February 3, 2003

Consider perceptions of unchurched, Seay says
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___ARLINGTON--Baptists must rediscover the heart of Jesus to overcome their image and heal those who have been scarred by past outreach attempts, according to Chris Seay, pastor

HOUSTON PASTORr Chris Seay challenges Evangelism Conference participants to help heal negative images of the church held by non-Christians. (Ferrell Foster/BGCT Photo)

of the progressive Ecclesia Church in Houston.
___Many Baptists have failed to understand and deal with the perceptions non-

___Consider perceptions of unchurched, Seay says ___World is ripe for spiritual revival; harvesters needed ___Individuals can be on mission wherever they go, speaker says ___Tell Muslims about assurance of salvation in Christ, missionary says ___Recover priority of prayer for renewal, Elmore urges ___ Prospects found with online help ___To evangelize in a small church, ensure ownership, pastor advises ___Temple church models Jesus' admonition to go here, there & everywhere ___Serve up joy of Jesus to go rather than in churches only

Christians commonly have, Seay said at the Texas Evangelism Conference Jan. 28. And Baptists fail to understand why non-believers view many evangelistic efforts as a threat to their livelihoods, he added.
___The common image of Baptists that non-believers glean from the media is a group of infighters and arguers, Seay suggested. "People don't want to be part of a group where they hear you are fighting and bickering. We have to deal with our own issues."
___Past evangelistic efforts also have given Baptists a bad reputation, Seay added. Some non-believers feel Baptists have pretended to be their friend to convert them. When they did not respond as hoped, the Baptist broke off the relationship, he said.
___"We can't drop proposition bombs on you," Seay explained. "We're going to have to get to know you."
___Trying to convert people by threatening them with damnation also damaged the Baptist image, Seay said. While the approach may initially have caused children to pray for salvation, many of those children have grown up with a resentment toward Baptists for the tactics.
___"That's not why I love my God," Seay said. "It has nothing to do with escaping the flames of hell. That's a side benefit. The God I love has a message of love and servanthood."
___The church should rethink what it means to be a Christian, Seay preached. True entrance into the faith brings a person into a relationship with Jesus and a Christian community.
___"We're going to have to think about what it means to be in the faith," he said. "To say a prayer, does that mean you're in the faith? No!"
___Many presuppositions Baptists have held since the 1950s are no longer true, the pastor advised. Tracts have largely become ineffective because so many people do not know anything about Jesus' story, he explained.
___Many people today are craving love after suffering through a tumultuous family life filled with neglect, Seay said. Christians must respond to this need as Jesus would--by sincerely meeting their desires.
___"We've got to begin where they're asking," he taught. "In that dialogue, we're going to become friends and something is going to happen."
___Baptists' duty is not to straighten out the morals of other people, but to share the gospel with others, he declared. Too often Baptists require a person to meet a moral standard, although no one meets the sinless standard of Jesus, he noted.
___The Holy Spirit will convict people of sin in their lives, he said. "They're going to get their stuff together after you and your people love on them."
___

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