Open the church press to the situations vacant pages. What do you see? Jobs for administrators, musical directors, pastors and youth workers - especially youth workers, who in recent years have become a welcome new fixture on many staff teams.
But what about the evangelist? I suspect that he will only find a home once the musical director, pastor, assistant pastor, worship leader and youth worker are already present and correct. To have an evangelist on the staff is the equivalent of buying a deep pile carpet, a villa in the Maldives or in-car satellite navigation. It's nice if you can afford it, but it's a bit extravagant, surely?
Surely not. As a church, we're struggling to draw people in and keep them there. Could this be the legacy of the disappearing evangelist?
