Evangelism Coach

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We know that God’s Spirit is at work in us as believers, training us, teaching us, and transforming us.

But, I also want to point out how the Holy Spirit prepares the way for evangelism to occur naturally.

Phillip and the Ethiopian

Consider Phillip and the Ethiopian Eunuch.  Clearly the Spirit of God was at work in the life of the Eunuch. 

• He had gone to Jerusalem to worship.
• He was reading Scripture.
• He wanted someone to explain Scripture to him.

The eunuch had a spiritual thirst, created by the Holy Spirit, and he was busy searching to slake that thirst.  He was like the merchant looking for the fine pearl.

Easy Conversation

This was an easy conversation to for Phillip to participate in. 

He didn’t have to

• argue with a loud voice
• apologetically stand up for his faith
• use the 10 commandments as a hammer.
• verbally convince the eunuch of his sinfulness.
• spend 10,000 words arguing God’s existence.
• rationally defend against opposite worldviews.

The Holy Spirit had prepared the way.  The Holy Spirit had gone ahead of Phillip.

Both Sides of the Equation

There are two individuals involved in this story.  One seeking faith, and the other obediently positioning himself to share his faith.  Two sides of an equation.

The conversation would not have happened that day if both parties were not in the same GPS location at the same time, an encounter brought about in the sovereignty of God.

The Holy Spirit was working in Phillip and the Eunuch.  To borrow a phrase from my old algebra teacher, God was working “Both sides of the equation.”

As you do personal evangelism, notice how God is already at work in preparing the harvest field for you.  He has gone ahead of you!

Let me ask you this?

In your personal evangelism efforts, are you aware of God going ahead of you?  Are you noticing that when you are attentive to the Holy Spirit that you find those people where He is already at work?

Update:

• See our newest addition at: http://www.evangelismcoach.org/2008/10/the-holy-spirit-prepares-the-way
• Want to learn more about how to recognize these moments?  Consider getting a coach.  See Do You Need Evangelism Coaching?

The office of evangelism and church growth for the PCUSA has launched a new web page.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Evangelism and Church Growth

Check out the video of Hot Metal Bridge at the church growth link above. 

Here is the link to the church’s website Hot Metal Bridge.  I’ve heard their pastors dramatize a sermon and know the kind of work they are doing.  It’s an exciting highlight in our denomination.

One church, Solana Beach Presbyterian in Solana Beach California, has and effective small group ministry.  One thing they are doing a little different this year is using the small groups to help people grow comfortable in doing evangelism — a place to practice telling their stories —

“stories that testify to why they have put their trust in Jesus Christ.

To help implement this idea, the senior pastor gave a 10 week sermon series devoted to evangelism as storytelling, which modeled story telling as a way to communicate your faith.  

Some of the sermons used principles found Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels (get your copy from Amazon), which I have found to be a great current resource for Evangelism [1]

The small groups become the place where people can grow comfortable talking about their own faith, and then sharing their own stories with friends.  Presumably (but not shared in the PGF article), people report their story telling encounters in their small group.

For the full resources (as of January 08), visit the church’s website for audio and video and look for November of 07

Two Videos

Living in 3d

 

 

See the original article here: PGF Outbox: ONE CHURCH MAKES MISSIONAL STRIDES THROUGH SMALL GROUPS

[1] These products can be ordered directly from Amazon

• Just Walk Across the Room, Bill Hybels
• Just Walk Across the Room Video Cirriculum, Bill Hybels
• Simplemente acercate a ellos: Pasos Sencillos Para Guiar a Las Personas Hacia La Fe, Bill Hybels

Let me ask you this?

What steps do take to practice telling your faith story?

On a message board that I frequent, a user asked for a review of Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels and Mittleberg.  Below is what I shared.

I used the materials when they were popular in the 90s. They may have been updated since then, so my review will be based on the original.

I also, only used the book. I did not observe the video. I don’t attend Willow Creek, nor go to a Willowback type church.

The primary topic of course is relational evangelism, and the idea of forming "strategic friendships with non believer’s" with the goal of helping them become fully devoted followers of Christ.

I found the book very helpful in stressing

• a holy lifestyle
• relational connections to non-Christians, and
• training in being able to clearly communicate a gospel script.

I read evangelism books for a living, and many focus on just one of those three.

The course can serve as a foundation for an evangelism group — where group members meet to discuss and debrief their spiritual conversations, and hold each other accountable to making connections outside the church.

Is there value in this course? I think there is value in anything that will help fan the fires of evangelism in a local church.

If you are a fan of the urgent confrontational style of evangelism a la Way of the Master, then this material will bother you because of its emphasis on building relationships and earning the right to be heard.

If your church doesn’t believe in engaging the culture and having relationships with non-churched people, then this book will be so against the grain of your church’s DNA that it won’t work period [there are some very separatist type churches out there].

My suggestion is to read Becoming a Contagious Christian yourself (it’s a read that can be done in a few hours, particularly if you have read many other evangelism books) and see if it fits the style of your congregation.

If 10 people started bringing 2 unchurched people to your church as part of that relationship building, how would your church react to 20 new people?

Order your copy of Becoming a Contagious Christian, Hybels and Mittleberg from Amazon today.

Let me ask you this:

What books on Personal Evangelism have you read?  I invite you to post your comments on this book, or any other here.

Some time ago, I came across an outline of some hints about prayer walking.  It mixes prayer, with walking a neighborhood, and inviting God to transform that place and the people who live there.

Here are some ways you can prayerwalk (Adapted from Follow Me: Becoming a Lifestyle Prayerwalker): 

• Prepare by confessing any sins you need to confess to God and asking Him for the grace to live in ways that are pleasing to Him. 
• Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and knowledge about how He would like you to pray. 
• Read the Bible often and ask God to bring verses to your mind when they relate to a particular situation.
• Invite God to show you where he wants you to prayerwalk, and be willing to visit the places He reveals.
• If you can, find a friend who will prayerwalk with you.
• Praise God while you’re walking, thanking Him for His presence and worshipping Him.
• Feel free to pray either silently or aloud.
• Be alert to what the Holy Spirit reveals to you as you walk, and also to what you observe about your surroundings.  Pray accordingly.
• Claim God’s Scriptural promises for the people in that place, and ask God to bless them.
• If you sense evil’s presence in the place you’re prayerwalking, resist it through prayer in Jesus’ name.
• Look for opportunities to speak to people.  If someone approaches you, explain that you’re praying for people in that area, and ask if there is anything that person would like you to pray about for him or her.  Pray for the requests you receive right then.
• If someone asks you about your faith, be willing to share a brief testimony about what Jesus has done in your life.
• Pray with trust and eager anticipation, expecting God to answer your prayers.
• Expect God to transform you as well as the people you pray for, and be open to how God might want to grow you through the process of prayerwalking.
• Help your church serve the community through regular prayerwalks in local neighborhoods.  For example, your congregation might send postcards to local residents letting them know the date and time of an upcoming prayerwalk and asking them to e-mail or call the church with specific prayer requests.  People will likely be watching for prayerwalkers at the appointed time and may decide to visit the church sometime afterward.
• As a congregation, pray about God’s vision for your community, and adjust your church’s vision to incorporate that broader vision.

Let me ask you this:

Have you ever participated in a prayerwalk?  If so, can you tell us what was it like?  How did God answer the prayers you prayed then?  Why would you recommend prayerwalking to others?

Every now and then, we lift up an article on welcoming visitors.  It’s not evangelism as we define evangelism here, but it is part of the responsibility of the church to welcome those that God draws to your church so that the gospel can be heard, seen, or felt.  (See Avoiding First Time Visitor Nightmares, our hospitality to visitors series, Church Hospitality Assessment, or see the category of visitors)

A few years ago attended a seminar dinner on How to Minister to Visitors at the local church and we learned some great ideas that are worth sharing here.

Perhaps these can help you minister to the people God brings to your church through your invitation or through His own sovereign means.

Miracles disguised as needs.

When unchurched visitors come to church, it is highly likely that they are looking for God to do something in their life.

Our speaker challenged us to look at our visitors as “miracles disguised as needs.”

A different meet and greet.   Take the Risk and Pray.

After introducing ourselves with a simple “I’ve not met you yet, my name is . . . . .” and finding out a little about them, we can simply ask “Is there something we can pray for before you go?”

Or, they may have already shared some of their needs and you can say “Let’s pray about some of those needs right now,” and then plunge right in and pray with them, leaving it up to God to work sovereignly.

Your prayer doesn’t have to be elaborate or drawn out, but a simple lifting of the person’s needs to the Lord.

This communicates a few things: care and compassion for the visitor, demonstrates our reliance upon God, and possibly reflects the “culture” of your church.

If our visitor sees an answer to prayer in the course of time, God might use that to draw that person or family closer to him. This is really a process of listening evangelism, and trusting in the power of God for daily living.  You’re not really “selling our church” or actively recruiting people.

We’re simply partnering with them and taking them before the Lord.

After a time of prayer, if its appropriate, spend some time introducing the visitor to other people, and then if they return in the following week or two, welcome them again and continue to communicate care and concern. See how God worked in response to prayer and see what happens.

Simply put, this idea is really simple to implement.

What does it take for you to participate?

• It takes a vision for seeing guests for who they are - people who might be in need.
• It takes a willingness to go beyond our natural awkwardness and introduce ourselves to strangers.
• It takes patience to listen to their story and to listen for their needs, and a risk to lift them before the Lord in prayer.

This is a form of outreach that uses hospitality and prayer to bless those who come to your for their first time.

Sounds simple, but I think you’ll find it an adventure.

Your Attitude plays a role in relational evangelism!

Jimmy Kinnaird

http://Jkinnaird.wordpress.com

It’s about attitude!

Attitude is just about everything in relationships. In fact, it is the most important factor in establishing rapport with another person.

How can you even begin to share Christ effectively if your attitude is not right? The Bible says that “your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, NIV). Jesus’ attitude was one of encouragement, comfort, love, fellowship, compassion and joy. Your attitude as a witness is vitally important.

Which do you think would be more effective witness for Christ, a person who is selfish and looks out only for his own interests or one who is humble toward others and looks out for their good?

Confidence is characteristic of a good attitude.

When you are confident, you look confident, you sound confident and you use confident words. When you are happy, you look happy, you sound happy and you use happy words.

Your words may betray your attitude, but your body can’t. Attitude sets the atmosphere not only of your words but also your tones, facial expressions, and body language.

Your attitude tells your mind, not what to do, but in what manner to do your expressions. You cannot consistently behave in a way that is inconsistent with your attitude. Having a positive or Christ-like attitude is the first step in building rapport.

Your attitudes will precede you. It speaks before you say a word. It affects your posture, your movements and your facial expressions.

Your Attitude is Your Choice

The attitude you bring to a relationship is one of your choosing. You can choose a positive attitude or a negative attitude. A positive attitude is a benefit to everyone. A negative attitude may be beneficial you at the moment, but it won’t help others.

When you don’t feel like having a positive attitude, understand that while it may seem emotionally costly for you at the moment, it’s cost is significantly less than your negative attitude will be in the future.

More than “be happy”

To have the attitude of Christ will mean more than just being positive. It will mean changing your entire way of thinking.

Today, most people think in terms of what they don’t want instead of thinking in terms of what they do want.

Instead of focusing on what is not right or what you don’t want others to do, focus on what you want, not what you don’t.

It is at this point where you can make a positive change. This is true in all relationships, not just those you need to share Christ.

When you have this kind of attitude focused on the positive change instead of stopping the negative you will much more likely have the other person to like you. They will want to be around you and will want to know you better. They will want to know what it is about you that make this change.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23, NIV).

Paul was willing to adjust his attitude and lifestyle in order to win as many for Christ as he could. How much different do you think our evangelism would be if we would be willing to adjust our attitude and lives in order to save some?

Jimmy Kinnaird serves on the Personal and Event Evangelism Team for the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Previously he has served as a Senior Pastor in churches in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Jimmy is co-developer of the mostimportantthing.org evangelism site as well as the CROSS Evangelism Training. He is married to Karen and together they have three children, two teenagers and one elementary school student.