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With the decline of the mainline church, numerically, financially, and influentially, evangelism has become a continuing concern. Certainly, the church has always said evangelism is important, but our action (or lack of action) speaks even louder. One stuffy Presbyterian once called Dwight L. Moody to task for relying so much on emotion to win converts during his revivals. Moody's response? He admitted that his methods were not perfect, but he concluded, "I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."

Some reluctance might be understandable because, for many, what passes for "evangelism" is something with which we want nothing to do. In my files, I have an old story the national news picked up that came out of the little town of Marion, North Carolina. Young Duffey Strode had been sent home from his first day at school, suspended for ten days. His crime? Preaching hellfire and damnation to his fellow students on the playground of the Eastfield Elementary School. The controversy was a continuation of one that had begun the year before. Duffey had staked out the back entrance to the school shouting out Bible verses condemning the other youngsters as whoremongers, adulterers, and fornicators, all with the purpose of calling them to repentance and winning them to Christ.

Frankly, when I was in elementary school, if someone had called me a whoremonger or a fornicator or an adulterer, I would not have had the foggiest notion what he meant. The only passions I had were baseball and peanut butter. I did not learn about the birds and the bees until I was twelve, and even then I was not sure I believed it. At any rate, I doubt that too many elementary school students would feel moved to repent of their whoremongering.

Duffey Strode was eleven years old when all this broke. Yes, children are more advanced these days than I was at the same age, but I doubt that he knew a great deal more about sexual sin than I did. Obviously, he had been spoon-fed those verses by his father, an unemployed machinist and self-styled street preacher himself. In a way, Mr. Strode can be applauded for being so sincere in his faith and bringing his children up the same way. We could applaud the sincerity with which people are called to repentance. We certainly applaud the sincerity with which he approached a task that too many Christians run from ... evangelism. Yes, the Strodes were nothing if not sincere. But most of us would probably add, sincerely wrong! That method of preaching the gospel will not effectively win anyone to Christ or the church.

Then what will win them? After all, the last thing the Lord told us to do, the Great Commission, was get out there and make disciples. It was not a suggestion. It was command!

Consider one fellow's efforts. This man was not well educated and his manner was somewhat rough and crude. He became a Christian and took the Lord's requirement seriously. He kept pestering his pastor to put him to work. Finally, the minister handed him a list of ten names with this explanation: "These are all members of the church, but they seldom attend. Some of them are prominent people in the community. Contact them about being more faithful. Here is some church stationery to write letters. Get them back in church."

The man accepted the challenge with rugged determination and enthusiasm. About three weeks later, a letter from a prominent physician whose name had been on the list arrived at the church office. Inside was a large check and a brief note: "Dear Pastor, enclosed is my check for $1,000 to help make up for my missing church so much, but be assured that I will be present this Lord's Day and each Lord's Day following. I will not by choice miss services again. Sincerely ... P.S. Would you please tell your secretary that there is only one 'T' in dirty and no 'C' in Skunk?"

Another "questionable" approach. The problem is that most Christians, especially those of us from relatively conservative mainline traditions, take no approach at all. Evangelism is the "E" word; there is something mildly disreputable about it. We feel uncomfortable about the images it conjures up: accosting people on the street and stuffing a tract in their hands; threatening people with the fires of eternal hell like young Duffey Strode unless they make a commitment; revival preachers interminably imploring "just one more" to raise that hand and make a decision for Christ; folks with bad hair on cable television begging folks to send more money to keep this soul-winning ministry on the air. That is not us. That is not our way of reaching people.

Do you know whose way I like? The fellow we meet in chapter 1 of John's gospel, Andrew, the apostle with the missionary heart. Apparently, he had always been a religious man -- up until now he had been a disciple of John the Baptist, another fire and brimstone preacher in the manner of the Strodes. But one day Andrew met Jesus and Andrew was never the same again. Three times we find him on center stage in the gospel record: John 1, when he introduced his brother Simon to Christ; in John 6, when he introduced the boy with the loaves and fishes to Jesus; and in John 12, as he introduced some devout Greeks to the Savior. Andrew was always introducing people to the Lord. We do not know very much about Andrew other than that, but what we do know is wonderfully attractive ... and at the same time, a wonderful model for Christians who desperately need some help in doing "the 'E' word."