Introduction
There are two groups of people in the world – those on the inside of the church and those on the outside. Another way of looking at this is to say there are those who need to live out and proclaim the gospel and those who need to hear and respond to it. Many on the inside have something in common with many on they outside – they all hate evangelism!
Some on the inside certainly are evangelists – but they’re a rare breed. This paper is for the majority of Christians who would much rather leave the evangelizing to the evangelists. However, all Christians, even the timid ones, are called to “do the work of an evangelist.” (see 2 Tim 4:5).
A common problem in the enterprise of getting non-evangelists to evangelize arises when we do evangelism in the context of a special (i.e. unusual) event or program. We host a special speaker at a church or other gathering or we show a film or we gather people together specifically for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel to them. We give them cards to fill out with boxes to check if they “prayed to receive Christ” or similar systems of indicating a decision. These methods work…some time. I think they may have worked better in days gone by than they do today. Regardless, I propose that we try to come up with other methods – not to replace the older ones but to augment them.
This paper proposes the idea that most Christians will do most of their evangelism in non-programmed ways – in one-on-one conversations at Starbucks, while eating lunch with a co-worker, standing on the sidelines of a kid’s soccer game, over dinner with a neighbor – rather than through a program where they knock on a stranger’s door and ask to take a survey (being careful not to wear white shirts, name plates, and bicycle helmets).
Many Christians participate in some kind of small fellowship group. Either through their church or some other Christian organization (e.g. The C.S. Lewis Institute’s Fellows’ Program), they meet for Bible study, prayer, discussion, accountability, and encouragement as they live out their faith in their communities, workplaces, and spheres of influence.
Most often, these groups omit evangelism. By that, I do not mean that they do not allow outsiders to attend with the hopes that they’ll be able to share the gospel in that meeting. Some do keep an “empty chair” for visitors. But in many situations, keeping the group “closed” to outsiders is probably wise. What I mean, instead, is that the topic of evangelism is rarely mentioned by the Christians who attend. Occasionally, a small group may choose to read and discuss a book about evangelism for a few months. This is a good thing to do but I am proposing something else.
A New Model
My vision is that the topic of evangelism, while rarely the central focus of a small group, would be included, in some way, in every gathering of those groups. If the group discusses a book of the Bible, as they wrestle with a particular passage or doctrine, one of the application questions they would consider would focus on evangelism. Thus, in addition to things like, “How does this teaching change the way we view ourselves?” or “If we remember this doctrine, how will it effect the way we pray?” or similar helpful questions, they might also discuss, “If we remember this doctrine, how will it change the conversations we have with outsiders?” or “Can you name one or two non-Christians you know who need to hear about this truth?”
As group members share prayer requests with each other about such things as challenges at work, medical needs, family pressures, etc., they will also share the names of non-Christians they are praying for and boldness to broach the topic of the gospel with them. When they ask for prayer and encouragement about resisting a temptation or obeying a command or similar spiritual challenge, they will also ask for prayer for compassion for a lost co-worker and the opportunity to witness to her. They will share about situations where the gospel could come up…but, so far, has not.
In other words, weaving evangelism into small group discipleship means making sure that outreach remains on the front burner not on the back one…or completely off the stove or out of the kitchen altogether.
Suggestions for Weaving Evangelism into Discipleship
Weaving evangelism into discipleship begins with an agreed upon purpose that all members will indeed pursue evangelism in their individual lives and will hold each other accountable to do so.
A key component to help will be the establishment of an “evangelism advocate” for each group. One person will serve as the voice for evangelism each time the group meets. (Ideally, this person should not have the gift of evangelism. A fellow “non-evangelist” can encourage more sympathetically than someone who evangelizes as naturally as Billy Graham. A “timid Timothy” will help far more).
The evangelism advocate can make sure that people include prayer requests for witnessing opportunities each time they meet. They can ask how things went since the last gathering. They can read quotes from books on evangelism, sharing ideas that are likely to help in outreach, etc.
Possible Questions for An Evangelism Advocate to Ask
Gathering #1: “Can you identify one place where you’re most likely to have evangelism conversations and can you name 3 non-Christians you’re praying for?”
Gathering #2: “What one step can you take between now and when we next meet to advance a conversation about the gospel? With whom?”
Gathering #3: “How did it go when you took your first step toward a gospel conversation?” “What obstacles did you encounter?”
Gathering #4: “Are there topics you need to research in order to be better equipped to answer questions people around you are likely to ask?” “How will you do that prep?”
Gathering #5: “Who’s the second person you’re going to pursue?”
Gathering #6: “Have you formulated a system for prayer for non-believers? What is it? How is it working? How can you improve it?”
Conclusion
For most people, evangelism is difficult. Many of us are waiting for it to become easy before we begin the process. This is a sure recipe for keeping our mouths closed. Instead, let us reach out for support, prayer, encouragement, and suggestions from the fellow non-evangelists in our discipleship groups. Then, let us take steps of faith (with or without fear) to begin or advance the process of telling others around us about the good news of the gospel. Even if we do so “in weakness and fear,” as Paul did in Corinth (see I Cor 2:3), God may use us to bring outsiders to the knowledge of salvation and they’ll join us inside that great gathering around the throne of the lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world.
