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TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR THE TRAVELING EVANGELIST
by Jeff Beacham
© BEACHAM 2002

INTRODUCTION
Traveling evangelists are becoming an ‘endangered species’ in the western world, with most not lasting more than eighteen months to two years ‘on the road.’ This is mainly due to lack of support and/or discouragement. Many who are called, finding it difficult to get established, take the ‘soft’ option of assuming the pastorate of a local church. But there they end up being square pegs in round holes, with both the evangelist and the church worse off because the minister was out of his or her calling.

There is also a dangerous trend in the western church to no longer invite guest evangelists into the church for a series of meetings. There are mainly two reasons for this.

1) Some churches think that they can do all the evangelism themselves, utilizing internal leadership, which often is okay. However, if there is no evangelistic ‘gift’ operating in that church, then it needs to be invited in. Someone could memorize my evangelistic appeal and reproduce it during an altar call, but if the gift is not operating in their life, there won’t be a great response.

2) The business of modern life makes many pastors feel that they cannot expect their people to support any extra meetings in the normal weekly program. However, this problem is not an issue of business but more one of priorities and commitment, or lack thereof. People today treat their Christianity as just another option that must compete with all the other options in their lives. A ‘counterculture’ church will not fall in line with social trends but will instill a culture of commitment into its people.

Over the past 15 years of traveling ministry, I have found that there are definitely sacrifices to be made to be in this kind of ministry. But, we have learned some things that can help reduce the chances of failure. Below you will see ‘The Ten Commandments of the Traveling Evangelist.’ I have compiled these mainly through my own experience. They are by no means exhaustive, but have been of definite assistance to us in going well beyond the average dropout rate for traveling evangelists.

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR THE TRAVELING EVANGELIST

1) SPEAK ILL OF NO ONE
It is very rare to find somebody who has never said a bad word about anyone. A controlled tongue is a very important quality for all Christians to possess, and the traveling evangelist even more so. I have found discretion to be an integral part of my ministry. Often, pastors have entrusted very personal things to me, and confided in a way that they may not feel comfortable to with people in their church or even with other leaders in the area. The traveling evangelist is in a unique position to offer pastors an unbiased perspective on difficult situations. This is possible because usually you come to a church for only a few days and then leave, not being involved in any local church politics. This tends to make the pastor feel safe to share things with the evangelist.

Some of the most rewarding times in my ministry have been when I was able to provide some unbiased and objective advice to a pastor in need.

2) BE THE SERVANT OF ALL
Sometimes, traveling ministers can fall for the mistake of thinking that a church is there to serve them and meet their needs, rather than the other way around, and consequently make demands that are unrealistic in terms of their primary role as a servant.

The question is, how can you get the church to cooperate with you so that you can fulfill what God has called you to do without appearing to be demanding. This requires a high level of diplomacy and ‘people skills.’ It starts with good, clear, regular communication in the lead-up to your visit and ends when you leave. Always remember, you are a guest in the ‘house’ and should apply the same basic principles that you would if you were invited into their home.

We have actively made it our main motivation to bless the church that is hosting us and not seek to be blessed ourselves. We know God will bless us, as we obey His calling. Ultimately, we must put our trust in Him 100% for all our provisions.

3) ALWAYS BE PART OF A LOCAL CHURCH
We have always operated our traveling ministry as an extension of the local church. I believe there is no plan in scripture for world evangelization and discipleship other than through the local church. All integrity and accountability stems from there.

A common criticism of traveling ministries is that they are often too independent and not submitted to anyone. If you do have a local church you call your own, it is not enough to just attend there when you have a free Sunday. It is vital that you also be part of the church leadership team, serving and having direct input into the church. This allows you to go out and come back, yet have the direct support of a leadership team around you at home, where you enjoy close relationships.

A church pastor will also have more confidence in inviting a traveling ministry into his church if he knows that ministry is an integral part of, and in good relationship with, a local church.

4) AVOID TRAVELING ALONE
If at all possible, avoid traveling alone. During a recent lunch with some long time friends, the occasion of the Apostle Paul’s ministry in Athens became the topic of conversation. Despite the fact that Paul’s preaching on Mars Hill is a tremendous example for us of a minister meeting people where they are at and then taking them to Christ, one of my friends pointed out that of all the cities that Paul visited, Athens was perhaps the only one where there was no church planted as a result of his ministry.

Most of Paul’s epistles are to churches in cities where he initially preached, people responded, elders were appointed, and as a result, a church began to grow. But where is the ‘epistle to the Athenians’? After all, it was the second most significant city in the world at that time, after Rome, and we do have an epistle to the Romans. It was suggested that there is no letter to the Athenians because there was no church left behind. Why? Because of the one vital component missing in Paul’s visit there, which was present in his visits to the other cities, that being he went to Athens alone! Was this Paul’s mistake? We know that JESUS sent them out ‘two by two’ and that ‘one puts a thousand to flight, while two put ten thousand to flight’ so, if we are going to have any measurable impact on our cities, we obviously can’t do it alone!

Added to this, traveling alone can leave too much room for temptation and too much unaccountable time.

5) CALL HOME EVERY DAY
Throughout all the years of my traveling ministry, I have always made a point of calling home at approximately the same time every day, no matter where I am in the world. If it is 7 pm at home but 2 am where I am, I still call and pray individually for all my kids. This provides some measure of continuity for family life.

In my years as a professional musician before I was a Christian, I saw the irreparable damage that touring did to the family life of fellow musicians. In some tragic cases, the same thing has happened to many of those in the traveling ministry who have not kept up regular contact with their families.

6) NEVER BE AWAY ON BIRTHDAYS OR WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES, ETC.
I try to avoid being away for ministry on the birthday of any of my family members, our wedding anniversary, or any other important family date (graduation, etc). Birthdays are not personally important to me, but I don’t want my kids growing up thinking Dad was never around on their special days.

7) ALWAYS INCLUDE FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE MINISTRY
From time to time, I have arranged to take one or two of my kids on ministry trips with me. This provides them a great opportunity for special time with Dad where there are no other kids vying for my attention.

8) CONTROL YOUR SCHEDULE, DON’T LET IT CONTROL YOU
The traveling evangelist is often at the mercy of the churches when it comes to filling up his or her schedule, especially when just starting out. This can result in the evangelist accepting any and all invitations, regardless of how they might affect his family life. It is a good practice to place important family dates on your schedule first before agreeing to any other ministry dates. Try to space your time spent away evenly with the time you spend at home, so that they are about equal.

9) HAVE NOTHING TO DO BUT SAVE SOULS
When it comes to soul winning, an evangelist must lead by example. On a personal level, waiters and waitresses in restaurants have always been my target to win to Christ. Having been a Christian for some time, they are often the only unsaved people I encounter. Statistics prove that 98% of the people in the Body of Christ became Christians because they knew somebody who was already a Christian. This proves that the most effective form of soul winning is ‘relational evangelism.’ So a true Ephesians 4:11 evangelist primarily concerns himself with equipping the Body of Christ for the work of evangelism.

10) DON’T PICK GREEN FRUIT
The evangelist must develop an innate sense of when people are ripe for harvest and when they need to spend a little more time maturing before they are picked. Many times evangelists have come to me saying something like, “We had 300 people saved on the streets today!” This is said almost in a prideful way as if they wanted to put ‘notches on their guns.’ The question is, how many of those converts were picked green, and the bottom line is, how many were added to the church? He told us to make disciples not converts!

Trying to force someone to receive the Lord before they are ready is like picking green fruit from a tree — it ends up giving everyone a stomachache!

CONCLUSION
It should not surprise you that most of what you have read above is designed to protect the family from the rigors of traveling ministry. It should also be understood that no matter how much you attempt to safeguard your family, there is still a price to pay for those who are serious about extending the Kingdom of God. A wise man counts the cost (Luke 14:28-30).

JEFF BEACHAM is the President and Founder of FIREPOWER MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL, an evangelistic association founded in Australia at THE HILLSONG CHURCH in 1989 and based in America since April 1999. He is also the chairman of the advisory council for THE CITY COVENANT COALITION, a network of key ministries in NEW YORK CITY. As well as conducting an itinerant ministry, Jeff writes regularly for many Christian publications and publishes a monthly e-zine called "THE FMI REPORT" that goes out to 5000 people in 25 countries (subscribe FREE at: www.firepowerint.com). He can be contacted at:

FIREPOWER MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
2 Rt. 37 W. Toms River, NJ 08753
Phone (732)349-1550 ext. 205 Fax (732)286-6311
Email: firepowerministries@attglobal.net
Website: http://www.firepowerint.com