show we Mainliners aren’t doing a good job at it (Mainline churches have fallen in percentage of Americans from 14:4% in 1960 to 7.4% in 2000). Reese’s points are rooted in the Lilly endowed Mainline Evangelism Project, which she conducted (see http://www.gracenet.info/). The studies show that a greater percentage of the population than ever have had little or no contact with the church, and the percentages are only going to grow. Reese’s research reinforces that of Stephen Prothero’s (Religious Literacy, HarperSanFrancisco, 2007), that the levels of religious literacy are declining as well. The good news in all of this is that studies show that if tried Mainline evangelism might show success. In fact, churches aged 4 to 270 can show growth.

Part Two (chapters 4-6) focuses on the what – stories of successful evangelism and word as to what people want to hear. At the heart of the story is that when people look to the church they’re seeking to join with people whose lives are centered in a relationship with God. They’re not looking for another Rotary group! And thus, prayer is key – in fact Reese gives such focus to it, that prayer maybe the key. People are looking to join with people sharing in “real life,” and such life involves a trinity of relationships – with God, with people within the church, and with people outside the church. Evangelism won’t happen without these three components being attended to. If prayer is the key to the relationship to God, the chief danger to the second is negativity within the church. She writes:

“Churches where people snap, snipe, pull power plays over the budget, then go home to fried preacher for Sunday supper don’t do good evangelism for the long haul!" (p. 63).

Enough said! And then the third component involves our relationships with those outside the church, which is the most significant reason why evangelism can’t be left to the clergy. As for what people want – those outside the church are looking to have their lives transformed. They want to become new. They want to feel welcomed and accepted and they want to learn about God and how to grow spiritually. The problem for church members is that too often they can’t see things the same way that the seeker does. She writes: “If you grew up in the church, no matter how cool and young you are, don’t assume you know what people outside the church are thinking or what they want!” (p. 74). The good news – most people aren’t looking to churches out of a fear of going to hell – which in general isn’t a Mainline message (at least it’s not a message you will hear from me!).

The final section deals with the practical, the “how to” issues. Here she begins with a statement about the “bandwidths of evangelism,” the different levels of evangelism opportunities that range from our own children to those who are not only not Christian, but are different from the people within the church. Her advice is to not try reaching everyone at once – start small and success will come. Just look in the backyard. Too often people get bogged down in evangelism when they get focused on the big picture – the global mission – and forget about sharing one’s excitement about the faith with one’s family and neighbors. She also deals with barriers to sharing faith – we don’t know why, we have a fear of risking friendships, and we don’t know how to talk about our faith. The last issue can be resolved by simply sharing with others how God is present in one’s life. Again there is the issue of perception – what we see and what others see may be different – this is especially true in terms of our churches. We grow comfortable and accustomed to the setting and forget that others might not find the setting either welcoming or pleasant. I especially appreciated her comments about the typical claim among churches that we’re family. We forget about how difficult it is to be a stranger at a family gathering.

“We all know our families; their normal. It’s other people’s families that are nuts!” (pp. 98-99).

But some families are better than others at welcoming and including. The book concludes with chapters that offer practical advice to pastors, church members and even judicatories. The point here is that not all have the same jobs. The road ahead won’t be easy, but we must be able to discern the difference between growing pains and conflict, and we need to stay on target – that is keep ourselves focused on the call to share the gospel. And, we’re all in this together.

Each chapter includes questions for discussion and exercises to be done by evangelism teams and study groups. The questions raised by the book are important ones, and even when the advice doesn’t seem all that new, it is a word that needs raising within the Mainline context. While our motivation might be different than some who engage in evangelism – the specter of hell doesn’t hang over our heads – if we have had a life changing experience with God, shouldn’t we want to share that? And if our churches are the fulcrum for that experience of God’s presence, shouldn’t we want to invite others to share with us in this experience? Reese gives the reasons why to share and offers tools to do the job. Most important, however, we must remember that whatever we do must be rooted in a deep and abiding relationship with God or our efforts will simply turn into a marketing plan and eventually people will see through it. That’s not what people are looking for!

If you’re a Mainline church member or pastor and you’re still not convinced that this book is for you, consider then that the book carries the imprimatur of not one but five current or former Mainline denominational heads. As the head of the United Church of Christ, John Thomas writes on the blurb found on the back cover.

Martha Grace Reese gently but persistently lures the Mainline back to the ministry of evangelism that is the heart of the church.

That should be enough to get you to buy the book and read it closely – not just as individuals but as congregations.