I’m coming home from teaching at a School of Evangelism where we had over 400 Pastors, evangelists, and other Christian leaders, representing dozens of different denominations and states in the U.S. For three days we laughed, cried, sang, prayed, talked, ate, listened, learned and rejoiced together.
I was struck by the diversity of evangelistic methods I heard discussed. Let me list a few:
I met one young man who used to work for Ringling Brothers Circus. He is a stunt bike-rider who does death defying leaps through fiery hoops to hook interest and then he shares a clear, hard-hitting gospel message about the “leap of faith.”
I met another young evangelist who has “crusade-type” meetings in large gymnasiums and seeks to reach basic middle-class people.
I met a woman who sings professionally and seeks to win people to Christ through musical concerts.
I met a man from the mid-west who still believes in door-to-door evangelism.
I met a church-planter from Kentucky who is seeking to reach marginalized people groups from many nations who are the poorest of the poor.
I met a businessman who uses his successful business as a platform to share Christ.
The list goes on and on…
An evangelist to native Americans…
A Christian professor…
A farmer who also pastors and gives altar calls…
A member of a rapid response team that responds to people in crisis and shares the gospel and hope…
A woman who leads people to Christ through a phone counseling ministry…
Wow! I could keep going.
My point is that effective evangelism is not about methods. It’s about universal principles that God blesses all over the world. All of these people I met this week are seeking to first live the gospel, and then share the unchanging message in a way that is relevant in their context. If you tried to take the farmer and make him do motorcycle stunts…he would fail miserably. If you took the door-to-door guy and forced him to preach in large gymnasiums, it wouldn’t work.
Rule number #1 in evangelism: take the unchanging gospel and deliver it in a style that makes it interesting and accessible to the hearers. What would that mean for you? What does that mean for you?
“deliver it in a style that makes it interesting and accessible to the hearers”
Reminds me of that quote about when you’re on fire for Jesus, people will come around and watch you burn!
That’s an interesting style!
The disciples had interesting styles, but none were premeditated or planned. Some spoke the gospel confrontatively and in glaringly public forums where riots or acceptance could occur. And then we have Paul, who went “bound in his spirit” to Jerusalem, against the advice of others, knowing a drastic end was insight but that the gospel HAD to be preached.
What this means to me is that all hell breaks loose, outbreaks occur, and that men are freed….when the gospel is preached.
AMEN YET AGAIN,THANK GOD FOR PASTOR REX
I suspect that large-group evangelism and touch-and-go evangelism were far more effective in America when we were a “Christian” nation, and when real community was common enough that discipleship occurred organically. Maybe 50 years ago Christians could get non-Christians to cross the line and expect that they would be mentored by somebody. Unfortunately, in this post-Christian, isolated culture, I’ve known scores of people who responded to calls to follow Jesus who were never discipled, and fell by the wayside. Their decisions for Jesus may or may not have been sincere, but they never developed enough of a foundation for their faith to take root. (Sorry to mix my metaphors.)
Since the Jesus Movement of the early 1970’s, the Evangelical Church’s primary strategy has been to lure non-Christians into an exciting program, then spring the gospel on them, hoping for some to respond. Many respond, but few are discipled. Also, since the Jesus Movement, church attendance has decreased by 92% (George Barna, http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=38). Most Christians today became Christians as children, and most had Christian parents. I believe it is time to re-evaluate our methods of evangelism. The Great Commission commands us to make disciples, not “converts.”
Non-Christians who want to find out how to become Christians can find the information easily–online, on TV, on the radio, in bookstores & libraries, etc. The crisis in America is not the accessibility of the gospel, but its credibility. It seems that most non-Christians have not SEEN the Kingdom of God. Perhaps we should put less confidence in the top-down model of evangelism, one evangelist for many people, and create a real-life demonstration of a culture of grace. Instead of tricking people into hearing the gospel, maybe we can make them WANT to hear it by our example.
The Church has sometimes been criticized for being too inward-facing. This may be true in that many Christians separate themselves from non-Christians. But perhaps we are not inward-facing enough. Perhaps if we focus on making disciples and building true Koinonia, we would be a much more attractive destination for non-Christians.
I believe that instead of focusing on creating better programs and “systems” to preach the gospel, we should focus on developing closer relationships within the Body of Christ, and inviting non-believers into that fold. The world is hungry for true community, as evidenced by the popularity of bars at 4:30 in the afternoon or 4:30 in the morning. We have something far greater than entertainment to draw hungry non-believers: the Kingdom of God, demonstrated in the Body of Christ.
What do you think?
Very good point’s Lauren and Brian…
i can’t stop thinking of the words of our Lord when He said “will the Son of Man find any faith on the earth when He returns”… at times it seems we’re heading at break-neck-speed at that very thing, a faithless world…
when i start to share the Gospel with someone i always ask them “what assurance do you have your going to heaven”… most time they come back w/good works, that opens the door to make them see themselves in the eyes of the Lord by asking them if they know what the 10 commandments are, then run a few by them like, ever told a lie, stold anything, took the Lords name in vain, once they say yes i’ll say what does that make you in the eyes of the Lord, it may take awhile and a bit of wordplay but after a short time i’ll say to them, after they fess-up that “well then by your own confession the Lord see you as a laying, theiving, blasphemer”… you get some real funky looks at this point… then i’ll ask them “so on judgement day do you think you’ll be found guilty or innocent”… most say guilty, of course… then ask where do you think you’ll go heaven or hell… once they say hell you can see a look come over them that is very sobering… then i’ll ask “does that concern you”, which in most cases they’ll say yes… at this point you can share the Gospel…
now to address what Brian said, does it just fall to the wayside without discipleship and follow up… in some case’s yes in some no… at that point you have to leave it to the Holy Spirit and a lot of prayer…
one thing Pastor Rex said this w/e is “Where are you going” i think that’s a great way to start to share the Gospel with just about anybody and i’ll be using that as an opener from time to time… also last week the message our new Pastor, Justin gave was nothing short of awesome!!! it’s time to get out of the box… i’m sorry to say, but it seems the church has fallen asleep with their heads on their Bibles as pillows
WAKE UP CHURCH!!!
the main thing is just being bold enough to open your mouth… Eph.6:19
Hi,
VERY INTRESTING TO KNOW ABOUT METHODS OF EVEANGELISIM.I AM INVILVED IN WORKING WITH STYLE OF HOUSE CHURCHESS AND AMONG PEOPLE GROUPS OF MY NATION INDIA.
PRAY FOR US
THANKS
REUBEN
HI HOW ARE YOU> PRAY FOR US
Saw your reference to former Ringling Bros. bike stunter who proclaims gospel and leap of faith…who? where do I find contact info?
I-Need-Youall-To-pray-For-My-Friend-And-His-Name-Is-Bill-And-I-Need-Youall-To-Please-Ask-GOD-To-Make-Him-Stay-Heare-In-Jackson/CA/Because-He-Said-He-Wants-To-Move-To-Another-State-But-He-CAN’t-Because-THE-LORD-Wan”ts-US-TOGETER-AS-Husband-And-Wife.And-That-IS-Why-He-Can-No’t-Move.So-Please-Pray-About-This-Untell-THE-LORD-Answes-Youall.And-Please-Pray-This-Evereyday-Please.And-Thank-You-Very-Much.And-GOD-BLESS-Youall.Your-Sister-Michelle-McMinton.P.S.And-I-will-Be-Praying-For-Youall-To.