Megachurch Pastor Russell Evans says Christians must be 'transformers, not conformers'

WASHINGTON — Australian megachurch Pastor Russell Evans says Christians must "be transformers, not conformers," telling a crowd of Hispanic Christians that churches must be "contemporary and powerful" amid a "battle of the hearts and minds of this generation."

Evans, global senior pastor of the Australia-based church movement Planetshakers, delivered the keynote address at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference's 25th Anniversary Summit at the Museum of the Bible last Tuesday.

He opened with an observation: "Every culture operates according to beliefs and those beliefs eventually influence behavior."

"Ideologies shape beliefs. Beliefs produce behaviors. Behaviors establish lifestyles and lifestyles develop into strongholds that [influence] generations," Evans explained.

Evans cited Romans 12:1–2, which reads: "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Insisting that "God's called us to be transformers, not conformers," Evans stressed that "Jesus didn't come to conform, He came to transform."

"World transformation happens when God changes us from within," the pastor added. 

"God is not simply interested in changing our outward behavior. He wants to transform us from the inside out," he continued.

Transformation begins by replacing "bad ideologies" with "godly ideologies," Evans insisted. 

Warning that "bad ideologies" produce "bad behaviors," he criticized the belief that "life's all about me," citing it as an example of a negative ideology that leads to "selfishness, manipulation, dishonesty, [and] pride."

"Those behaviors eventually become a lifestyle and that lifestyle can develop into a stronghold," he stressed. "Then you start defending it. That's just who I am. That's how I was raised. That's the way we've always done things. ... What has shaped you doesn't have to keep ruling you."

"Good ideologies," Evans said, are ones that "promote honesty, generosity, education, compassion, discipline and justice" and produce "healthy families, stronger communities and better societies."

"There is a difference between moral improvement and spiritual transformation," Evans explained. "You can educate someone without changing their heart. You can teach someone good habits without bringing them into [a] relationship with Jesus."

He said "godly thinking produces godly behaviors" and is "shaped by the truth of God's Word and a surrendered relationship with Jesus Christ." Evans listed key aspects of "godly ideologies."

One of them is the "godly truth" that "every person is created in God's image" and "every human possesses God-given […] dignity and value." He said working to "honor people, love my neighbor" and "act justly" are examples of "godly behavior," while living with "integrity, generosity, humility and righteousness" are marks of a "godly lifestyle."

"Bad thinking can produce bondage," Evans said. "Good thinking can produce improvement. But godly thinking empowered by the Holy Spirit produces transformation."

Evans also spoke about what it means for the Church to be "contemporary."

"I believe in a contemporary church," he told the audience.

Recalling how "Jesus spoke the language of the day," Evans lamented that "we got a lot of contemporary churches that have no power."

"Jesus was […] both contemporary and powerful," he added. "If I can get the Church just to be cool and not pray, then I take the power away. But on the other side, we've got churches who have power but don't speak the language of the day so they're not reaching the next generation."

Evans highlighted the importance of "reaching the next generation" amid "a battle of the hearts and minds." He described "a battle over truth, a battle over identity, a battle over morality, a battle over family, a battle over purpose and ultimately a battle over who or what will shape the future."

Evans encouraged the "pastors, Christian leaders, musicians and actors, filmmakers and creators, business leaders, [and] political leaders" in the audience to use their God-given "influence" for good.

"Influence carries responsibility because what you communicate can influence what people believe," he said. "Satan understands this because he understands what is released is what is received and then what is believed and what is lived."

"What people believe shapes how they behave and how people behave eventually shapes their lifestyle," he reiterated. "If you want to change a behavior of a generation, we must influence what and why they believe. And if we want to change what they believe, we must reach their heart."