March 6, 2009 | By Gary D. Myers

NEW ORLEANS - It has been said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Many even succumb to some mysterious urge to wear green on March 17.

St. Patrick's Day celebrations, laden with mythology and merriment, often have little to do with the historical Patrick, a missionary and early church leader. And while "Irish" revelers overlook the man behind the myth, many evangelical Christians also fail to see the importance of Patrick's ministry.

What are evangelicals to think of Patrick? And what can evangelicals learn from the life and ministry of Patrick?

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary professors Jack Allen and Rex Butler believe Patrick is worthy of evangelical attention. Approaching him from different disciplines, Allen and Butler see in Patrick methods and heart attitudes that are beneficial to today's church.

For evangelicals, Patrick has a marketing problem. The title of "Saint" and St. Patrick's Day activities have done nothing for Patrick's image among evangelicals.

"As Baptists, we need to avoid calling any historical figure by the title of ‘Saint,'" said Butler, associate professor of church history and patristics at NOBTS. "It is clear from the Bible, especially Paul's letters, that all believers are saints in the sense that we are sanctified and set apart for God."

Butler said that the title, "Saint," when used by Catholic and Orthodox churches is very technical in nature. It refers to men and women "who exhibited extraordinary holiness and performed miracles during their lives." These churches believe that "Saints" can intercede on behalf of people living today.

"Therefore, I refer to the hero of ‘St. Patrick's Day,' as ‘Patrick of Ireland,'" Butler said.

According to Butler, Patrick was born into a Christian home in Britain, the son and grandson of clergymen. Patrick, though, exhibited only nominal Christian faith in his early years. Scholars are not certain when he was born, but many place his birth around 387 A.D.

The pagan Celtic tribes of Ireland lived in very primitive conditions. They worshipped nature, lived off the land and frequently raided Britain to steal supplies. In short, the tribes consisted of uncivilized Barbarians. During one of their raids on the British Island, Patrick was taken captive and forced into slavery. He was only 16 at the time.

After living and working as a slave for six years, Patrick escaped and returned to Britain. According to Butler, it was during his time in Ireland that Patrick's faith in Christ began to grow. Shortly after returning it Britain, he entered church ministry.

"Patrick's life is a great example of how God uses adversity to draw us to Himself," Butler said.

"Over time, he begins to have this deep conviction that God wants him to go back and take the gospel to these horrible people," said Allen, assistant professor of church planting at NOBTS. "Patrick voluntarily goes back to Ireland and he sets about trying to convert these pagans."

For Allen, Patrick offers a number of methods that could be beneficial in reaching 21st century western culture. Allen is especially interested in seeing how these methods could help in the post-Christian areas of North America.

At the basic level, Patrick's methods are similar to the current idea of "missional" living in a cross-cultural setting. He went on his mission with a "long-haul" mentality. Patrick would stay as long as it took to reach a tribe. He and his group lived among the people, learned their habits, sought to fit in without comprise and lived out their faith and ethics among the people. Gradually Patrick was able to share the gospel.

Patrick did not immediately confront the pagans about sin and overwhelm them with scriptural instruction, Allen said. He preferred to slowly introduce the scriptures and develop a "picture of Jesus" and then tell them about repentance.

"Over time ... people were converted," Allen said. "This takes a very long time. It's slow at first, but these conversions tend to stick."

Allen believes a similar approach is needed to reach the U.S. and Canada. He points to the growing number of lost people in cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and even Austin. People in these areas, Allen said, are often highly resistant to the gospel and traditional evangelistic methods.

"What is getting fantastic results in Toronto and Montreal have been methods that look an awful lot like what Patrick did," Allen said. "Our missionary goes in, lives among the people and begins to make friends. Over time [the missionary] tries to gather people and teach them who Jesus is."

Lost North Americans share many common traits with the people that Patrick encountered on the Emerald Isle so long ago, Allen said. He calls these post-Christian North Americans, "neo-pagans," due to their resistance to the gospel and their commitment to nature.

Reaching the neo-pagans of North America, Allen said, will require costly commitments. Christians must find a way to plant themselves among the lost for long periods of time and these believers must live out a consistent, vibrant faith. Many of the successful missionaries in these resistant areas are bi-vocational - working along side the people they are trying to reach.

"We will not see large-scale systemic conversions unless we are willing to give this; in all honesty, we probably have to give it a decade," Allen said. "We not only have to help people find Christ, we have to give them the tools to walk with Christ."

For Butler, a church historian, Patrick provides two distinct heart attitudes that are vital to the Christian life - forgiveness and perseverance. Patrick's ministry and mission methods were greatly influenced by these heart attitudes.

"Despite the suffering he had endured in Ireland, Patrick was willing to forgive those who had held him captive," Butler said. "He returned to evangelize Ireland."

Forgiveness and the call of God landed Patrick in Ireland. But it was a rugged perseverance that kept him there for the long term.

According to Butler, Patrick was not the first missionary to Ireland. Thirty years before Patrick launched his mission a man named Palladius was commissioned as a missionary to the Emerald Isle. Palladius soon became discouraged and moved on to Scotland.

"Patrick, however, persevered in his mission, preached the Gospel throughout Ireland, converted many and established churches and monasteries," Butler said. "Furthermore, the Irish Christians, following Patrick's example, left their homeland to spread the gospel in Scotland, Britain and Europe."

And though Allen and Butler approach Patrick in different ways, this area of perseverance, even patience, seems to intrigue them most.

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For more information on Patrick's methods, Jack Allen recommends The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West ... Again, by George G. Hunter III.