Friendship Evangelism

Someone said that our problem in evangelism is not a lack of training, but that we don’t love enough.

As I shared thoughts on friendship Evangelism last Sabbath in short-long (depends on perspective) 60 minutes workshop I wished for more time to emphasize certain aspects. Two radical allegories were memorable as I spoke with people after:  doing what I love to do with people who have common interests and being a guide for my friends on their spiritual journey when they begin to ask questions; ‚ conversion is like a marriage, begins with friendship, courtship, and continues after commitment.

And, I feel I must emphasize the second one a bit more. The idea of having permission to skip some of church activities to go and make friends, to do what we are passionate about with people who enjoy same thing, making friends with this worldly mammon was so powerful, that the second aspect of bringing friends back into the family was not sinking in.

It is great if in your personal life you are making friendships, and letting people know about your relationships with God and salvation in Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in your daily life! BUT! Are you ready to ask the question about their situation? And when you introduce them to Jesus, will you bring them into the Family of God? The “family” concept, where all believers in relationship with Christ are connected together as a “body” for a purpose should not be missed.

So, when I say “it’s not the lack of training, but the lack of loving,” I wonder if we love and care for our friends, and for the church family. “Either/or” does not work. It has to be “both/and.” We love our friends to tell them about salvation available to them, and we love them enough to care to introduce them into a community where they will grow in Christ. We also love our church family to entrust our friends into getting to know each other.

A Baptist preacher Dr. Joe McKeever asks a question: Is it possible to do a drive-by of a church and within a few seconds determine that it's a healthy church? As he asked this of his friends many responded that it's easier to tell an UNHEALTHY church in a few seconds than a healthy one. Facebook comments suggested also a few indications: if people are excited to be there, if the people are generous, if there is strong pastoral leadership, if everyone is in the right place in serving, if people love their leaders and follow them, if church has children, if people are carrying their Bibles, if there are different age groups.

The reason I am pondering on this, because if visitors could tell about our church conditions in 30 seconds, people going on a date could decide in the first minute if they are interested in a person or not, then our acquaintances also have a very short opportunity to evaluate our friendship, or personality, the faith family we belong to and decide if they want to continue developing the relationship. And no effort to impress will do. It has to be genuinely from within, the real you, Christ within you, hope of Glory, that would move friendships to commitments. The only appeal I have – let Christ transform you, then loving, relating, caring will be natural.