For the past 25 years, I’ve been working alongside local churches and individual Christians who’re desirous to change into more practical in sharing their faith. During this time, I’ve come to comprehend that while many consider evangelism is vital, they often feel like another person is healthier fitted to the duty.
This could possibly be because, in lots of churches, we’re taught specific models or methods for evangelism, which we sometimes perceive because the only option to share Jesus. When we struggle to follow the prescribed formula, it could leave us feeling like we have failed as Christians, discouraging us from trying again.
However, the reality is that God has made each of us unique, and the New Testament demonstrates various ways to share our faith. For instance, 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 decided to conduct each quantitative and qualitative research to explore how practicing Christians typically share their faith. The research uncovered 4 key tensions:
- Do we expect people to come back to faith immediately, or will we see it as a journey?
- Is faith-sharing a solo effort, or something we do together as a Christian community?
- Should we concentrate on communicating Jesus’ message quickly, or allow the conversation to unfold naturally based on the opposite person’s lead?
- Is evangelism primarily about what we are saying or what we do?
Based on this, we identified six profiles that reflect the varied ways Christians share their faith. We’ve also created a temporary quiz to assist believers discover which profile best matches their approach to evangelism.
We’ve been testing this quiz in churches across the UK, and the outcomes have been incredibly encouraging. First, the profiles help take the pressure off—we do not all must share our faith the identical way. Second, they permit us to rejoice the natural ways through which we evangelize. Some of us excel in showing God’s compassion through our actions, while others are great at walking alongside people over the long run. Third, these profiles offer us opportunities to grow, providing ideas to change into more intentional in our faith-sharing efforts.
When an area church takes the quiz together, it highlights how different approaches complement each other, offering recent insights and perspectives. We are all uniquely designed to share the Gospel in ways in which resonate with different people.
In today’s world, there may be a noticeable lack of hope. But as Christians, we hold onto a hope that’s present in Jesus. While it could be daunting to share our faith, much of that fear stems from the assumption that we must do it in a specific way. I firmly consider that our society needs to listen to the message of Jesus, and my hope is that this quiz will help us rejoice the unique ways God has designed us, giving us more 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 faith collaboratively.
- Open Connectors: Those at all times ready for a God-centered conversation.
- Compassion Revealers: Those who consider actions speak louder than words.
- Life Sharers: Those with a story to inform.
- Bible Revealers: Those who see the Gospel as urgent.
You can take the quiz here: https://www.sharejesusinternational.com/sj-quiz/Â Once you complete the quiz, you will gain insights and concepts to enable you to share Jesus more effectively.
Andy Frost is the director of Share Jesus International and works alongside Care for the Family on the Kitchen Table Project, helping parents and carers nurture faith in the house. He is the presenter of the brand new resource, ‘Children’s Faith: A Whole Church Approach to Family Ministry’ which will be obtained from https://kitchentable.org.uk/church/wholechurchapproach/
