EGN NEWS DESK
For the previous 25 years, I’ve been working alongside native church buildings and particular person Christians who’re desirous to change into simpler in sharing their religion. During this time, I’ve come to understand that whereas many imagine evangelism is necessary, they typically really feel like another person is best fitted to the duty.
This may very well be as a result of, in lots of church buildings, we’re taught particular fashions or strategies for evangelism, which we typically understand as the one strategy to share Jesus. When we battle to comply with the prescribed components, it will possibly depart us feeling like we have failed as Christians, discouraging us from attempting once more.
However, the reality is that God has made every of us distinctive, and the New Testament demonstrates numerous methods to share our religion. For occasion, we see examples of hospitality (Luke 5:27-32), testimony (John 9:11), invitation (John 4:29), and even cultural dialogue (Acts 17:16-34).
At Share Jesus International, the charity I work for, we determined to conduct each quantitative and qualitative analysis to discover how working towards Christians usually share their religion. The analysis uncovered 4 key tensions:
- Do we count on individuals to come back to religion immediately, or can we see it as a journey?
- Is faith-sharing a solo effort, or one thing we do collectively as a Christian neighborhood?
- Should we give attention to speaking Jesus’ message shortly, or enable the dialog to unfold naturally based mostly on the opposite particular person’s lead?
- Is evangelism primarily about what we are saying or what we do?
Based on this, we recognized six profiles that mirror the assorted methods Christians share their religion. We’ve additionally created a quick quiz to assist believers uncover which profile greatest matches their strategy to evangelism.
We’ve been testing this quiz in church buildings throughout the UK, and the outcomes have been extremely encouraging. First, the profiles assist take the strain off—we do not all need to share our religion the identical manner. Second, they permit us to rejoice the pure methods by which we evangelize. Some of us excel in exhibiting God’s compassion by way of our actions, whereas others are nice at strolling alongside individuals over the long run. Third, these profiles supply us alternatives to develop, offering concepts to change into extra intentional in our faith-sharing efforts.
When a neighborhood church takes the quiz collectively, it highlights how completely different approaches complement each other, providing new insights and views. We are all uniquely designed to share the Gospel in ways in which resonate with completely different individuals.
In at present’s world, there’s a noticeable lack of hope. But as Christians, we maintain onto a hope that’s present in Jesus. While it may be formidable to share our religion, a lot of that concern stems from the idea that we should do it in a specific manner. I firmly imagine that our society wants to listen to the message of Jesus, and my hope is that this quiz will assist us rejoice the distinctive methods God has designed us, giving us extra confidence to share that hope.
Here’s a fast overview of the six faith-sharing profiles:
- Intentional Disciplers: Those who love journeying with others.
- Team Players: Those who share their religion collaboratively.
- Open Connectors: Those at all times prepared for a God-centered dialog.
- Compassion Revealers: Those who imagine actions communicate louder than phrases.
- Life Sharers: Those with a narrative to inform.
- Bible Revealers: Those who see the Gospel as pressing.
You can take the quiz right here: https://www.sharejesusinternational.com/sj-quiz/ Once you full the quiz, you will acquire insights and concepts that will help you share Jesus extra successfully.
Andy Frost is the director of Share Jesus International and works alongside Care for the Family on the Kitchen Table Project, serving to dad and mom and carers nurture religion within the house. He is the presenter of the brand new useful resource, ‘Children’s Faith: A Whole Church Approach to Family Ministry’ which may be obtained from https://kitchentable.org.uk/church/wholechurchapproach/
