Hungarian Church Press, 1949 (1. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)
1949-05-26 / 5. szám
1 No 5* -2- May 26, 1949 CONGHBGATION-BUILDIKG EVAHGBLIZaTION The plenary session of the Reformed Conventus unanimously accepted Professor Sándox Makkai's report on last year’s evangelistic work. The report diagnoses definite signs of progress in all four dioceses. "The full picture of the Church’s mission life bears the marks of transition,but this indicates a change for revival by the Grace of God." The report emphasizes the great progress achieved iib.fiiiild evangelism. In youth work,especially the training of Christians workers is going on well»The activities are centered around Bible classes of 7-14 days. The organisation of youth work by parishes and through Bible «lasses has been succssful* Concerning the work of women, the report stresses that women have shown how right it was to let them join in the activities of the national work association of Reformed evangelists. It is most important that women may he active in the family and in the congregation, and work in cooperation with other branches. The work association of evangelists,which was formed last year,includes some 70 evangelists and held already eight-day evangelisations in over one-hundred congregations in the various parts of the country. The report writes about the evangelization services that, as a rule, "they aro not yet congregational enough,but too individualistic; they do not realise it fully enough that their mission is only justified when mainly directed at the building of congregations. The proponents ox this individualistic evangelization argue that their aim is not the collection of church-members, nor the building of the Church, but revival and soul winning. It is not the church they want to lead people to, but to Christ, There is some truth in this,But we should really put an end J'o such superficial talk, put ting Christ on one side, and church-member and the Church on the other. Instead of separate individualistic evangelization and separate individualistic after-work, vie should talk of congregational evangelization only,which awakens us from our sins, helps us to the consciousness and certailiiy of faith, and immediately builds us into the community of the congregation, as in a ministering community of love fighting against sin, - and all thi3 it does in the congregation, by regarding the congregation as the body of Christ. So the direct continuation of evangelization is not the individualist "after-work" but the building of the congregation. The first step in this building is the Bible Class, for,the person whose faith has been awakened needs first of all to get to know the Gospel.Only on the basis of this knowledge,will he be able to find a community of prayer,a community of the Gospel,a community of spiritual help, and a community of love in the congregation; only on this basis,will he feol the mission - which occupies and liberates his whole personality - to become a witness, a teacher, spiritual comfort er,'de aeon for others, in the service of turning the v/hole given congregation into believers. This joining in the service,this process of becoming active in a community,is the only real kind of after-work,, and this is doiie by the Holy Spirit Himself in the body of Christ. To speak in a secular
