People often remind me that they are “to preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” It is attributed to Saint Francis.

One problem with this quote is that there is little evidence to support that Saint Francis ever said it. But the bigger issue is that it is usually lifted up as an excuse to not say anything. Somehow too many people seem to think that what they do is adequate to bear witness to how the God we meet in Jesus works.

The truth is, actions without words don’t speak much of anything.

This is not to say that actions don’t matter. Of course they do. Any message that isn’t consistent with our experience of the speaker is automatically greeted with skepticism. Actions are very important. Part of being a disciple is continuing the work of Jesus in our own time.

At the same time, all actions are interpreted in the worldview of the receiver. If a Christian is nice to an atheist and the atheist has no information to interpret it from the Christian, the atheist will simply assume the person is a great person. In the end, being good without interpreting it bears witness to the doer and doesn’t point to the God who is behind the actions.

As a result of this, many faithful people are living faithfully in the things they do but are falling short as witnesses to the neighbors around them. Because we have encouraged people to “use words if necessary,” and implied that they should feel fine speaking rarely, they believe they are doing good work and the world is simply not responding. But the world can’t respond to a message it hasn’t heard.

In the Lutheran Reformation the reformers made a case that people are justified by grace through faith. In other words, we are made right as a gift and we receive that gift when we believe it. There are no strings attached. Believing it announces that we are right with God. It is that simple.

But the reformers also said that faith was transmitted through preaching the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. God uses people to share God’s message and then God brings about faith as an outcome. No message – no faith (you can’t believe nothing).

So, those of us who are leaders in the church need to do a better job of helping people rethink what witness is and how it happens. We need to help retool them with the things they need to understand the content of their own faith, find words to share it with clarity and confidence, and the have commitment to keep doing good things in the name of Jesus but not stay quiet about why they do what they do.

As culture changes, mainline churches are in a better place to stay connected to the unchurched than many of those traditions who have done better hanging on to baby boomers. As new generations arrive on the scene, an inclusive spirit and a clear witness bring new chances for people to share their faith and invite others to join them in continuing the work of Jesus and bearing witness to his work.