Belgian Draft Horses are very large animals, with an average height of 16-17 hands (5.3 – 5.5 feet at the withers – the ridge between the horse’s shoulder blades), and typically weigh between 2,100 and 2,300 lbs. Given their size, we would expect them to be very strong, and indeed they are. Once fully grown, they are capable of pulling 8,000 pounds. An interesting fact is that when two horses pull a load together, they don’t just pull 16,000 pounds, but the team of two can pull 22,000 pounds. If that isn’t impressive enough, when they train together, they can pull up to 32,000 pounds. For any of us who have worked in teams, this should not be surprising.
One of my favorite sayings about teamwork is an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We don’t just train a few evangelists on a Monday night; we train the entire congregation to fight for souls. The church of Christ was created to be an army of soul winners that work together to achieve their mission objective. Paul said, “The Body is not one member, but many” (1 Cor 12:14).
The church is the most capable fighting force in the world. We have the greatest leader who gave the perfect orders (Matthew 28:18). “Go ye” is not just go me but go all. When local church members are engaged to provide contacts, we immediately fulfill the strategy of Christ to call “many.” Each person in your pews knows dozens of sinners, but if they are not ‘called,’ they remain unharvested. Relying on one or two members for all your contacts is a losing strategy. Congregational evangelism gives you a huge playing field!
Trying to resist a single Christian is not hard, but trying to resist an entire congregation is much more difficult. When a congregation puts their membership to work sending Compassion Cards, it overwhelms a contact with love. This makes the personal visit enjoyable and more productive. Just think of the difference between receiving 1 or 2 cards and receiving 20-30 cards in a week. We need our communities to see the love of Christ in action.
Every Christian needs to have some skin in the game to be personally invested in evangelism. They require a sense of mission, training, and tangible results. While all evangelism should be personal, it is only when it becomes congregational that we reach our full potential. A successful army has every soldier, from the cook to the pilot, working together to achieve their objective. Placing this responsibility solely on your preacher, elders, or a select few does not create a functioning body. Let’s collaborate to reach the lost and bring glory to God through the church of Christ. “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21).