Do The Work Of An Evangelist

I've been wrestling with the role God has for me as a pastor-evangelist here through Doxa Fellowship in Woodstock and McHenry County. I'm reworking my approach and the amount of time I'm spending. I'm rereading and evaluating my efforts in the past, looking at what has been working and where I've been falling short.

I'd love to hear how you all are doing evangelism. If you are a pastor/planter, how much time each week do you spend on evangelism (outside talking with visitors)? What is your approach, or strategy? What do you think you need to change? What are you planning to try in 2010?

Comments

[Jackie King Gilliam]

I'm neither a pastor or church planter and I don't evangelize as much as I'd like but my approach is learned from the Way of the Master http://www.livingwaters.com they have a wealth of resources to train Christians in biblical evangelism. Ranging from one on one witnessing to actual get up on the box and street preach. The ministry was founded by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron works with him often on their Way of the Master TV show. They have evangelism courses that can be taught in small groups and offer an intensive course in California called the Ambassador's Alliance http://www.ambassadorsalliance.com/. They also do Transformed Conferences all targeted at equipping people to witness. Way of the Master isn't the only way to evangelize but it cuts right through a lot of things by going straight to the conscience using the Law and the Gospel; law to the proud and grace to the humble. There is also a 2 hour radio show Wretched Radio that up until last year was part of Living Waters ministry but is now affiliated with Family Net and has expanded into a M-F TV show. http://wretchedradio.com/
My personal plan for 2010 is to give out more solid gospel tracts and have more one on one conversations with people about the law and Gospel.
I don't work for them but my life and ability to witness has been changed for the better by them.

My 2¢ would be train your people, lead by example in being a fisher of men and don't carry the weight of evangelism alone. Preach Christ crucified and exalted from the pulpit and God through His people will do the rest.

[Matthew Smith]

I'm not a pastor either, but have two thoughts.

1) Obviously (obvious to someone with a Keller resource page on his blog), preaching to both believers and unbelievers every week is going to be your primary form of evangelism. People will bring their unbelieving friends if you've created a safe environment from the pulpit to hear the Gospel.

2) Throw away evangelism resources and strategies and just be friends with people. Friends are bonded together by common interests-- sports, hipster indie rock (ahem), movies, kids (other parents who have kids with ASD), etc. Find people who share your interests but not your faith. Find people you like. Don't treat people as projects or have the expectation that they will come to believe, but know that you are the son of a loving, sovereign God who saves sinners, and He has called you to love your neighbor. If the friendships are genuine, spiritual questions will arise without you having to bring them up. But more than even evangelism, get to know people because they are made in the image of God and you will know Him better if you know them.

On a practical level, this usually means having people over for meals (hopefully you do this with your friends already)-- showing hospitality, not "entertaining." If meal prep is a problem (Molly not feeling well, busy schedules), make spaghetti or something else simple yourself. Every single person on this earth is lonely, and we all want love more than we want a gourmet meal.

[Logan Gentry]

I serve as the college director at the austin stone and work as an engineer.

Evangelism is obvious at work, but where I've made a focused effort of energy and prayer are my neighbors. My wife and I started with Christmas gifts and in the process scheduled dinners with some neighbors.

My wife's efforts with pre-school moms she encounters has opened up a lot of opportunities to be in the lives of those families as well. She goes to coffee with them after dropping off our son. This enabled us to go to birthday parties and be invited to other events that created greater relationships.

In 2010, we're hoping to spend more time in our front yard, host a block-party and recruit some believers from our church to help us serve our neighborhood. We'll see how it goes.

My strategy is to aim for meaningful conversations (future plans, what brought them here, what keeps them, what do they love about the neighborhood, what would they wish the neighborhood had that it doesn't). I've found that most conversations in the secular realm are shallow and cover the gauntlet of magazine racks and our DVR and that meaningful conversations often have a lasting effect and impact. It's created a ton of amazing opportunities.

[Steve McCoy]

Thanks for the thoughts, guys. Hope more folks chime in.

[M. Scott Foster]

Steve,

Here are five points off the top of my head:

1) Recognize Evangelism as not just a suggestion but a command given by Jesus to all Christians. Look for the opportunities to obey and worship God by sharing the good news!

2) Make time to talk. A lot of gospel preaching fails to happen simply because we are always in a rush and purposely ignore the opportunities God sends are way.

3) Learn to connect normal things back to the gospel or ultimate questions. You neighbor likes to bike but why? Is it simply because he values being healthy or is because of global warming? Either way, both of those reasons can easily get at the idols of his heart.

4) Hang out with non-Christians. Ask lots of questions. Get to know them and truly care about them as image bearers of God.

5)Point out the futility of their idols and share the gospel with them.

6) Expect to be rejected. You will lose friends over the gospel no matter how "softly" you share it. Take comfort in that it is the all-wise God who softens and hardens their heart.

[M. Scott Foster]

Make that 6 points....

[Chris Wiles]

All of the above...

I'd actually love to start a missional ministry geared toward teaching a particular skill. A church not far from me is doing great ministry through a pottery class open to the community. I'd love to do something similar - conversations flow naturally when people are grouped around a common task. Subjects could be the arts, cooking, whatever. It's a great, non-threatening way to get believers and unbelievers in proximity to one another.

Another thing many churches don't consider is children's ministry. Often unbelieving parents bring their children to church programs and events. This is a great way to encourage these parents to get themselves involved in some way, ideally pointing them toward Christ.