Outreach: Should it be Mandatory?

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Joshua Supit
Mr. Cosmin
English IV
10 May 2014
Outreach: Should it be Mandatory?
In Matthew 28 Jesus gives a charge that bids his followers
to go out and witness to all nations. As bearers of truth,
Adventists are called to share that light with others that are
in darkness. Many Seventh-day Adventist churches and schools
have programs that will allow the members to go out and reach
the world. It is clear that outreach should be done, however the
question is whether it should be mandated or not in the church
and school systems. Although solutions may differ in order to
most appropriately meet the ideal for the specific school,
outreach is a necessary component of Seventh-day Adventist
education and should made part of the curriculum without having
to be made mandatory.
The very reason why God’s church was established was that
it was organized for service (White, “Acts of the Apostles” 9).
One of the very vows of commitment to being a member clearly
states that “As I prepare to meet the Lord, I will witness to
His loving salvation by using my talents in personal soul-
winning endeavor to help others to be ready for His glorious
appearing” (SDA Church Manual 48). The truth-holders in Jesus’
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day, the Jews, did not seek to share the message God had
imparted to them, but rather kept it to themselves. They shut
themselves off from the rest of the nations and otherwise
“robbed God of the service He required of them” (White, “Acts of
the Apostles” 15). Because they were satisfied with solely
playing church, it was impossible for them to give to others the
truths of heaven (White, “Acts of the Apostles” 15). Instead,
Jesus had to go to the humble, lower-class men of the day in
order to get this message out. Jesus said Himself in His parting
words that His people are to “Go . . . and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching . . .” (The King James
Version, Matthew 28.19-20). Even after His bidding, the
Disciples of Christ were “not to wait for the people to come to
them; they were to go to the people with their message” (White,
“Acts of the Apostles” 28). He makes it very clear that, as
God’s people, the involvement of His church in the spreading of
the gospel is necessary. There should not even be any room for
the question of whether outreach should be mandatory because it
should come automatically for God’s people.
A question that must first be answered is whether or not
things pertaining to the spiritual realm should be blended with
that of the academic. The Seventh-day Adventist educational
system is designed in such a way as to provide the students with
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a healthy Christian environment while at the same time attaining
academic excellence (“Adventist Education”). This involves the
encouragement of aspects of the church such as church
attendance, devotional life, prayer, and outreach. The solution
to finding a balance between academics and spirituality is
somewhat two-sided. Seventh-day Adventist students should be
held accountable to the duties that organize them as a church,
however it seems that matters which are personally held between
them and God should remain at that. For example, students should
be held accountable for church attendance. Although no one can
be forced against their will, the gathering together as fellow
believers is an essential piece to growing in Christ. Paul
states in Hebrews 10:
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without
wavering . . . And let us consider one another to provoke
unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together . . . but exhorting one another (Heb
10.23-25).
This is where fellow believers are able to keep the flame
burning through encouragement. On the other hand, there
shouldn’t be an academic accountability towards more personal
aspects of spirituality. Being graded on devotional life or
prayer life could cause people to judge their walk with Christ
according to the grade they receive. Strong encouragement in
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these areas should be demonstrated, but ultimately the judgment
of these matters are to be left up to God who “pondereth the
hearts” (Proverbs 21:20).
Concerning outreach, there seems to be a problematic
balance of advantages and disadvantages between mandating
outreach or not. Drawbacks of mandatory outreach consist of the
possibility of fostering a wrong spirit of outreach. There is a
potential danger of giving wrong impressions of God or ruining
divine appointments due to forcing uncommitted hearts to go
through the motions of witnessing. Ellen White writes that
witnesses are able to enlighten people, and as a result, those
people will enlighten others. That is why “it is dangerous to do
careless work in dealing with minds” (Testimonies vol. 5, 405).
There is no use for lazy men in God’s cause; He wants devout
individuals to partake in His work (Colporteur 77). If outreach
is considered to be just another duty, and a sincere desire for
soul saving is not manifested, this will lead to the
carelessness in which Ellen White speaks of. To be co-laborers
with God should be a joy and not a burden.
Conversely, there are also many benefits to having outreach
mandatory. First off, if outreach is mandated within the school
systems more people will be involved. With more people comes
more motivation through group effort. Friend will be able to
encourage friend to fight off the devil’s discouragements and
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press on with the work. Not only that, but with more people
focused on one cause, the faster the work will get done. What
would have taken hours for a few individuals to accomplish could
now be finished in a matter of minutes. Also, with outreach
being mandatory, everyone is able to take part in the blessings
and divine appointments that God has set up along the way. There
are some people in the world that will only be able to be
reached by specific individuals, and, with more workers out in
the field, the higher the odds of meeting those conditions. This
will provide many with testimonies to share that show how God is
still working in this world.
Outreach should not be looked upon as a burden, but should
be attractive. Often time’s people are closed off to outreach
because it seems unappealing. Again, if outreach is looked upon
as a burden, the results that will come forth will reflects the
disadvantages of mandated outreach stated earlier in the paper.
This may be a result of failing to see the deeper meaning of the
joy of taking part in Christ’s work.
. . . The effort to bless others will react in blessings
upon ourselves. This was the purpose of God in giving us a
part to act in the plan of redemption. He has granted men
the privilege of becoming partakers of the divine nature
and, in their turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellow
men. This is the highest honor, the greatest joy, that it
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is possible for God to bestow upon men. Those who thus
become participants in labors of love are brought nearest
to their Creator (White, Steps to Christ 79).
The reason, or purpose, of outreach must continually be present
in the mind. Also as a church that firmly believes in Jesus’
soon return, outreach is the necessary component that will
hasten God’s coming. The Bible states that “This Gospel of the
Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto
all nations; and then shall the end come” (Holy Bible, Matthew
24.14). Christ’s followers are delaying Christ’s coming by not
taking this initiative to go out and share Him with everyone.
However, outreach should be done out of a love for others and a
love for God. In the book of John, chapter 21, Jesus asks Peter
three times if he loves Him. Each time Peter responds, Jesus
follows it by instructing him to feed His sheep. The feeding of
the sheep He speaks of is referring to taking part in His work.
This goes to show that if an individual truly loves Christ,
service comes with it (SDA Bible Commentary 1072).
In a rapidly developing world, outreach can be seen as
growing more and more difficult, when in reality its possibility
is increasing. In today’s day and age, the majority of people
are looking for the next big thing—the newest technology, the
newest gadget, the newest revolutionary idea. There is so much
nowadays that could cloud the mind and make it seem as if
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completing the mission of reaching the world is an achievement
unattainable. However, “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity”
(Acts of the Apostles 146). God has the ability to use these
advances towards His gain. Mediums that could possibly be
interferences to the spreading of the gospel, such as
television, internet, and music, if used correctly, can be used
as catalysts in the completion of this great task. Telling
someone about Christ in far- away places used to mean having to
hand write a letter and mailing it, or even going there
yourself. Nowadays, the church is able to reach souls all around
the world with a speed like never before. A simple click of a
mouse can bring the Word of God to someone who would likely not
have been reached if it weren’t for the aid of modern
technology. This makes outreach much simpler in a time where
“every hand is to be employed” (Evangelism 17).
Depending on the school, (i.e. boarding, day school, size,
etc.,) the solutions may differ in order to most appropriately
meet the ideal. However, one solution may be for the school to
have an organized outreach opportunity every week readily
available to those who choose to join. This way, those who
eagerly want to have outreach have the opportunity to go, but
those who may need to stay back can and go the next time. This
does not force anyone against their will, but gives the
necessary opportunities to minister as the church stands for.
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Another option can be implementing a program in which students
can use what they are passionate about and channel it towards
evangelism. This way students can be doing what they enjoy
doing, while at the same time being able to be held accountable
to get things done. For example, one student of Weimar Academy,
a school that implemented this form of outreach, was able to use
his passion for art and gear it towards evangelism by painting
and putting up some of his own faith-based art in the city of
San Francisco and even in other countries. These are just a few
different ways that have been effective outreach plans for
certain Seventh-day Adventist schools.
As it is with most conflicts, one, if not both sides will
have to make some sacrifices in order to foster unity, thus the
solution that comes about should be one that brings out the best
in both sides without compromise. Jesus states in Luke 11:17,
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation;
and a house divided against a house falleth.” Working towards a
solution is great, and necessary, but it needs to be done in
such a way where, in the end, the people are not divided.
According to Jesus, a kingdom, or even a house, that is divided
cannot stand. In the grand scheme of reaching out to the world,
the last thing the Seventh-day Adventist church needs is for
them, as a body of Christ, to fall apart themselves. In this
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mission Jesus desires for us to be one with Him, even as He is
one with the Father (John 17:21).
As a schooling system directly affiliated with the Seventh-
day Adventist church, Adventist schools should implement
outreach as one of the focuses of their curriculum. Students
attending these schools should be taught of the joy it is to
take part in the privilege of God’s service. The developments of
technology and society is equipping God’s people with more and
more means for every hand to be employed to do so. There is more
opportunity today to witness is more available than ever was
before. Since Christ’s second coming is a core belief of the
Seventh-day Adventist church, and outreach is what will hasten
that, Seventh-day Adventist schools shouldn’t have to mandate it
seeing as how it should be expected of those who profess to be
God’s end-time people.
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Works Cited
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<http://adventisteducation.org/about/adventist_education/ov
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The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. Vol. 5. Washington,
D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Association, 1956. Print.
Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual. 18th ed. Hagerstown, MD:
Review and Herald Ass., 2010. Print.
White, Ellen Gould Harmon. The Acts of the Apostles in the
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mountain View,
CA: Pacific Pub. Association, 1911. Print.
White, Ellen Gould Harmon. Colporteur Ministry. Mountain View,
CA: Pacific Pub. Association, 1953. Print.
White, Ellen Gould Harmon. Evangelism. Washington: Review and
Herald Pub. Association, 1946. Print.
White, Ellen Gould Harmon. Testimonies for the Church. Vol. 5.
Oakland, CA: Pacific, 1886. Print.