A program of evangelism in an urban-industrial society

Abstract

Urbanization and industrialization is the course of our society. Its impact has greatly affected man's life. It is continually affecting the total life and mission of the church, the ministry of the clergy, and the witness of the laity life of the whole Filipino society. The thesis primarily attempts to and the analyze the ethical impact of industry, to examine and evaluate the evangelistic task of the church, to study a rationale or theological basis for the commitment upon which the church action must be based, and finally, to make proposals in accomplishing the invaluable task of evangelism and providing a viable strategy in building up a new relevant and comprehensive structure of church life an d mission in a society which is increasingly becoming urban and industrial. The study reveals the rise of urbanization and the impact of industrialization and the infectivity of the traditional evangelistic approach and ministry of the church. It reveals the inadequate impact of the church as a whole on the meaningful emerging new society and that the estrangement of the churches is intimately connected with a theological deficiency that narrows the concern of the church to religion and pietistic activities and preludes the exercise of concerned involvement in the life of man in the world. On the whole, t h e study reveals that the church must involve in various forms of industrial ministry as her relevant response to the set of God in the daily events of society. The study concludes with the recognition that: first, the church, if it were to be effective and relevant to our contemporary situation, must of the secular man help meet the deep aspirations. Secondly, the inherited shape and structure of the church is n o t adequate to the proper discharge of evangelistic task in a highly urbanized and industrialized society. Thirdly, the situation calls for the church formation as an "act of Incarnation" which means that the church must take the form of a "servant like her" servant Lord". This further simply means that the church must perform her mission in a politicalized nature, that she must be able to relate herself to the vital issues that affect the very life of the people and the whole society. This also means that the church shape must take new forms of ministry and not simply act on an institutional level. Hence, the church i s called to take a flexible, experimental and provisional forms of ministry and evangelistic strategy. In this regard, we see the changing and relative importance of the local congregation as lay training center, of the pastor as chiefly that of equipping the laity for engagement with the world, and of the laity as the connecting link between the church and the secular society. Fourth, the rationale or theological core upon which the church must be based insofar as her action and commitment is concerned, is on God's Incarnation. And through this theological core, the church must take seriously her messianic and prophetic function as w ell as her role as agent of change and reconciliation. Fifth, the church's evangelistic endeavor is not only concerned with communicating the Gospel to individual for his soul's salvation but also in involving him in the task of creating a more hum an e society, to the end that man may have a more meaningful life for the salvation with which God is primarily concerned with which the redemption of "all things' through Christ is realized. F in ally, the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit must face the challenge of urbanization and industrialization. T h e challenge to us is: come out from the s e c u r i t y of the temple; come out where the challenges are and where the action is; co m e w here real involvement is required: make sure of our standing place and move the world.