EvangelismThe Evangelism Initiative celebrates Wheaton's rich heritage by cultivating an ongoing commitment from its students, faculty, staff, and alumni to proclaim the gospel.
As the College’s mission statement affirms, the goal of a Wheaton education is to develop whole and effective Christians who value the task of evangelism. Leading another person to Christ and nurturing them to lead others to Christ is part of what it means to be “whole and effective.” It is not enough merely to educate students for today; it is important to help them build evangelism into their way of life so that generations who follow will have a strong gospel witness.
The Evangelism Initiative seeks to develop and nurture an ethos of evangelism that the Wheaton campus community catch, both by intention and by contagion, the passion to share Christ with others. This makes the act of verbally proclaiming the gospel a normal part of students’ lives while they are still on campus. The Evangelsim Initiative provides opportunities for them to gain the experience and confidence to share their faith today, even as they look toward the future.
Wheaton College graduates may vary in the kinds of vocations by which they make a living, but all Christians are called to make disciples.
The purposes of the Evangelism Initiative include the following:
- Clarifying for our students the content of the gospel and the nature of the evangelistic task
- Equipping students to understand and deal with the challenges of evangelism in a pluralistic world
- Fostering the growth of evangelism among our students
- Monitoring, assessing, and coordinating our progress in building evangelism into students’ lives
- Bringing world class evangelism leaders to campus
Wheaton's rich legacy of evangelism is synonymous with names like:
- Jonathan Blanchard, the College founder
- Billy '43, Litt.D '56 and Ruth '43 Graham
- Kenneth '30 and Catherine '31 Gieser, founders of the Christian Medical Society
- Kenneth Taylor '38, paraphraser of The Living Bible and founder of Tyndale House Publishers
- Robert '39 and Jeanette Evans '40, founders of Greater Europe Mission
- Jim '49 and Elisabeth Elliot '48, missionaries to Ecuador
- The Rt. Reverend Dr. David Zac Niringiye, M.A. '87, Bishop of Kampata, Uganda
- Shane Claiborne, co-founder of The Simple Way, attended '96-'97
- It also includes nameless alumni who serve in countries where evangelism is illegal,
but who live their witness to the Savior through their tent-making ministries
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