When urban Milwaukee’s Epikos Church was suggested as one of Converge’s churches succeeding in evangelism, Pastor Mark Deering’s response was initially skeptical, even a bit self-deprecating.
“I thought, ‘Oh man, they’ve got the wrong church.’”
Epikos isn’t heavy on replicable evangelistic programs. But as Deering more thoughtfully considered his congregation, “Our church is actually great at evangelism. We have intentional conversations and intentional motivations, emphasized from our top leadership from our staff to our elders.
“Evangelistic efforts have everything to do with our people, not our programs. I think that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Deering describes the “drum we’re beating in every meeting: We love short, boring stories”—even those a paragraph long.
Josh and his wife Kari are young professionals attending Epikos who prayed for an opportunity to reach his coworkers. He now leads a Bible study at his workplace. Coworkers are coming to church.
Rachel, a nurse, gave up on church and gave up on God. She found Epikos through her grandmother, got plugged in to a small group and slowly inviting more and more friends as she attempts faithful presence in their day to day lives.
A young man in his 20s said to his gym buddies, “Guys, we need to go to church.” They began holding a Bible study and attending Epikos.
Another young man approached Deering, weeping after a sermon. He’d been praying for his friend; every service, he sensed how much his friend needed what was there. Deering simply encouraged him, “Just be present. Be persistent.”
About a month later, “he came up grinning ear to ear—and I got to shake the hand of his friend, who came.” It’s an unfinished story, yet one that grabs the win of faithful living.
Deering is quick to assert that Epikos has encountered tremendous obstacles in recent years. Yet the church is full of stories like these, celebrating small wins God’s faithfully, constantly accomplishing all around them.
“People are still getting saved, baptized. Every week, we meet someone who’s new to church. That’s worth celebrating,” Deering says. “We’re trying to capture and share the stories, but there’s more of them than we can capture and share.”
The church emphasizes learning others’ stories and telling one’s own. Everyone knows a friend. Everyone has a story, explains Deering.
“We’re trying to capture those snapshots on a regular basis. On Sunday mornings, our campus pastors do a huddle for their volunteers; it’s mandatory to share one story.” For example, “‘I met someone this week who came six weeks ago. They’re coming because you’re welcoming them.’”
In fact, some of Epikos’ approach seems downright countercultural for large churches. “Our endeavor isn’t the best music, or the best preaching, or the best buildings. And the ‘attaboys’ for a great message, great service, great worship or the numbers—those have their importance in a way.
“But there’s something about knowing God is working and not really knowing how that is really encouraging. I hope that never goes away! It’s all the Holy Spirit,” Deering reflects.
In trying to discern what God’s shaping in their congregation, leadership has found that people who make Epikos their home—people who stay—are looking for something real. They’re finding it in the relationships they encounter, and a cultivated climate of authenticity and humility.
Epikos’ evangelism secret sauce is at once ancient and timeless. “It’s Jesus who changes your life. Those who’ve hit the Christian plateau share Jesus the least! Our church’s stories have nothing to do with a personality type and everything to do with a person’s relationship with Jesus. Changed people change people.”