Why is evangelism increasingly ‘optional’?

It has become startlingly obvious to me over the years that evangelism, and its importance, has increasingly receded in the life of the church in America.

I know there are exceptions, and of course there are many individuals who are effective and zealous in personal evangelism. But my anecdotal and instinctive observation was recently confirmed by Lausanne’s survey on the importance of the Great Commission. The survey asked whether the average Christian, in various countries, believes that sharing the gospel is essential or optional. It is no great surprise that where the church is growing rapidly the average Christian believes that sharing the gospel is essential: Africa, Asia, Latin America. But where the church is not growing (North America and Europe) the average Christian thinks that evangelism is merely optional. You can look at the figures yourself here: lausanne.org/ report/great-commission-discipleship.

Over the years I’ve asked myself, as I’ve noticed this pattern developing, what might be the cause? After all, presumably most Christians know (at some level) that the Great Commission is, well, the Great Commission, and given to us by the Lord Jesus Himself. And presumably most pastors also know (at some level) that we are not merely to ‘preach the word’ but also to ‘do the work of an evangelist’. But yet the emphasis on evangelism is patently lacking.