Reaching those far from Jesus is one of the most important ways to invest in the future of the Church, but it can also be challenging. Evangelism is a significant part of the mission that Jesus left us with. Therefore, not only do you have to keep the passion of evangelism stoked within your heart continually, but we also need to train and compel those we lead to live out the mission of Jesus.
The good news is that there are as many ways to make evangelism a crucial part of our Church and ministry as there are different gifts and personalities. It is not one size fits. Instead, evangelism is an excellent way to build a valuable community without the stress that we often think comes with it.
Of course, just like any part of being successful in following Jesus and ministry, you will still need an effective strategy. So, keep these tips in mind for effective evangelism in 2023 and share them with others to broaden its effective reach.
1. Decide Where You Can Be The Most Effective
Probably the most important part of building a successful evangelism mindset into our hearts and the heart of our church is to see where we, as individuals, can be most effective. This becomes a part of a prayerful strategy to seek opportunities to build relationships and ultimately share faith with those far from God.
As a pastor, I always seek connections outside my church to be evangelistic. My channels of effective evangelism have changed with each season of my life. When my kids were younger, they were on the sidelines of sporting or school events. One of my passions is art, in particular painting, so now I have found gatherings of artists to be one of my places to be effective. It could be the golf course, work, neighborhood gatherings, and the list goes on and on with as much variety as our lives are lived out in areas of different interest.
2. Connect with the Right People
It’s easy to think that “everybody” is the right person. And ultimately, that is true. However, I will reach some people that others simply will not, and vice versa. Being willing to be evangelistic in any situation is essential. That’s part of having a servant’s heart, a passionate heart for those far from Jesus. However, the reality is that we all run in different circles of influence. For instance, my heart is to reach other artists. Most of the people in our church are not artists, so for them to want to focus on reaching artists is not a natural fit. They will not be able to go to workshops where artists gather or be in shows where artists submit work. You get the idea. So, as a pastor, I want to constantly speak about how each person in our church needs to connect with the right people and share their faith. It might be to say, “I want to build a relationship with everyone,” but you will probably reach no one with that mindset.
3. Focus on Industry Peers.
Connecting with people you already have something in common is a solid start to building relationships where you can be evangelistic. For example, the common link of being in the same business or industry is a common head start.
Keep an open mind about your relationships with everyone you encounter through your work environment. See them through as people God has put in your life for a reason. Ask Him to give you a passionate heart to reach them with the good news of Jesus. You might be surprised to discover how God will use you to make an eternal difference. When someone offers to introduce you to someone who thinks you could help in your business or help you, start praying about those connections from an evangelistic point of view first and foremost.
4. Make Evangelism (A passion for reaching people who are far from Jesus) a Regular Matter of Prayer.
When you’re starting in anything, you spend time focusing on and developing skills. If you are going to be good at anything, you schedule a time to learn about it, and all that is happening in that area. You begin to consume content, look for it on social media, join forums, and participate in conversations. The most important conversation you can and should have about having a passion for reaching people far from Jesus is with Jesus.
It is so easy to get busy interacting with people without prayerfully considering how God wants to use us to change their eternal lives. It’s easy to think about this as a church without considering the reality of the fact that the church as a whole is made up of us as individuals.
The more you make evangelism a matter of prayer, the more likely God will open the door for you to connect with those ready to hear the good news of Jesus and want to strike up a conversation.
5. Invest In Relationships Regularly
Suppose you’re going to grow in a relationship with those far from Jesus and allow God to open doors for you to share your faith. It would be best if you worked to connect with them through genuine friendship. You can’t expect to have the opportunity to talk about life transformational issues without genuinely investing in the relationship first.
The more you invest in relationships, the more you’ll learn that people want to connect with you as you care about them. So look for opportunities to be helpful to those you are investing in a relationship with. The key word here is “invest.” We are investing in others for the sake of eternity.
Keep Working on It
God wants us to reach people who are far from Jesus passionately. We don’t have to pray about whether that is true. He gives us this as His plan throughout scripture. I’m so grateful for those who were passionate about reaching me when I was far from Jesus. God plans that we continue to do the same. Of course, you won’t always be an instant success or see the outcome you want. But this is, after all, about our hearts and our obedience. Only God, through His Spirit, can transform lives. My part is to keep the passion burning, the passion that sent Jesus to the cross. This must be the passion of The Church!