Reinventing Evangelism, part 10

10. We must allow time for people to process both intellectually and emotionally what they have heard and experienced.
Rather than pursuing a hot-sell, one-shot, close-the-deal approach, those seeking to share the gospel must be prepared to establish long-term friendships. Donald Posterski comments, “Too many over-zealous evangelists believe in microwave evangelism.” We have to learn to become good “neighbours.” Our neighbours are not simply, or even, the people next door. “Our neighbours are the people who normally intersect our lives in the natural flow of our days and nights.” In evangelizing we have to distinguish between those who are culturally near, who will be affirmed in their commitment to Christ by family and friends, and among whom much of the message is already familiar, and those who come to Christ with little prior knowledge and in the face of opposition or ridicule from family and friends. The latter, especially, will need to be helped through the process of “post-decision re-evaluation,” in which they become aware of the lifestyle implications of the commitment they have made.
In conclusion, as we evaluate the points addressed in this article, we must always remain open to the surprises of the Holy Spirit, while resisting a tendency to create a strategy out of a single “conversion” incident. We must never lose sight of the fact that the Holy Spirit can and does short-circuit procedures and act contrary to our presuppositions and sense of the right order of things.

Well, there it is, point 10 - the last one. I think this is a point that many will have already embraced. The profile of Alpha has brought this very much to our attention - forming belief is a process. We could take it further though - we have been obsessed by the conversion moment - and to be honest Alpha still pushes for that. The journey into being a disciple of Jesus takes time. Christianity is not a one-shot deal that gets you into heaven. We are ’saved’ for life, for a transformed life that begins now, that affects the world around us and which will be made complete when Jesus returns. Increasingly as people want to determine what is authentic they need time for trust to develop - trust of us, the followers of Jesus, and trust of Jesus himself. That why uit is imperative that we are an inclusive community. That we allow people to belong before they can say that they fully believe. They will find Jesus in the midst of his community. That takes work and movement on our part to reach in love and include in openness and invitation.

Hope you enjoyed this little series of blogs!!!

Reinventing Evangelism, part 10

10. We must allow time for people to process both intellectually and emotionally what they have heard and experienced.
Rather than pursuing a hot-sell, one-shot, close-the-deal approach, those seeking to share the gospel must be prepared to establish long-term friendships. Donald Posterski comments, “Too many over-zealous evangelists believe in microwave evangelism.” We have to learn to become good “neighbours.” Our neighbours are not simply, or even, the people next door. “Our neighbours are the people who normally intersect our lives in the natural flow of our days and nights.” In evangelizing we have to distinguish between those who are culturally near, who will be affirmed in their commitment to Christ by family and friends, and among whom much of the message is already familiar, and those who come to Christ with little prior knowledge and in the face of opposition or ridicule from family and friends. The latter, especially, will need to be helped through the process of “post-decision re-evaluation,” in which they become aware of the lifestyle implications of the commitment they have made.
In conclusion, as we evaluate the points addressed in this article, we must always remain open to the surprises of the Holy Spirit, while resisting a tendency to create a strategy out of a single “conversion” incident. We must never lose sight of the fact that the Holy Spirit can and does short-circuit procedures and act contrary to our presuppositions and sense of the right order of things.

Well, there it is, point 10 - the last one. I think this is a point that many will have already embraced. The profile of Alpha has brought this very much to our attention - forming belief is a process. We could take it further though - we have been obsessed by the conversion moment - and to be honest Alpha still pushes for that. The journey into being a disciple of Jesus takes time. Christianity is not a one-shot deal that gets you into heaven. We are ’saved’ for life, for a transformed life that begins now, that affects the world around us and which will be made complete when Jesus returns. Increasingly as people want to determine what is authentic they need time for trust to develop - trust of us, the followers of Jesus, and trust of Jesus himself. That why uit is imperative that we are an inclusive community. That we allow people to belong before they can say that they fully believe. They will find Jesus in the midst of his community. That takes work and movement on our part to reach in love and include in openness and invitation.

Hope you enjoyed this little series of blogs!!!

Reinventing Evangelism, part 10

10. We must allow time for people to process both intellectually and emotionally what they have heard and experienced.
Rather than pursuing a hot-sell, one-shot, close-the-deal approach, those seeking to share the gospel must be prepared to establish long-term friendships. Donald Posterski comments, “Too many over-zealous evangelists believe in microwave evangelism.” We have to learn to become good “neighbours.” Our neighbours are not simply, or even, the people next door. “Our neighbours are the people who normally intersect our lives in the natural flow of our days and nights.” In evangelizing we have to distinguish between those who are culturally near, who will be affirmed in their commitment to Christ by family and friends, and among whom much of the message is already familiar, and those who come to Christ with little prior knowledge and in the face of opposition or ridicule from family and friends. The latter, especially, will need to be helped through the process of “post-decision re-evaluation,” in which they become aware of the lifestyle implications of the commitment they have made.
In conclusion, as we evaluate the points addressed in this article, we must always remain open to the surprises of the Holy Spirit, while resisting a tendency to create a strategy out of a single “conversion” incident. We must never lose sight of the fact that the Holy Spirit can and does short-circuit procedures and act contrary to our presuppositions and sense of the right order of things.

Well, there it is, point 10 - the last one. I think this is a point that many will have already embraced. The profile of Alpha has brought this very much to our attention - forming belief is a process. We could take it further though - we have been obsessed by the conversion moment - and to be honest Alpha still pushes for that. The journey into being a disciple of Jesus takes time. Christianity is not a one-shot deal that gets you into heaven. We are ’saved’ for life, for a transformed life that begins now, that affects the world around us and which will be made complete when Jesus returns. Increasingly as people want to determine what is authentic they need time for trust to develop - trust of us, the followers of Jesus, and trust of Jesus himself. That why uit is imperative that we are an inclusive community. That we allow people to belong before they can say that they fully believe. They will find Jesus in the midst of his community. That takes work and movement on our part to reach in love and include in openness and invitation.

Hope you enjoyed this little series of blogs!!!

Reinventing Evangelism, part 9

9. We must be open to the possibility that God has something significant to teach through the person(s) with whom we are sharing the good news.
If God has already begun to work in the life of the seeker-after-truth, then that person will bring insights, questions, and challenges that will cause the evangelist to reexamine his or her own lifestyle, depth of spirituality, ability to explain the good news of Jesus Christ, and demonstrate its relevance in meeting their needs and in reordering their priorities. Authentic evangelism requires the one communicating the message of Christ to be open to change. The encounter will deepen our own understanding of the wonder and depth of the gospel message and renew our confidence in the power of the message to transform the lives of those among whom we are privileged to share it. I often ask my students, when the apostle Peter shared the gospel with the Roman centurion Cornelius and his house full of invited guests, who was converted? Peter was changed, as Luke makes clear in his recounting of the incident to the Jerusalem church leaders (Acts 10, 11).

I don’t know of you remember Maddy doing a little slot on Peter and Cornelius. I love the idea that Peter was changed by the experience - his prejudices challenged, his paradigms blown apart. When you think about this idea, it is hugely different from the traditional model. That could be best envisaged by the ‘crusade’ event - the evangelist stands behind the microphone, describing the benefits of the cross for those listening, and if they like it they are invited to front or to raise their hand. Communication here is one-way - from the Christian to the non-Christian. We are challenged in this penultimate point to change the communication model - to move from one-way to two-way, from monologue to dialogue, from ‘talking’ to ‘conversation’. There are many skills that need to be brushed up on for this to be a reality that go beyond practising telling your ‘testimony’ - it might include ‘reflective listening’ and ‘the art of questioning’. And will certainly require a change of heart and a change of posture on our part. It is a learning posture - “what can I learn about God, truth and seeking through this conversation partner?”.

Authentic evangelism requires the one communicating the message of Christ to be open to change.

You might be pleased to know that there is just one left!!

Reinventing Evangelism, part 9

9. We must be open to the possibility that God has something significant to teach through the person(s) with whom we are sharing the good news.
If God has already begun to work in the life of the seeker-after-truth, then that person will bring insights, questions, and challenges that will cause the evangelist to reexamine his or her own lifestyle, depth of spirituality, ability to explain the good news of Jesus Christ, and demonstrate its relevance in meeting their needs and in reordering their priorities. Authentic evangelism requires the one communicating the message of Christ to be open to change. The encounter will deepen our own understanding of the wonder and depth of the gospel message and renew our confidence in the power of the message to transform the lives of those among whom we are privileged to share it. I often ask my students, when the apostle Peter shared the gospel with the Roman centurion Cornelius and his house full of invited guests, who was converted? Peter was changed, as Luke makes clear in his recounting of the incident to the Jerusalem church leaders (Acts 10, 11).

I don’t know of you remember Maddy doing a little slot on Peter and Cornelius. I love the idea that Peter was changed by the experience - his prejudices challenged, his paradigms blown apart. When you think about this idea, it is hugely different from the traditional model. That could be best envisaged by the ‘crusade’ event - the evangelist stands behind the microphone, describing the benefits of the cross for those listening, and if they like it they are invited to front or to raise their hand. Communication here is one-way - from the Christian to the non-Christian. We are challenged in this penultimate point to change the communication model - to move from one-way to two-way, from monologue to dialogue, from ‘talking’ to ‘conversation’. There are many skills that need to be brushed up on for this to be a reality that go beyond practising telling your ‘testimony’ - it might include ‘reflective listening’ and ‘the art of questioning’. And will certainly require a change of heart and a change of posture on our part. It is a learning posture - “what can I learn about God, truth and seeking through this conversation partner?”.

Authentic evangelism requires the one communicating the message of Christ to be open to change.

You might be pleased to know that there is just one left!!