- Created on Friday, 20 November 2009 21:17
evangelism in community
The Crowded House have developed a simple model to encapsulate their convictions on evangelism. In this they point to three strands (an additional, or even the underlying strand that isn't included but implied throughout is the sovereignty of God), building relationships, sharing the gospel and introducing people to community (by this they mean the community of the church). They say there is no necessary order that these must flow in, but this is their intention and, if you want to call it that, their methodology of evangelism.
The challenge of the book to conservative evangelicalism, the camp I would sit in, is the role of community in evangelism. The argument for the importance of this is given from passages such as John 14:35 etc. and also the varying distribution of gifts and abilities in the church. Some people are just more gifted at 'telling people about Jesus'. That's not an excuse to not try, but I am increasingly aware with my own weaknesses and talking to others that it is a fact.
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis give some examples of how this might work; a work colleague being invited along to a bar-be-que put on by a group of Christian friends; a few Christian friends joining a secular club etc.. In essence, Christians getting among people, building relationships, showing the reality of Christian love in community and hoping to share about Jesus.
Three things strike me from a practical point of view if this were to work:
- Christians in churches would need to live their lives with gospel intentionality. Looking for opportunities, more sacrificial with their time and using their own initiative. This can be encouraged and modelled by the leadership but not done for people.
- The organisation of the church would have to be set up in such a way as to give time and space for this to happen. People need time to build relationships with each other and with people who don't know Jesus. People need time and space to have people around in an evening or to be part of a secular club.
- Our thinking might need to change as to what is a spiritual activity showing maturity. Could it be that Christians faithfully attending a midweek group with the purpose of making friends and sharing Christ are being as spiritually minded as those attending the midweek Bible study and prayer meeting?
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