If we're honest, many of us are terrified of evangelism. The thought that our attempts to share our faith might come across as awkward, ham-fisted or even offensive is usually enough to keep most of us fairly covert about our God when we're around non-Christians. We tell ourselves we're being respectful of other beliefs in a tolerant and pluralistic culture. But deep down, it's often because we don't like looking like a weirdo.
Yet while we're all a bit awkward about it, most of us do want to share our faith with others; both because it's obedient to Jesus' Great Commission, and because actually, we do believe Christianity is Good News which will make other people's lives better. The challenge is finding straightforward ways of doing it. It's fairly easy to come up with a list of terrible evangelistic approaches which seldom hit the target (look out for that follow-up article tomorrow!), but what we're really crying out for is a few ideas which feel natural. Here are five things I've personally attempted, which didn't end in an awkward silence or an ugly argument.
Writing a letter
In an age of email and other instant communication, the art of letter-writing is sadly diminished, if not lost. However, the flip-side to this is that while most of us scan over our emails, we tend to take a hand-written letter really seriously, if only because it's so unusual. If you receive a letter from someone, you instinctively know they've taken time and care over writing and posting it to you, and so naturally you're more interested in and potentially receptive to the contents. So, if you're looking for a way to share your faith with a friend, writing them a letter about it becomes quite a powerful tool. Because you've given them time to consider and chew over what you've written, you'll also disarm any natural knee-jerk reactions which can happen in more instant communication.
'Try before you buy'
If we're not careful, we can trap ourselves in a very linear model of how people become Christians. You hear the message, you decide to believe it, you respond to it, and then you begin to live as a Christian. Yet while that's often the way people embark on a life of faith, it's not the only configuration of those steps. Another possibility is to invite someone into exploring the practices of the Christian faith, before committing to believing in Jesus; essentially – as Samuel Taylor Coleridge put it – willingly suspending their disbelief. They don't have to believe all the doctrines of the Christian faith in order to try praying, mediating or even reading the Bible. Actor Andrew Garfield recently demonstrated the virtue of this by exploring Ignatian Spirituality while preparing to play a Catholic priest on film. Despite previously professing no faith, he has subsequently spoken of "falling in love with Jesus," through the process of practising the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius. The story suggests that we don't have to ask people for an intellectual decision in the first instance; instead we can invite them to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8); to experience God first.
Inviting someone to church... wisely
Granted, it's a pretty obvious idea, but while not all of us have fallen out of the habit of occasionally asking our friends and neighbours if they'd like to join us at church, we don't always practise immense discernment around when to invite them. Some good examples include 'seeker-friendly' events, carol services and others around the festivals of Christmas and Easter, and weeks when you know your most engaging preacher is due to speak.
Bad choices include those weeks in the school holidays where the staff team is stretched beyond capacity, and most devastating of all, 'giving Sunday.' More non-rocket-science around this idea: consider who your friend is and what kind of service they might enjoy or respond to; which worship style or speaker might they best connect them. As a rule, your elderly neighbour may not be entirely blessed by the youth group's Hip Hop takeover night.
Have dinner with other normal Christians
One of the best forms of evangelism is helping people to find out that Christians are (within reason) fairly normal, and much like them. While you're almost certainly demonstrating this to your non-Christian friends, a great way to amplify that experience is to invite them to dinner or another social event alongside some other normal members of your church. This must involve genuine hospitality and friendship, rather than feeling like a contrived pincer-movement; if you set up the latter you'll more than likely convince your friends that you're part of a cult. But good food, friendship and conversation about real life naturally helps people to see the attraction of being part of a church, and can help them to safely consider the claims of the faith that underpins it.
You could decide to invite the best evangelists you know to this, thus really deferring the act of evangelism elsewhere, but personally I think you should trust in your own ability to build genuine relationships, and God's ability to work through you.
Offer prayer
Alright, this one is pretty scary. Asking a complete stranger if they'd like you to pray for them opens you up to a wide range of possible reactions (including mild violence), while asking the same to a friend risks awkwardness and rejection. Yet if we really believe that we're walking around with access to unlimited divine power, aren't we crazy not to try to exercise it now and again, especially when we come across people who are struggling? The Vineyard movement in the UK has seen particular success with this approach to reaching unchurched people, often simply asking people in the city streets if there's anything they'd like prayer for. It doesn't even need to involve grabbing people in the manner of a chugger; a friend of mine, a pastor in Pennsylvania, regularly works from a coffee shop in his town with a little cardboard 'Free Prayer' sign on the table in front of him. He's interrupted every day by people who wonder if that might be helpful to them; his tiny step of social embarrassment bringing rich and regular rewards. When it comes to our friends, surely if they know we're Christians they'd expect us to pray for them; asking if they'd like that naturally helps them to consider what they really think about what you believe.
The Evangelical Alliance in the UK have created a free website specifically designed to help Christians to share their faith; it's packed with plenty more ideas. Check it out: www.greatcommission.co.uk
Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
