As many people have already reflected, the news of John Chapman’s death last Friday was one of those bittersweet moments; for his was a life well-lived for the sake of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
What a witness it was.
John was many things: a pastor, a teacher, a fine expositor of the Scriptures, an example of godliness and prayerfulness. But he was, above all, an evangelist. He embraced that calling and that label.
But why is that the idea of pursuing the calling of evangelist after the example of John Chapman is not so much on the agenda today? ‘Evangelist’ is one of the ministries named in Eph 4:11 as a gift to the church for its edification. Yet most graduates of our theological colleges don’t see themselves as having this calling, or pursuing it. They do hope to ‘do the work of an evangelist’ as Paul called Timothy to (2 Tim 4:5), granted; but it is the pastor/ church planter who is seen as having the missionary impact for the gospel.
Anyhow: so I started a Sunday afternoon Facebook thread with this question:
Now Chappo has gone: why is that we don't have people who are called to be evangelists in the way that he was? Read more
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