Editorial: “Confessions of a Failed Evangelist”

My attempts at being an evangelist have been about as successful as my one (and only) academy banquet to which I got stood up by my date.

My earliest Adventist outreach memory was of me in Hong Kong at age 5 when my missionary mom and her friends took me around town giving out “Stop Smoking” stickers. I vividly recall trying to stick one on an unsuspecting man’s shirt pocket, only for him to roughly grab my little hand, thinking I was a pint-sized pickpocket. A rude awakening to the hazards of street evangelism.

Years later at 16, I was a starry-eyed 1000 Missionary Movement volunteer in the northern Philippines. Armed with five weeks of training, two other missionaries and I were abruptly tasked with prepping the general populace for an evangelistic series in the village we had just arrived in. The work felt hopeless. Nobody was terribly interested. Upon arrival the evangelist surveyed the scene and delivered a verdict that left our spirits as high as a deflated birthday balloon: “Not quite ready for a crusade, folks.” He was on his way home the next day.

Conversations about my faith with non-Adventists (cringey term, I know) have continued to be…well, let’s just say they haven’t exactly resulted in mass conversions. There was the time I debated a missionary from another religion until we reached an impasse so complete it could have qualified for a UN peacekeeping mission. Thinking to end on a gracious note, I offered, “Well, let’s agree to disagree.” Her response? A withering, “Honey, I’m right and you’re wrong.” Touché!

However, where evangelism has left me feeling like a failure, nurturing Christian communities has proven surprisingly rewarding. I feel in my element when I get to break bread and contribute to spiritual conversation and community. I’ll never forget the time a young man I had mentored for years in a youth group, once an avowed White Supremacist, abandoned that ideology. He presented me with his Hitler Youth shirt, having decided to reject racism and embrace the whole “love thy neighbor” thing. It left me emotional.

Eight years ago I joined the Adventist Today community. An open space for discussion, a haven for open-minded Adventists worldwide – it was like finding a religious oasis! This incredible community thrives on open dialogue and camaraderie, things we never tire of nurturing. I am delighted that you too are part of this community and invite you to join me and countless others dedicated to strengthening it. One way to do so is by giving to our Spring Fundraiser which ends next Tuesday, April 30th. If you dig the idea of a safe community for open discussion within the Adventist movement, consider giving generously. 

Bjorn Karlman
Executive Director, Adventist Today
27 April 2024