Keeping it Real!

Have you recently heard about a new Evangelism Team forming in the church? Perhaps you’ve already signed up to be a part of this group. If so, YAH! Good for you! Maybe you were asked to join and are still praying about it. That’s ok too. We hope you will seriously consider joining us in a concentrated effort on evangelism. Don’t shy away from this because we dared to use the “E” word! It really is a vital part of being followers of Christ.

We know this “E” word has a lot of negative connotations attached to it, but we want to share with you all the great things about evangelism that you might not already know. We’ve all been in those situations where we’re trying to get dinner on the table and help the kids with the homework when the doorbell rings. Yes, someone knocking on doors asking about your faith is a form of evangelism, but that’s not what we propose.

Evangelism is simply sharing with others what is great about your faith. The Mainline Evangelism Project conducted a statistical study of the beliefs, motivations and actions of 150 mainline churches successfully doing evangelism in the United States. One of their most important discoveries was, “a vivid relationship with God lies at the heart of real evangelism.” As it turns out, successful evangelism is simply a love of God, a love of church and a love for others. I will add that a commitment to relationships is also necessary for successful evangelism.

To be a part of the evangelism team is to simply commit yourself to a willingness to enter into real, authentic relationships with others, not knocking on doors and handing out pamphlets. Enter into conversations with people about matters of faith, not just what you feel strongly about, but also admit your vulnerabilities and doubts. These are natural human traits that we all experience from time to time.

I once heard someone say, “Why is it that the more religious someone gets, the more fake they become?” I hope that is never true for any of us. Sharing our faith successfully means continuing to be our normal selves, but learning to listen to others, meet them where they are and sharing from our own experiences out of a sense of genuine love, not judgment.  We’re all familiar with the stories: Mark 12:38-40 and Matthew 6:1-8. Reread them if you’re not. We’re not asking anyone to become guardians of the law. We’re looking for a few good-hearted souls who are willing to be themselves and be intentional about helping others know more about all the wonderful things we have to offer as followers of Christ and as members of First Christian Church. Won’t you consider joining us?

Blessings,
Tracy