Witness beyond Technique: Gospel, Conversion, and the Moral Formation of the Church

Authors

• Christopher Flanders, Abilene Christian UniversityFollow

Abstract

Technique, efficiency, and measurable outcomes typically govern contemporary Western approaches to evangelism. Such approaches presume a thin account of the gospel, a punctiliar understanding of conversion, and an instrumental view of the church’s witness. This article argues that these assumptions represent not merely pragmatic missteps but theological distortions. Drawing on Scripture, historical theology, missiology, and practices of Christian initiation, I contend that evangelism is best understood as ecclesial witness oriented toward the moral formation of persons and communities under the reign of God. Conversion, on this account, is not a discrete decision secured through persuasive technique but a transformative journey of reorientation–relational, communal, and temporally extended. Recovering this vision reframes evangelism away from technique and toward patience, hospitality, dignity, and participation in the formative practices of the church, offering a constructive account of faithful Christian witness for contemporary congregations.

Author Bio

Chris Flanders (PhD in Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary) was a missionary in Thailand for over 10 years. He has been a professor of missions at Abilene Christian University since 2005. His books include About Face: Rethinking Face for 21st Century Mission, with Werner Mischke, Honor, Shame, and the Gospel: Reframing our Message, and Ministry, and with Greg McKinzie, Missional Life in Practice and Theory: Essays in Honor of Gailyn Van Rheenen. Flanders has published widely in journals such as Missiology, Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Global Missiology, and the Asian Journal of Mission. His scholarship examines honor, face, and shame in global Christianity, evangelism, conversion, and contextual theology. His work explores how cultural moral frameworks shape Christian witness and discipleship in a polycentric global church. Flanders currently serves as editor for Missio Dei: A Journal of Missional Theology and Practice (missiodeijournal.com).

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Flanders, Christopher () "Witness beyond Technique: Gospel, Conversion, and the Moral Formation of the Church," Discernment: Theology and the Practice of Ministry: Vol. 12: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/discernment/vol12/iss1/1