Personal evangelism, at least in my circles of influence, seems to be a dreaded word.
At its mention, some people feel queasy, the hairs stand on the back of their neck, people want to secretly leave the room.
On the opening night of our Listening Evangelism Conferences, one participant in Michigan simply said
“Evangelism scares us.”
Why I hate Evangelism
From an expired link included in this earlier EvangelismCoach.org article, I found “Five Reasons Why I Hate Evangelism.”
- It violates the golden rule – most Christians would not want to be approached by a member of another religion the way Christians approach others in evangelistic attempts
- It calls the authenticity of relationships into question – are you my friend because you’re really my friend, or so you can convert me?
- The moment of truth – we think we must identify a “no turning back” point where you pressure someone to make a decision, and if they don’t respond well, that jeopardizes the relationship.
- Asking someone about the Gospel feels like making a pass at them.
- If I like my friends, and want them to continue to be my friends, I have a major incentive NOT to try to evangelize them.
20 Personal Evangelism Fears
These are mostly based on Emotions!
Our emotional baggage associated with “Evangelism” is probably the biggest baggage.
Try answering this question:
“What do you think about when you hear the word Evangelism?” (Reese, 11)
- Door to Door
- Pushy televangelists with funky hairdos asking for money and pushing people down.
- What does “one beggar telling another where to find bread” mean?
- My friend was obnoxious year after year always telling me I needed Jesus.
- It implies other religions are wrong, that Christians are better
Other lists that I have gathered over the years include:
- Fear of Rejection
- To mess up and somebody’s eternity destiny is your fault
- Interrupting somebody’s life
- Losing a friendship
- Fear of offending
- Fear of what others will think about you.
- Stuck with unanswerable questions
- Feeling inadequate
- Being seen as arrogant
- Fear of being kicked out of your family or breaking a family relationship
- Fear of your own weakness, hypocrisies, and inadequacies
- Doubt and not being certain about your own beliefs.
- Guilt
- Fear of being a hypocrite.
- Drive-by Evangelism
As we engage people in conversation, The Centurion Papers gives us a great article about not fearing. Sometimes our gospel conversations can feel unnatural or even forced, but other times, we just have a little fear to overcome. We all feel it at times.
Overcome Your Evangelism Fears
What if evangelism
- wasn’t awkward?
- didn’t take a whole lot of guts?
- was as normal as breathing?
What if sharing your faith didn’t make you feel like a Martian?
How would your church grow if you could conquer these fears and confidently talk about your faith?
Read more about how to get my audio CD set to help you over come your evangelism fears.
Fear Chalkboard Image credit: raywoo / 123RF Stock Photo
18 Common Evangelism Fears
(Correction) Buck privates dare not IGNORE the commands of their commnders…
For believers witnessing is a given. It is the same with living a holy, obedient lifestyle. Jesus has already told us that we will be taken before the courts, we will be beaten and even face death for His sake. They hated Him; they will hate us. The “They” of which I speak are those who love this wicked world more that righteousness. If we love Jesus, we will obey Him…NO QUESTIONS ASKED! He has told us all about our eternal reward. Therefore, it is not about “fear,” but rather it is about not knowing Jesus as the Lord of our lives. Buck privates dare not follow the commands of their commanders on the battlefield. Following commands for a true soldier is also a given. It is necessary if the battle is to be won. The Commander Jesus sees the big picture…we don’t! He has already won the battle for us…all we have to do is follow His commands and we will be rewarded in heaven. Witnessing is a command of the Lord Jesus to all believers.
Here is my video about one way to witness.
https://youtu.be/OeKWAb-CHS4
Evangelism…If it were an easy task, we would carry it out on our own; but since it is not easy to overcome fear and/or convince people, Jesus equipped us with power trough the Holy Spirit. Our job is to speak. The Holy Spirit trains us, supports our work with words and miracles that convince, and also prepares the hearts of those who wil be approached by us. The whole strategy is set. We have to do the work, even if we do not see immediate results. The Word of God will never return empty. Something will remain there and get them closer to Jesus than they were before.
Well since im an evangelist and I do ministry in India,I would say that my greatest fear is that people may not be receptive to the Gospel.Hey but thats not my job,My job is to preach but its the job of holyspirit to convict people..My fears are gone when I stare at His face..
I think everyone struggles with fears when it comes to evangelism. I find that it is sometimes easier to share the gospel with strangers because it’s not hard being rejected by someone I don’t know, yet being rejected by a coworker or someone I do know is more intimidating. And even with street evangelism, I find it is easier for me to share with the “tougher” crowd because I’d rather deal with a few rough words than a middle class couple who turns their nose up and rattles off the dreaded words, “You aren’t accepting, you aren’t enlightened, you have too much time on your hands, you must not be educated, etc.”