And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12).

To evangelize (euaggelizō) means “to bring good news, to announce glad tidings” (Thayer). The word is used of preaching the gospel, as when Jesus “preached the gospel” in Luke 20:1. Thus, an evangelist is one who announces the good news, he is a preacher of the gospel (note  “Philip the evangelist”, Acts 21:8).

In our Ephesians text the Lord is said to have placed evangelists in His church to equip His saints for service and to build up His body (Eph. 4:11-12). We cannot assume the religious world’s definitions and expectations concerning the evangelist and his work. God’s word teaches us what the Lord expects of evangelists and therefore, what we must equally expect. Such knowledge also prevents unwarranted expectations of a preacher while cautioning every preacher to fulfill his ministry.

The work of an evangelist is to preach the gospel of Christ, the word of God. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching...But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:2, 5). He announces the gospel of Christ simply, straightforwardly and with soundness (2 Cor. 11:3-4; 1:19; 2 Tim. 1:13). He proclaims the gospel with clarity and the conviction of faith, using the words the Spirit has revealed to comfort the saved and to convict the lost. He declares “the whole counsel of God” and does not shrink from this responsibility (Acts 20:27). His work is a labor of service that honors Christ and never promotes himself (1 Ths. 3:2; Phil. 2:22; 1 Cor. 2:1-5).

His obligation to preach is laid upon him by the Lord, not men: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). He is not an employee of the church – he is a servant of Christ, His church and all men (2 Tim. 2:24; Col. 1:28). Churches do well to have fellowship with faithful evangelists, thereby sharing together in the spread of the gospel (1 Cor. 9:16; 2 Cor. 11:8; 3 Jno. 5-8).

The Lord gave a strict warning to brethren not to receive any preacher who preaches any gospel that is different from the apostles' teaching (Gal. 1:6-9; Acts 2:42). A preacher who goes beyond the doctrine of Christ is no longer proclaiming Christ and no longer has fellowship with Christ (2 Jno. 9). The one who receives and encourages such a preacher shares in his evil deeds (2 Jno. 10-11).

The evangelist’s goal in preaching the gospel is to save the lost and comfort the saved. Sinners must be convicted of their sin and brought to faith and obedience to be saved in Christ (Mk. 16:15-16; Rom. 1:15-16). The evangelist’s effectiveness in the kingdom is not determined by his eloquence and oratory skill, but by whether he faithfully preaches “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Whether he fulfills his ministry is not measured by the accolades of others, but by Jesus Christ’s approval (1 Cor. 4:3-5; 2 Tim. 2:15). Give me a man whose faith is anchored in the word of God and who preaches that word fully and faithfully to the best of his ability over the polished orator who sways his listeners with eloquence while leaving them starved for the word of God. Preachers who yearn to be a “dynamic speaker” wrongly conclude that it is the messenger and not the message that holds the key to gospel persuasion (see 2 Cor. 5:10-11, where the message of "the terror of the Lord" is persuasive, not oratory prowess). What does it say of us when we assess a preacher and his work by how well he tells stories? Far too many come away impressed with a preacher, not because he fed them God’s word, but because they got a “sugar high” from a cotton candy sermon (sweet and full of air)! Both preachers and brethren should earnestly remember that the evangelist is not an entertainer, but a herald of the gospel.

What kind of preaching are you demanding from your local evangelist? Is it book, chapter and verse preaching designed to “convince, rebuke and exhort”? Or, does the preacher scratch your itching ear, preaching what you want to hear instead of the truth you need to hear (2 Tim. 4:3-4)? Will today’s evangelists preach the gospel without fear or favor, or be careful not to endanger their livelihood and reputation by preaching the whole truth? “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).