Is it Really Evangelism?

I have just moved to Oldham in Manchester and, as one person put it, become a “northerner”. I’ve moved here to help Oldham Bethel Church with their outreach, responding to a number of heartfelt pleas in the Pastor’s blog. Arriving, I found that several key people were away for the week so took the opportunity to join the “Reaching Rochdale” outreach week with a neighbouring church in Milnrow.

I was forced straight out of my comfort zone when, on day one, I found myself volunteering to do door to door evangelism in a predominantly Muslim area. Somehow, I then felt compelled to continue this work believing it would get easier with practice. I’m not sure that it got any easier, but I became slightly less afraid and more willing as the week went on. Given the choice, I still prefer open-air work and reverted to that when it was taking place. But, my experience was definitely valuable and will be useful for the future.

Back in Oldham, I've been tasked with surveying the area for a few months to see what is already going on and, hopefully in the process, noting any opportunities for additional outreach work. Spending a number of hours researching things today, it's immediately tempting to focus on the social needs of the area as there are plenty of requests for volunteers for all sorts of things. I'm sure I could get stuck in and happily fill my time with these things as the needs are great, but I have to keep bringing it back to whether there would ever be opportunities to share the Gospel with people in each role/organisation. If not, I need to move on and not become distracted. 

The enemy loves to keep us busy with work that appears to be Gospel centred but in reality is not much different to social work. I find that I'm back to my motto from the Logos Hope ship; help and hope must go hand in hand. I can't be offering help without hope as it's the ultimate tragedy; when I've made someone that bit more comfortable on their journey to a lost eternity.

I’ve taken part in a number of week long missions this year with the Open Air Mission and United Beach Missions. I highly recommend both organisations. Discussions about effective methods of evangelism have arisen frequently. It’s perhaps not surprising that if you throw a bunch of people interested in evangelism together for a week that they will have strong, and differing, views on the subject. What is concerning, though, is that there are some who think they are evangelising when they are not.

Jesus’ Great Commission tells us to:

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16 vs 15-16)

If we take the plain, everyday, meaning of the text, it follows that when we are not proclaiming the Gospel to people, we are not evangelising. We may well be facilitating other people’s efforts or serving God in other ways, but it is not evangelism.

I’ve heard people come up with all sorts of things that they class as evangelism. Is it evangelism to attend a meeting at your church where someone is giving their testimony? How about if you invite your non-Christian friend along to hear the speaker? What about painting a child’s face, or giving them a balloon, and talking to their parent about the history of beach missions? What if you give them a big smile, will the joy of the Lord somehow be conveyed to them? What if you pray for them as they walk past?

Of course, some of you know that these things aren’t evangelism, but there are others who are offended by my comments. It’s worth reiterating that these things may well be good things to do, they may provide a platform for someone else to share the Gospel. In God’s providence, they may lead to profitable conversations later down the line. God may even be gracious and the person may actually ask you one of those questions we all hope for; “How did you become a Christian? Why do you do this?” Or even, “What must I do to be saved!?” But, most of the time, the person passes by and we wish we had made more of the opportunity.

In my experience, it’s much more difficult to get to these most important issues of the heart if we either dress the Gospel message up by entertaining people, or seek to dumb it down, or hide what we are really doing, when we first meet them. They aren’t stupid and most prefer honesty rather than being duped into something, then feeling deceived later.

We also need to remember that “the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1 vs 18.) If we hide the true Gospel to avoid offence, we are not attracting those who would be drawn to the Message, as well as not challenging those who will ultimately reject it.

Sometimes, I think we need to ask ourselves what we’re afraid of. Is it not just the enemy raising our anxiety levels and causing us to stumble? In the past, when I needed to force myself to do something that could be awkward or uncomfortable, I would think of the tag line from the Dr Pepper advert, “What’s the worst that could happen?” For those that remember the adverts, it’s never going to be as humiliating as that! Someone might slam a door in your face, or laugh at you, or belittle you (as happened to me recently.) You might even lose a friendship over it, but at least they have now heard the truth and you have done the loving thing in warning them. Ultimately, they are rejecting God and we should fear for them.

I appreciate that in open-air and door to door work greater risks can be taken; these people are probably strangers that you won’t see again. However, what is the point of developing friendships with people either over a week, on a beach mission, or over a lengthier period if they are colleagues, relatives, friends and neighbours, if we never actually share the Gospel with them. It won’t get easier to share if we wait indefinitely and none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

In the Philippines, I had the terrible experience of twice hearing of the deaths of people that I had met just once and had not shared the Gospel with, one was a child. I can’t carry that guilt because God is sovereign and I was later reassured that they had heard from other sources. What was it that had stopped me sharing directly during those first meetings; complacency and the belief that I had time to build relationships with them which would then make it easier to share the Gospel. That was a tough and painful lesson, and a reminder of the urgency of the work we are called to.

We were reminded recently that everything that happens in the life of a non-believer is completely meaningless. I certainly experienced that when I was back-sliding. Let’s not allow our church events, friendships and conversations to end up adding to the futility of a life lived without God because we never get round to offering people what they really need. Don’t leave it too late to tell someone that they need to repent and ask God for forgiveness through Jesus.

Let’s make sure that we prioritise actual evangelism so that we can all be involved in fulfilling the Great Commission and seeing souls saved.

10 Suggestions for Evangelism

I know lots of people who want to share the Gospel but either don’t know where to start or are afraid of taking the first step. I thought it might be helpful to share some ideas or methods that can be used. There are some big suggestions that may be daunting. But, also, some more discreet approaches. Some are things you can do individually, others are for a church group or in partnership with a church. 

There is no “one size fits all” and no method that will necessarily be more effective than another. God chooses when to open a person’s heart and draw them to Him. Our job as Christians is to be faithful in planting the seed. Most importantly we need to pray about every contact with a non-believer.

• Choosing and Distributing Tracts. A tract is a small leaflet containing a Gospel message. It can be on a particular topic or theme. There are good tracts and bad ones. Colourful or unusual looking tracts can be effective because they get a person’s attention. Ideally, choose tracts that clearly present the Gospel with at least one Bible verse—it is the Word of God that convicts. Some organisations offer sample tract packs—LivingWaters or Birmingham Gospel Outreach. If you don’t like any of the available tracts, you can create your own and even include your testimony. But, don’t make it too long and it’s a good idea to ask a church leader to check it over. Take tracts with you wherever you go and leave them in public places—trains, restaurants after a meal, shopping malls, libraries etc. If you are feeling bold you can write an email address for further contact. You could also give a tract to someone after a conversation. It’s always a good idea to say something about what it is if you do that. 

 

• Door to Door. I know a church that uses a detailed street map of their town to plan their evangelism. A small team meets once a week for prayer, they then take tracts and church leaflets and put them through every door on every street detailed on the map. They have covered the entire town and started again with a new tract which means that every person in their area has had the opportunity to read the Gospel. It is also non-confrontational. Always make sure there are details if someone wants to ask further questions or to go to a church. 

 

• Social Media. The internet has created opportunities to reach people around the world, even in closed countries. Make sure your social media profiles reflect your Christian faith. You could put Bible verses prominently on your pages or post them to walls. Like and share Christian posts. Write your own testimony and share it. Read and review Christian books and recommend them online, try to be honest! Don’t hide your faith online, make it obvious that you are different and try to bring biblical values into discussions. The Christian Institute deals with a wide-range of issues that impact Christians in the UK. Read and share their posts and consider supporting their work. 

• Prison Writing and Visiting. The Bible specifically reminds us to remember those who are in prison. There are Christian organisations that facilitate contact with prisoners—Daylight Christian Prison Trust  and Prison Fellowship. Sign up as a volunteer and write letters to prisoners around the world. If there is a prison near your church, consider asking your church leader if you could organise regular visits to build relationships with the prisoners. The biggest need is usually for practical help on release from prison, make sure your church plans for this.

• Street Evangelism. This is probably the most well-known form of evangelism and the most feared! But it doesn’t need to be confrontational. You could be a supporter—join a team preaching on the street and stand in the crowd ready to answer questions or to discuss what the preacher is saying with those watching. You could even just give out tracts to those nearby. Setting up a small book-table is a good way to start conversations and distribute Christian literature especially with the sad demise of many Christian bookshops. If you are led by God, get involved in the preaching yourself. It’s good to join with others and to be linked with a local church for follow-up with enquirers. There are Open Air Missions you could join or take a trip to a Speaker’s Corner. 

• Personal Contacts. These are the people you already know through daily life—relatives, friends, neighbours, work-colleagues. They may be the most difficult group to witness to because they know you, have seen your ups and downs and you could risk losing the relationship. But, they are actually the people that you bear the most responsibility to witness to. You might be the only Christian they know--make sure your lifestyle and decision-making reflects Jesus. Try inviting them to a special event at church or include a Bible verse or tract in a card for a Birthday or Christmas. Offer them a Christian book that deals with an issue they are facing. It may not be necessary to keep hammering them over the head with the Gospel, but it’s really important that they hear or read it clearly at least once through your contact.  

• Coffee Shop Outreach. There are a lot of churches now that have places where people can talk to a Christian informally. Sometimes these places sell books or host a small library which could be good for starting conversations. Independent bookshops are disappearing but church shops usually operate on a not for profit basis due to being charitable. You could get involved in this friendship evangelism or ask your church to consider beginning a ministry for this purpose. A lot of people have problems and need someone to listen, but face to face contact is being lost due to the unstoppable march of technology. People are lonely, give your time. 

• Write a Book! Not everyone will have the ability, motivation or time to do this but it can be a great way to get the Gospel out there and to make people think about issues from a Christian perspective. Alternatively, start a book club with some friends or work colleagues and when it is your turn to choose, be bold and opt for a Christian one. Plan what you will say in the subsequent discussion to make the best use of the opportunity. 

• Become an Online Evangelist. There are organisations that recruit online missionaries and evangelists. I volunteer for Chatnow (formerly Groundwire.) We chat online to people all around the world who have questions about faith or who need spiritual advice. It is anonymous, there is training and a team leader oversees the conversations. If you have a few hours a week to spare, sign up now! 

• Missions. Those who are called into long term mission work probably won’t need to read a post suggesting basic ways to evangelise! Short-term missions can be a good option for people who want to test the water. However, they can seriously damage long term work that is already taking place if they are not planned properly. That is part of a larger discussion, but the golden rule for STM’s is to make sure that you partner effectively with either a church or with long term workers on the ground that know what they are doing. Choose a mission that includes evangelism or if it is a specific practical project, that is facilitating future evangelism. Remember that help without hope is the ultimate tragedy.

I hope this list is useful and has given you some new ideas. Feel free to make suggestions as there are a lot of other ways to share the Gospel. Innovation can also be exciting. God created us all differently so maybe your idea will start a trend! In an adaptation of a quote from Chinua Achebe:

“If you don’t like someone else’s idea then come up with your own.”

 Matthew 28 vs 18-20

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”