Evangelism in the Early Church

What can we learn from studying evangelism in the first and second centuries? A lot.

I just finished reading Michael Green's excellent book, Evangelism in the Early Church. Green asks, how is it that in only two centuries Christianity grew from a small band of ordinary men into a world-wide religion? Here are some of his conclusions, taken from the book's introduction:

1. Sheer Passion. For the early believers Christianity was not just an hour on Sunday morning. They were passionately convinced that men and women were lost without the gospel, and it affected everything they did and everyone they met.

2. The quality of their lives. The gospel brought a change in character and prioirities. Nowadays the lifestyle of Christians is hard to distinguish from those who make no such claim--apart from an hour on Sundays. In the early days the quality of their lives was blazingly distinct.

3. The capacity of the Christians to face criticism, hatred, persecution, and death with joy. You could mow these Christians down. You could throw them to the lions. But you could not make them deny their Lord or hate their persecutors.

4. Total surrender to Christ. There was no trace of compromise in their preaching. They looked for nothing less than total surrender to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, no matter the cost.

5. Conviction. They had a passion and a determination to act as Christ's ambassadors to a rebel world, no matter the consequences. Such conviction in the face of ridicule impressed people.

6. They went out into the secular world. The early Christians had no churches to hole up in. Instead, they went to the laundries, the street corners and the wine bars, talking about Jesus to anyone who would listen.

7. A strong dependence on the Holy Spirit. The early Christians had doctrines and methodology, but that was not where the power lay. They understood that the true power lay in the Spirt of God working through them.


My hope and prayer is that modern Christianity can somehow regain these qualities. Evangelism in the Early Church is a good read, and I'll share more of it's insights in the near future.