“You cannot lead what you do not live,” said Ed Stetzer, the closing speaker on Day One of the InnovateChurch conference at Thomas Road Baptist Church. Stetzer, who has served as pastor, church planter and missiologist in addition to his role as president of LifeWay Research, referenced II Timothy 4:5 in his entreaty to pastors and Christian workers to labor within an often unwelcoming culture.

Stetzer underscored six key words in the text (“Do the work of an evangelist”), focusing on three things that hinder many Christians from being evangelists. The three things are: universalism, which refers to a new wave of inclusiveness, in terms of foundational beliefs, that has crept into many churches; holism; and a hostile culture.

As the culture moves away from the Bible, Christians are going to be increasingly seen as intolerant. As this happens, Stetzer says, we will be forced to reach people in new ways.

In II Timothy, Stetzer noted that the phrase “the work of an evangelist” has a three-fold connotation: (1) there is action in the word “do”; (2) there is the command for prioritized labor in the phrase “the work”; and (3) there is a call to focus in the term “of an evangelist.”

The work of an evangelist, he said, is not waiting for people to ask about Jesus; rather, it is our responsibility to “reach out to people who think they don’t need to ask” about Jesus. Stetzer noted that modern Christians are increasingly excusing their lack of personal outreach because they believe they do not have “the gift” of evangelism, which he says is a misnomer. “I’ve never read any Scripture talking about the gift of evangelism,” he stated emphatically.

“Evangelism,” he said, “is the gift we need to re-gift.” He noted that recent studies indicate that emerging generations are more open to listening to the Gospel than past generations, meaning that is imperative to reach young people where they are. He quoted Charles Spurgeon who stated, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

Noting Jesus’ promise that the Spirit of God will come upon those who bear His witness, Stetzer said, “You don’t have to be gifted” to be an evangelist, “you just need to have salvation.”

Stetzer closed by imploring pastors to compel their congregations to evangelism. He said he understood that pastoral duties often prevent pastors from teaching and encouraging their people in ways they wish they could. But he said, we all must remember that “evangelism deals with a bloody cross, an empty tomb and you telling people about it.” That is the role of all Christians.