Opinion: How the church failed in it’s evangelism, the need for churches to establish charity foundations

By Terfa Naswem

Whenever I pick my pen and paper to write against any act exhibited by some General Overseers, Senior Pastors, other men of God and some churches, I don’t do that ignorantly. I get inspiration from the infallible God to call them to order.

I understand the Holy Bible by God’s grace and so when I talk about Christianity, the church and men of God, I understand very well what I am saying as directed by God to do so.

When I was a kid at age 9, my late mother, Mrs Grace Nguvan Naswem took me to join the Children Evangelism Ministry (CEM) at the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Obudu Parish in Cross River State where I began studying about God through the Holy Bible.

At 13 years in JS 2 at NKST Secondary School Adikpo, Kwande LGC of Benue State, I was the Bible Study Secretary of Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), In JS 3 at 14 years I was still the Bible Study Secretary. In SS 1 at 15, I was the Evangelical Secretary of FCS and in SS 2 and SS 3 at 16 and 17 years respectively I was the President of FCS and Steering Committee Coordinator of FCS, Adikpo Zone.

I performed a lot of wonders during those years as the spirit of God led me. My secondary school mates here on facebook can testify. I preached the gospel of Christ Jesus to people and many repented and received Jesus Christ. Many thought that today, I would be a pastor, an evangelist or have a church of my own but God has not called me to go into full-time ministry but if He calls me I will humbly respond.

God has frowned at certain conducts of some General Overseers, Senior Pastors among other men of God who have placed more value on earthly prosperity than divine prosperity.

I once wrote articles against Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church over comments he made about Covenant University tuition increment and Chis Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy over a sermon he made concerning poverty and the church, some members of these churches launched media attacks against me for criticizing these men. But I was not moved an inch because I was directed by God to call them to order.

I may not be righteous before God the way I should but I don’t know why He still talks to me in many ways and sends me messages to deliver.

God has spoken to me again to call the church to order because of the high level of impunity going on in the church at the detriment of the gospel of Christ Jesus and the salvation of mankind.

Today, many General Overseers, Senior Pastors among others are concerned about how much money they will make for themselves from the church. They have become “Entrepreneurs” in the house of God.

Most of them have taken evangelism in a very wrong way that is why soul-winning for God has not been encouraging. When Jesus was on planet earth, he understood that for many people to be receptive to the word of God, their needs ought to be met so that they will believe that they were serving a God who cared about them. In Matt. 14: 13-22, Jesus fed five thousand people who needed food. He knew that they were hungry and for them to be receptive to the message, they had to be fed. What Jesus did made them to believe that the God Jesus served was a God who cared.

Most men of God go out for evangelism to people who are very hungry and destitute and expect them to be easily receptive to the gospel when they have not given them food clothes or shelter to make them more receptive to the gospel.

Galatians 6:6-10 and 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 talk about doing good to all people not only as men of God but as Christians.

According to Mr. Herbert Vander Lugt of Radio Bible Class Ministry in the United States, the director of a disaster relief agency told about a man who had a change of heart after the flood that devastated Grand Forks, North Dakota in 1997. The man had been strongly opposed to the request of a church to build near his house, but he relented when he saw the truck loads of food and other supplies sent by Christians. He said seeing what believers did with their money “outside the wall” of the church building changed his mind.

As General Overseers, Pastors, men of God and Christians, we are to realize that we have to devote our lives to doing good no matter how little the present dividends, knowing that God will keep his word. We should be generous not only because our compassionate action may cause unbelievers to be more receptive to the gospel, but because God rewards generosity.

Many churches have failed in their evangelism because the needful has not been done. They need to establish charity foundations to help the gospel to be more receptive by unbelievers. For example, these churches can have foundations such as: Living Faith Foundation, Christ Embassy Foundation, Dunamis Foundation, etc.

If these foundations are established, they can support church members who have various challenges such as health, feeding, accommodation, academic among others. The foundations would make significant impact when going out for evangelism. While preaching the gospel, families who are destitute can be supported with food, clothes among other needs. These will make them to be more receptive to the gospel and even join the church knowing that they are serving a God who cares about them.

You cannot be a pastor or a man of God who has a private Jet worth billions of naira, drives in a Jeep or car worth millions of naira, wears suits worth hundreds of thousand of naira and you go out for evangelism to hungry and destitute people and you expect them to be receptive to the gospel when your evangelism is done without caring about their material needs.

You can’t meet the material needs of everybody in an evangelism outreach, but the few whose needs are met will also give others hope that a God who cares about their needs exists and will be ready to submit to Him.

Until the churches change their mode of evangelism and make it to be more impactful through generosity and by example, many unbelievers will continue to have resentment to the gospel and the church which will make t
he devil to continue to cause more damage to the church and the world.