Reaching Unconverted Church Members

Some of our most obvious evangelistic opportunities are with the people who are members of our churches. You already have a relationship with them. You have the advantage of consistently sharing the Gospel with them. You also have God-blessed opportunities to point them to Christ.

Paul warned the elders of the church in Ephesus that grievous wolves would enter in among them and would try to wreak great havoc on the flock (Acts 20:29). Christ warned several churches in Revelation 2-3 that there were unbelievers among them. If there were unbelievers in those churches, then there are probably unbelievers in ours as well. But how do we reach them?

How to Reach Unconverted (Unregenerate) Church Members

I assume you are faithfully preaching the Gospel and pointing your people to Christ. The effect of faithfully preaching the Gospel is like napalm: it has the ability to destroy everything else. But you still need ground troops to succeed. So as you joyfully preach Christ, follow these steps:

1. Pray for the conversion of your Church members

First, pray for the conversion of your church members. Pray that God will separate the hypocrites from the true believers. Most of you, I would assume, pray publicly at the beginning and end of your sermons. These are great opportunities to pray for this critical matter—that people will not rely on their membership in the church as a basis for righteousness before God, but that all will be truly regenerated and trust in Christ.

2. Preach the conversion of your Church members

Second, preach about the conversion of your church members. If you preach expository, you won't be able to preach much without encountering the issue of false conversions. In your sermon, illustrate this idea with stories from your church family.

When someone is baptized, we give them the opportunity to explain the Gospel and how they came to faith in Christ. Last month, David told our church family how he spent years pretending to be a believer. His story is a great example that I often refer to.

3. Be mindful of this during consultations

Third, be aware of this during counseling. Devin (not his real name) and his wife came to me for marriage counseling. Devin wasn’t very interested because, as he eventually admitted, he thought he had found someone else. One Sunday I stopped him after the service and told him that if he continued down this path, he needed to know that he could no longer confidently claim to be a follower of Christ. In fact, his determination to pursue this marital infidelity may indicate that he had never truly become a follower of Christ.

Devin did not repent, but Greg (not his real name) did. Greg had met a girl on a business trip and was willing to leave his wife and children for her. One night I sat at his kitchen table and asked him which was more important to him, Christ or the girl, because he could not have both. Although Greg had professed faith and joined a church many years ago, his life demonstrated very little of the fruit of the gospel. Greg bowed his heart to Christ, and by the grace of God, not only was he saved, but his marriage was saved.

4. Be mindful of this during hospital visits and other life-and-death situations

Fourth, be mindful of this during hospital visits and other critical situations. Chuck (that's his real name) was in the hospital. The doctor had just told Chuck that there was nothing he could do for his heart. He was dying, and he was scared.

Chuck carried a secret that very few people knew. During World War II, he flew bombing missions over Japan, knowingly signing up for 76 missions so he could kill more enemies after his partner was killed. Now, sixty years later, the reality of his encounter with God has revealed his deepest fear. He will die and be condemned to hell.

Chuck finished his story, tucked his knees under his arms, turned away from me, and stared at the wall. Chuck had heard me preach the Gospel for years. But it was clear that day that while he believed it was true, it just wasn’t true for him. His case was special.

I sat there silently, trying to imagine the weight of his guilt, and then I said, «Chuck, you’re a great sinner, but Jesus is a great Savior. His salvation is greater than your sins.» Chuck looked up in astonishment. He looked at me as if he were hearing it for the first time. His eyes widened, his face lit up, and he said, «That’s right, isn’t it?! Jesus is a greater Savior than I am a sinner!»

Chuck died two weeks later. The joy he found in those final days was evident to all who visited him: his chains were broken and his heart was free.

Your church members may reveal their deepest secrets to you, and sometimes you will see that they need to believe in Christ—for the first time in their lives.