Evangelization: More Than Words and Numbers

 

Written by Lavoisier Fernandes

In Mother Teresa: The Authorized Biography, Navin Chawla recalls asking St. Teresa of Kolkata (Calcutta) about the criticism that she converted people. She replied with a laugh, “I do convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu, a better Catholic, a better Muslim, or Jain or Buddhist. I would like to help you to find God. When you find Him, it is up to you to do what you want with Him.”

Whether or not we take these words as a complete account of her understanding of evangelization, they raise an important question: what does it really mean to share our faith?

The Church is called to proclaim Jesus Christ, but evangelization cannot be reduced to delivering sermons, winning arguments, or persuading others to accept our beliefs. Nor is it a task reserved for people outside the Church. Those of us who have been baptized and practice our faith also need to encounter Christ anew. This is also particularly important in a world of religious diversity, competing claims, and divisions among Christians themselves.

So how do we proclaim Christ with conviction without turning evangelization into a contest of religious superiority or numbers?

The Kerygma: The Heart of the Message

The Greek word kerygma means proclamation or announcement. In Christian usage, it refers to the heart of the Good News: Jesus Christ loves us, gave his life for us, rose from the dead, and offers us salvation. It is more than information about Jesus or a collection of doctrines to be memorized. It is an invitation to encounter the living Christ and respond to his love with faith.

In Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis describes the kerygma as the first and principal proclamation, which must remain at the heart of all evangelizing activity. It is not simply a message for those discovering Christianity for the first time. It is the foundation of the Christian life, something we need to hear and rediscover throughout our journey of faith.

Knowing about Jesus, however, is not the same as allowing him to shape our lives. We can attend Mass, know our prayers, and understand church teaching, yet still struggle to show patience, forgive someone who has hurt us, or care about those on the margins. The Good News has to reach beyond our words and find expression in the way we live.

Before We Evangelize, We Must Be Evangelized

We often think of evangelization as something we do for other people, especially those who do not share our faith. But before we speak to others about Christ, we need to ask whether we are allowing him to change us.

Being baptized or practicing our faith does not mean that our conversion is complete. We have our own prejudices to confront, relationships to repair, and attitudes that need changing. It is easy to speak about Christian values; living them consistently is another matter.

Pope Francis repeatedly reminded the Church that evangelizers must themselves be evangelized. We are not people who stand outside the message, dispensing answers to everyone else. We are disciples who need God’s mercy just as much as those to whom we proclaim the Gospel. That awareness should make us more humble, not less confident in the faith we share.

Beyond Numbers and the Noise of Social Media

We live in a world where success is often measured by numbers: views, likes, followers, and engagement. The Church has understandably embraced digital platforms to share the Gospel through reflections, livestreamed Masses, online prayer groups, and other initiatives. These can be valuable ways of reaching people who might otherwise have little contact with the Church.

But what exactly are we measuring? A post about faith may attract thousands of views without leading anyone to a deeper relationship with Christ. Meanwhile, a conversation with someone who is struggling, or a quiet act of kindness, may never appear on a screen.

Pope Benedict XVI once observed: “Indeed, truth draws strength from itself and not from the number of votes in its favour.” Although he made this point in a different context, it is worth remembering when we think about evangelization. The truth of the Gospel does not become more convincing simply because more people share a post or agree with us.

Pope Francis has also warned against reducing evangelization to strategies, numbers, or personal achievement. The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of the Church’s mission. We can proclaim the Gospel, invite others to encounter Christ, and accompany them along the way, but we cannot manufacture faith. Nor can we decide when or how another person will respond. Sometimes the fruits of our efforts may not be visible to us at all.

Salvation Is God’s Work, Not Ours

This humility is especially important when we consider the question of salvation. Catholics believe (CCC 846) that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and that the Church has an essential role in God’s plan of salvation. Yet we should be careful not to assume that we can decide who will or will not be saved.

The Church also teaches (CCC 847-848) that those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ or his Church, but sincerely seek God and strive to do his will as they understand it through their conscience, may attain salvation through God’s grace.

This does not make the proclamation of Christ any less important. It reminds us, rather, that salvation is God’s gift, made possible through Christ, and not something we can claim as our own achievement. We are called to share the hope we have received, while leaving judgment to God.

Getting Our Hands Dirty: Evangelization Through Social Justice

There is another dimension of evangelization that deserves attention: the way we respond to human suffering and injustice. Proclaiming Christ cannot mean speaking about love while remaining indifferent to people who are poor, excluded, or treated unfairly. The Church’s work in education, health care, caring for migrants, and defending human dignity is not separate from its mission. It is one way the Gospel becomes visible.

Pope Leo XIV captures this relationship between faith and action when he says: “It is not enough to say ‘Lord, Lord’; we must do the will of the Father (cf. Mt 7:21). We must be willing to plunge our hands into the dough of the world! It is not enough to talk about flour without getting our hands dirty; we must touch it — as Chrysostom said — mix with it, let the Gospel merge with our lives until it transforms them from within.”

The image of getting our hands dirty is a powerful one. It challenges us to move beyond talking about the Gospel and to become involved in the lives of people who need our support. Faith that never reaches beyond words risks becoming little more than a comfortable religious routine.

Understanding the Challenges of Evangelization

Asia offers a useful example of the difficulties the Church faces when proclaiming Christ in a religiously and culturally diverse setting. Although Christianity was born on this continent, Christians remain a minority in many Asian countries, alongside deeply rooted traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Religion is often closely connected to family, culture, and national identity. Embracing Christianity can therefore affect a person’s relationships and sense of belonging.

The colonial legacy of Christian missions has also contributed in some places to the perception of Christianity as a Western or foreign religion. In certain countries, Christians face discrimination, restrictions on religious freedom, and suspicion surrounding conversion. The challenge is to proclaim Christ with conviction while respecting the beliefs and freedom of others.

Interreligious Dialogue: Complementing, Not Replacing, Evangelization

This brings us to the importance of interreligious dialogue. In his 2012 address to the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict XVI explained that dialogue complements evangelization; it does not replace it. Dialogue is not a disguised strategy for conversion, but an opportunity to foster mutual understanding, respect, and a shared search for truth.

For Catholics, this means listening as well as speaking, recognizing what is good and true in other religious traditions, and working alongside people of different faiths for peace, human dignity, and the common good.

We do not have to abandon our Christian convictions to build friendships or cooperate with others. Equally, genuine dialogue requires respect for the freedom of those whose beliefs differ from our own. Evangelization is an invitation, never an act of coercion.

Evangelization Begins with Us

Evangelization is not a competition for followers, nor can its success be measured by online reach. It begins with our own encounter with Christ and finds expression in the way we treat others, serve those in need, and respond to suffering.

The Church must never lose sight of the message at its heart: Jesus Christ loves us, died and rose again for us, and offers us the hope of salvation. We must proclaim this Good News without embarrassment or arrogance.

Perhaps the question is not simply how many people we bring to the Church, but whether we are becoming the kind of Christians whose lives make others curious about Christ.

After all, evangelization begins with allowing the Gospel to change us.