Rethinking Evangelism

I was talking with my neighbor, Sarah. As we watched our kids play, I tried to direct the conversation towards issues of spiritual significance. I shared with her that we had moved to the area recently to begin a new church and asked her what she thought of the churches in the area. She said that she really wouldn't know how to respond to that question because she isn't "really religious". My heart broke as we talked more about how she feels that "the whole religion thing is a sham" and doesn't believe in God. I said, "So, you can really look around you (at nature- sky, trees, etc.) and believe it all came into existence by chance. I know for me, when I see the amazing beauty and detail of nature, it reaffirms my belief in a Creator and Supreme Being."

On a different occasion, I was talking with another neighbor (I'll call him Jack) about his work and spiritual beliefs. He is an adherent of Sufism, an offshoot of Islam. God opened the door for a conversation that revolved around the reliability of the Bible as the sole source for spiritual Truth and Jesus as the Son of God.

I'm learning that evangelism in today's culture is a process, not an event. Previously, I would have been disappointed and felt that my conversations with Sarah and Jack were incomplete because I did not have or did not force an open door to share the complete plan of salvation. Now, on the contrary, I'm coming to believe that sharing my faith will be more effective as I enter into a journey of spiritual discovery with those God places around me. I'm praying for opportunities to build on these conversations with my new friends. My role with those God loves is to pray for them, look for opportunities to model and share Jesus' love, invite them into spiritual community, AND share the Gospel with them at the appropriate time.

In his book Planting Missional Churches, Ed Stetzer advocates that any discussion with a lost person that clarifies a misperception about Truth or Jesus or causes them to reconsider a rejection of faith in the Gospel qualifies as evangelism. In other words, stimulating an irreligious person to reevaluate their stance that there is no God or a Sufi to consider the authority of the Bible is evangelism (as seen as a process rather than an event).

Stetzer also quantifies the importance that spiritual community is to evangelism in the 21st century. He writes, There are two conversions-one temporal and one eternal. The first conversion is the conversion to community. With few exceptions people come to Christ after they've journeyed with other Christians, examining them and considering their claims. A next step with Sarah and Jack is to invite them to participate in a new spiritual formation group with other spiritual sojourners in our neighborhood.

I know that many of us long to practice a life of mission. I hope you're encouraged to forge ahead in making disciples as you remember that every time you share God's work in your life, share your trust in God's Word or your hope in Jesus, love another with Jesus' healing love, invite someone to join you in spiritual community, and/or share the plan of salvation--these are all evangelism. These are all important elements in the process of a seeker moving to faith. Conversion is an event, but in most cases, it is preceded by a process.