The Institute of Evangelism

Every Church an Evangelizing Community!

Religion - General

Answering the Questions Church Visitors Are Asking

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Have you ever visited a church outside of your own tradition? Were you nervous going in? Uncomfortable or confused at any point? Now imagine it is not another Christian congregation you’re visiting, but something completely outside of your previous experience—a synagogue or mosque, for example. What kinds of feelings and concerns would you be going in with? What kinds of questions would you be asking?

An increasing number of people who come to our worship services have no prior church experience. How can we make their visit as comfortable and beneficial as possible? Of course, practical considerations like a good website, clear signage, and warm greeters can help put them at ease as they enter the building, but their experience during the worship service itself is at least as important. If we want this time to be meaningful to them, we need to answer the three questions they are naturally asking:

  1. What are we doing?
  2. Why are we doing it?
  3. How can I engage?

Regularly addressing these questions during worship can help our worship services become powerful tools for evangelism.

Question One: What are we doing?

The first question may be the most obvious one, but it is not necessarily the easiest. We need to explain what is happening in our service in words that a visitor can understand. This means identifying and replacing language that is only meaningful to insiders. For example, in some traditions it might be natural to begin the music with the invitation “Let’s worship the Lord!” Insiders know that this means “We’re all going to stand up and sing songs together that express praise, thanks, trust, etc. to God.” To an unchurched newcomer, however, that meaning is far from obvious.

Even more confusing is the invitation to “take the Lord’s supper” (especially since most people are taught that it’s not nice to steal food that isn’t yours!). The words “Communion” and “the Eucharist” are also meaningless to someone without a church background. Furthermore, there are so many ways of receiving the bread and cup that a concrete description of how it happens in a particular congregation can be very helpful even for those who were born and raised in the church. Who is allowed to participate? Do I come to the front, or are the bread and cup passed around? Will we take it all together, or as individuals? Will it be wine or grape juice? Describing the parts of a service in simple, clear, concrete language makes it more accessible to all visitors, churched or otherwise. Reflect: How would you describe what happens during each element of your service to someone who had never attended a church service before?

Question Two: Why are we doing it?

Once visitors can picture what we are going to do, they naturally want to know why we are doing it. This is where evangelistic efforts can be more direct, as we help them understand how the various elements of our service relate to Christian beliefs. How can we explain to a non-Christian why we celebrate Communion? Simply explaining “because Jesus instructed us to” or “to remember Christ and his death” isn’t enough. Both are true statements, but they don’t really get to the heart of the matter—the why beneath the why.

In my own tradition, I might say something like this:

“Christians believe that Jesus’s death was not a tragic accident, but something he freely chose, an important part of his mission. By offering himself in this way, he brought healing to the broken relationship with God that all humans are born into. So, as he taught us to do, we regularly celebrate that event by eating bread and drinking wine, which are symbols of his body broken and his blood poured out for our sake. Eating and drinking in this way reminds us that our very lives depend on him and his sacrifice.”

That’s not a perfect or exhaustive explanation, nor does it have to be. What is important is that it is given in language newcomers can understand, and that it helps them begin to understand the gospel.

Reflect: How would you explain to an outsider why we sing songs? Listen to a sermon? Recite the creed?

Question Three: How should I engage?

Regular attendees engage in a worship service as participants. They feel at home, and most can engage their hearts, minds, and bodies in the various parts of worship. Newcomers, however, primarily experience the service as observers, maintaining an emotional distance. Answering this final question is about inviting them to begin to connect with what is happening in a more personal way.

Once again, Communion is a good example. Many churches gently explain that this aspect of worship is reserved for members or baptized Christians. In other words, they clearly tell visitors how they can’t engage. But what if we were to go one step further, and cast a vision for how they can?

“Communion is open to all baptized Christians. But if that’s not you, if you’re visiting with us, or still figuring out what you believe about all of this, this is a good chance for you to do some reflection. Keep your eyes open. Watch what is happening as people go up empty-handed and receive a gift given out of God’s sheer generosity. Watch as they eat and drink and think about what that means on a spiritual level. This is the invitation of the Christian life, being acted out right here in a visible, tangible way. And it is an invitation that is being offered to you, one you should carefully consider.”

Non-Christians might engage in a worship service in a variety of ways: by reflecting on the meaning of Christian beliefs, by beginning to open their hearts and ears to a God who is personally communicating with them, or by taking tentative first steps to express themselves to God through prayer or singing. But none of those things are necessarily obvious to them, so a little coaching and encouragement from the front can go a long way.

Reflect: How would you coach people who don’t know the songs or believe the lyrics to engage in a time of singing? What could be their mindset as prayers and creeds are said?

Bonus Benefits

Some of these questions might be answered on the website, in the bulletin, or on slides. But regularly addressing them from the front, during the service, not only helps visitors but has surprising benefits for regulars too. First, conducting every service as if newcomers are present sends the message that they should be, and is a powerful way of casting a vision for becoming a welcoming, inviting church. Doing this week after week may seem repetitive, but it is reassuring for regular attendees to know that if they invite friends, they will be consistently welcomed and cared for no matter the Sunday. Furthermore, giving down-to-earth accessible explanations for what we do in worship can be surprisingly instructive for those who have been attending church for a long time. Not only can this offer a fresh perspective on age-old traditions, but it also models how to talk about the Christian faith using non-insider language—an essential evangelistic skill in our post-Christian society.

Reflect: How might answering the “what,” “why,” and “how” questions for newcomers benefit regular attendees in your own context?

Spreading the Good News, One Bowl at a Time

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Evangelism necessarily involves sharing the Good News through words. However, this Good News must also be lived out through our actions—the “good deeds” that Jesus said would cause people to glorify our Father in heaven (Matt 5:16). This month Rev. Ryan Sim shares one way a local church enacts the gospel in their community.

On a cold October Tuesday morning, the basement of the Community Church in Paris Ontario is a hive of activity, as staff and volunteers arrive for their morning shift at The Raw Carrot. Kristin, the site manager, welcomes everyone to the church’s commercial kitchen, and the team gets to work. One staff member and a volunteer are chopping vegetables while they share their latest news. Another staff member is busy measuring spices and other ingredients, pouring them into gleaming steel pots that he’ll stir and cook all morning.

By the end of the morning, delicious soup is cooling, and the afternoon shift of staff and volunteers arrive to pour it into packages and load the walk-in freezer with products destined for farmers markets, grocery stores, and special events in the area, before the dishwashing and cleanup begin.

Today they’ve made their Signature Carrot and Chicken Noodle soups, but other days they’re making special seasonal soups for monthly subscribers, and batch orders for church events. Other weeks, the team is mixing up granola and pancake mixes, all part of their growing catalogue of products. As they work, staff and volunteers share about their lives, and it’s not uncommon for the group to gather in prayer afterwards.

The work is sometimes slow, inefficient, and not always perfect, but that’s because the values of this caring and inclusive community come first. The Raw Carrot exists to provide meaningful employment and livelihood security to individuals on social assistance who want to, and can, work. Most often these are individuals with a disability or mental illness, who take on permanent, part-time paid jobs in a supportive real-world setting.

The Raw Carrot may operate as a social enterprise from the church basement, but as a ministry of the church it is seamlessly integrated with everything the church does upstairs and in the community. Some staff regularly attend worship, while others prefer the informality of the church’s community dinners, but all can say they have friends and colleagues who are part of Paris Community Church.

The church, part of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, provides a facility and covers some of the operating costs, since around 80% of costs are covered from product sales. It is also the Raw Carrot’s most reliable customer. Newcomers to worship are welcomed with a free bag of pancake mix. Once a month the church hosts a “Mug of Soup” Sunday where Raw Carrot products are served to the congregation after church, and newcomers who join the “meet the senior pastor” table receive a free bowl. Soup was served one evening at the latest Alpha course, and at the latest ministerial meeting for the town’s pastors. Many churches joke that the answer to every children’s story time question is always “Jesus!”, but at Paris Community Church, it’s clear that “soup!” is a close runner-up.

This unique ministry started with Amanda, a teenage nursery volunteer at Paris Community Church with a mild intellectual disability. An adult mentor, Rebecca, was impressed with her diligence, but knew high school graduation would be a hard transition away from community and would likely lead her to few job prospects and little social assistance. She helped her find and attend an employment training agency, but sadly, even after completing that program Amanda didn’t find employment. Rebecca began to realize that several marginalized people in their community, like Amanda, had the potential and desire to work, but barriers prevented them from contributing to most workplaces. Out of this experience, Rebecca and a co-founder created the Raw Carrot just over 10 years ago, and Amanda still works there today.

Upstairs in the church’s office spaces, Rebecca now leads The Raw Carrot “HQ,” a team that supports not only the Paris site Rebecca co-founded, but four other sites across Ontario, and one opening soon in Manitoba. This social franchise has clearly resonated with other churches and non-profits who have a vision for reducing poverty and marginalization.

As the ministry’s presence expands, so does its impact. One staff member from the Raw Carrot’s site in rural Innerkip, Ontario was recently baptized. She says, “I have been working at the Raw Carrot in Innerkip for five years. This has been a rewarding experience on many levels including my spiritual growth. I was fairly new to Christianity when I began working there, so being employed in a Christian-based business was and is very special to me. We start each day with a Bible quote and prayer which allows me to begin my day with the closeness of God. Many of the volunteers have helped me to learn about and draw closer to God. I have also had the opportunity to introduce a coworker to the Church and watch the Spirit grow within several of my coworkers. There is no doubt that God captains the Raw Carrot ship, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Many churches are laudably working to make their worship services and events—the attractional mode of church—more welcoming of and inclusive for those with disabilities who are spiritually ready to attend. This often happens through critical physical accommodations like ramps and accessible washrooms. But for those further afield, facing hunger, poverty, and lack of affordable housing, bigger barriers exist. The Raw Carrot is a way that the Church looks outward, seeking out such marginalized people in our communities, building lasting relationships, and creating dignified employment opportunities in a community that is itself a fresh expression of church.

The Raw Carrot is the missional mode of church. The Fresh Expressions movement defines this mode as a formative journey that starts with serving needs, before building community, then forming disciples, who can ultimately become a church right where they are. Raw Carrot sites may appear to be hosted by churches, but for many staff and volunteers, the Raw Carrot is the very definition of Christian community meeting their most basic needs with dignity and Christian love.

The Raw Carrot is actively expanding, and the organization’s Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Diane Talbot-Schoenhoff, welcomes contact from those interested in starting a site, selling its products, or supporting the ministry in other ways. You can visit them online to learn more: https://therawcarrot.com

Love New Canadians: Developing a Pathway to Jesus for Immigrants in Your Neighbourhood

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When it comes to the biblical directive to love immigrants, Canada is a land teeming with opportunity. According to 2021 Statistics Canada data, 23.0% of Canadians are foreign born (landed immigrants and permanent residents).[1] In 2023 Canada welcomed more than 471,000 new permanent residents.[2] In addition, that year alone there were more than 183,000 temporary foreign workers in Canada,[3] about 51,000 new refugee claimants,[4] and more than 900,000 international students.[5] What can our churches do to help those who are new to Canada move along a pathway to Jesus?   Love New Canadians. A 3-Stage Intercultural Ministry Pathway At our church in Calgary we have created a ministry for immigrants that consists of three parts. This pathway is a strategy for intercultural ministry. Stage 1 consists of classes and events that help newcomers settle in Canada. These classes have little or no spiritual content. Stage 2 is a transition from Stage-1 to Stage-3 classes. It is a gentle introduction to the Gospel for those who are curious about Jesus, Christianity, or the Church. Stage 3 consists of classes for those who want to follow Jesus or who are looking closely at what it would mean to follow Jesus. It consists of ESL Bible studies, Alpha, worship services, and small groups.   Stage 1: Friendship Our goal with the Stage-1 classes is to meet the needs of immigrants in our neighbourhood and to help them settle into life here. We provide services that result in people in our neighbourhood coming into our church building and getting to know Christians who show love to them. Stage 1 consists of various ESL classes, “Jobtalk,” a citizenship class, the “Immigrant Transitions” class, novel studies, and “Project Confidence” (a public speaking class). A key part of Stage-1 activities is our monthly parties. They are a great way for us to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Examples include farm trips, garden tours, camping, curling, hiking, street hockey (or, in our case, church–parking lot hockey), snowshoeing, skating, mini-golf, an Easter egg hunt, banquets, and potlucks. People come to these classes and events because they want to learn, to find a job, or to make friends. Some attend because they are bored, or lonely, or perhaps just curious about what happens in the church building. Many people have told me that coming to one of our classes was the first time they had ever entered a church building. When our immigrant friends feel comfortable and when they find the activities helpful and enjoyable, they are very likely to come back, try other classes that we offer, and invite a friend. In Leviticus 19, God said to the people of Israel through Moses: “The foreigner living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love immigrants as you love yourselves. Remember, your people were also once immigrants. I am the LORD your God” (Lev 19:34). We begin with settlement programming as a way to treat immigrants like we would want to be treated if we moved to another country. We have discovered that this strategy is effective for producing spiritual conversations. We are comfortable spending weeks, months, and sometimes even years getting to know our immigrant friends as we trust the Spirit of God to draw them to Jesus.   Stage 2: Spiritual Curiosity The second stage on the pathway is the transitional programming. We call it our ESL Bridges class. This class bridges the gap between settlement classes and events (Stage 1) and spiritual classes (Stage 3), focusing on the English language, Canadian culture, and the life and teaching of Jesus. It can be difficult for a newcomer to make the transition from an ESL class, farm trip, or line-dancing lesson to the spiritual conversations of a Bible study or Alpha. The Bridges class helps fill this gap. We believe God gave us the idea for the Bridges class to address the spiritual curiosity of immigrants. Those who come are not usually interested in becoming followers of Jesus (at least not yet), but they are curious about our faith. Many come from countries where they were unable to ask questions about Jesus, the Bible, Christianity or the Church. We begin each class with a focus on some aspect of culture. Every week it is something different. Examples include celebrating Thanksgiving, looking at the northern lights, dealing with a car accident, or finding a physician. After the cultural introduction, we look at a lesson from the Gospels that is designed to help students learn English while exploring questions related to their own spiritual curiosity. Rather than trying to help students understand the Bible (which is a great goal), in this class we use the life and teaching of Jesus to generate discussion questions for newcomers to talk about their own lives. For example, when looking at John 2, where Jesus turns water into wine, we asked questions about marriage:

Q. In verse 2 Jesus and his followers were at a wedding. What are the components (parts) of a wedding in your birth country?

Q. What food is served at a wedding in your birth country?

Q. What are the various roles (jobs) people have at a wedding? Verse 10 refers to those who “have had too much to drink.” What are the effects of drinking too much?

Q. How would your life be different if you could change water into wine?

Each week we include a question that a seeker might ask to help us think about the personal implications of Jesus’ words:

Q. These verses in John tell us the story of Jesus’ first miracle. What miracle would you like Jesus to do for you?

We have found that these personal questions naturally lead to spiritual conversations. Newcomers learn English while at the same time building friendships with fellow students and loving Christian volunteers. These kinds of questions invite honesty and vulnerability. When we speak honestly ourselves and express our own vulnerability, our immigrant friends respond in a similar manner. Over time, we are able to have comfortable and natural spiritual conversations.

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Stage 3: Spiritual Focus The third stage of this pathway to Jesus consists of spiritual classes, like ESL Bible studies and Alpha. It is for those who want to follow Jesus, or are close to faith, or new to faith. This is the kind of teaching that Christian faith communities are good at, though sometimes they need help with the ESL component. Our pathway is designed to make it easy for immigrants to move from Stage 1, to Stage 2, and then to Stage 3, where they become mature followers of Jesus. We have found that, on average, for every ten who attend settlement classes and events (Stage 1), four will attend the Stage-2 ESL Bridges class, and two will attend the Stage-3 spiritual classes. Our goal is to increase the settlement programming so that more people will be on the pathway to Jesus. The more new Canadians attending Stage-1 settlement classes, the more will come to the Stage-2 ESL Bridges class, and the more will attend Stage-3 Alpha classes and ESL Bible studies. In the past seventeen years we have seen hundreds of our immigrant neighbours progress along a pathway towards Jesus, and dozens have become his disciples. Many join small groups, volunteer, bring their children to Sunday school classes, and attend worship services. Since we started Love New Canadians in 2014, we have found that the model also works well across Canada, in faith communities with as few as twenty-five people, large churches with more than five thousand members, and everything in between. [1] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221026/dq221026a-eng.htm accessed Jan 20, 2023.[2] https://www.cicnews.com/2024/02/canada-welcomed-471550-new-permanent-residents-in-2023-0242798.html#gs.d44amy accessed Aug 3, 2024. See also https://www.immigration.ca/canada-welcomes-record-471550-new-permanent-residents-in-2023/ accessed Aug 3, 2024.[3] https://www.hcamag.com/ca/specialization/immigration/temporary-foreign-worker-approvals-more-than-double-from-2018-to-2023-report/494668#:~:text=How%20many%20temporary%20residents%20are,reported%2C%20citing%20data%20from%20ESDC accessed Aug 3, 2024.[4] https://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/statistics/protection/Pages/RPDStat2023.aspx accessed Aug 3, 2024.[5] Calgary Sun, Jan 14, 2024, p. 10 (no author stated).

Showing Up is Half the Battle

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As a chaplain for politicians, I’ve learned that showing up is half the battle. As followers of Jesus, we have the world’s most incredible message to deliver. Still, the message is in danger of not being heard if we don’t give thoughtful consideration to how we show up in others’ lives through a regular, engaged, and unordinary presence. Let me go back about five years. In the spring of 2019, my young family and I moved from our pastoral charge in Huntsville, Ontario, and I began showing up at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen’s Park as a legislative chaplain. I had just joined the team of Leading Influence, a national non-profit organization that provides non-partisan chaplaincy and pastoral services to Canada’s elected officials and their staffers. As the Ontario Spiritual Care Provider, I was commissioned to connect with Members of the Provincial Parliament to support and encourage them in their uniquely challenging role of public office. Since 2007, the ministry model for Leading Influence has specified that we neither have nor seek official status in the legislatures we serve, thus allowing utmost ministry latitude and missional clarity. Simply, our team quietly builds relationships by providing a ministry of presence in the lives of the dear people of Queen’s Park. In my sixth year of showing up at Queen’s Park, I continue to see lives transformed across the political spectrum across the political spectrum. As I am a full-time chaplain, my presence in the lives of our MPPs has been regular. Almost every day the legislature is in session, I walk the hallways of the House, giving high-fives and handshakes, visiting the public galleries for Question Period and debates, and taking my lunches with them in the cafeteria. I’m determined to be seen doing good things and heard saying good words. This isn’t because I want my presence to be “all about me,” but because I want to follow Jesus’s instructions in Matthew 5:16: “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Believe me, this introvert would much rather blend into the surroundings any day!) Most of us want to make a difference in our world—one that makes significant, quantifiable changes in everyone’s lives. There’s nothing wrong with that, but as time passes, the more I’m reminded that the results and fruitfulness of our outreach endeavours squarely rest with Jesus. (Remember John 15:1–8? He’s the root, we’re the branches.) Few of us will have the measurable impact of the likes of Billy Graham; I’m persuaded that, for most of us (me included!), showing up with faithful, regular presence is foundational. Beyond being regular, our presence must be engaged, not passive. In legislative chaplaincy, that means I actively learn more about our elected representatives and understand their duties and responsibilities. Engaging means discerning the direction the wind is blowing in others’ lives and then setting our sails accordingly. For example, in the stormy winds of the Covid-19 pandemic, physical presence at the legislature was reduced acutely. Endeavouring to provide chaplaincy ministry during the pandemic felt like captaining a sailboat with no wind. The momentum I had experienced before the lockdowns came to a grinding halt, and the wind was suddenly blowing in a completely different direction. I quickly had to redirect my sail and change up my efforts to find other ways to encourage and support without being physically present. A new opportunity developed for virtual ministry delivery and a new kind of momentum picked up pace. Almost overnight, the ministry was now all about text messaging, Twitter DMs, good old-fashioned phone calls, emails, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp. And, who can forget the countless hours spent on Zoom calls on screens across the land?! Ministry flourished in those days in ways it couldn’t have otherwise. When in-person contact resumed, many Members told me how much they appreciated my continuous from-a-distance follow-up, one of them saying, “Thanks for continuing to check in when everyone else disappeared.” Lastly, when we show up regularly and are engaged, we must also be unordinary. Early on in my time here, several MPPs and staffers were suspicious about me hanging around all the time, as you may imagine. I remember one Member asking me, “Why are you so friendly and kind—what exactly do you want?” In a politician’s life, nearly every interaction involves someone asking for something they need or complaining about something they’ve already received. However, doors swung wide open as I remained soundly non-issue and non-partisan with no agenda. Our team at Leading Influence often discusses how our chaplaincy care must be given “in a spirit opposite of the culture.” As followers of Jesus, we ought to have the corner on the market when it comes to kindness and grace! The message of 2 Corinthians 2:14–17 is that Christians will be either the aroma of life or the stench of death. Deciding which one to be should be the easiest choice we make each day. As we thoughtfully consider a more robust theology of presence (referred to colloquially among chaplains as “loitering with intention”), we must remember that it doesn’t have to be a major rewrite of our daily patterns; some minor tweaks here and there could make all the difference. It might mean purposefully leaving 10 minutes early to allow space for meaningful conversations, not just hurried waves as we rush by. It could simply be updating someone’s contact card on your smartphone after a conversation to recall their spouse’s name or a birthday or anniversary later. Or maybe it’s opening your calendar to the day after someone’s surgery or another meaningful life event to jot down a reminder to ask them how it went. You’re probably not employed as a chaplain, but how can you connect more intentionally with the people you run into on a daily or weekly basis? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Showing up in regular, engaged, and unordinary ways is half the battle.

The Conversion Stories of Scripture: A Treasure Trove

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Seven years ago, I changed the way I taught evangelism. I made this change because I started delving into the conversion stories of scripture and discovered that they contained a treasure trove. Now I teach students, churches, and dioceses about evangelism through the lens of these biblical stories. I’ve been astonished at the difference this approach has made. Students have learned that the sharing of faith is not dependent on finely honed arguments, superior communication skills, lovely evangelistic resources, sales tactics, or market-trend analysis. These stories teach us that the best sort of evangelism is God-dependent, Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-initiated, and based on both prayer and respectful human interaction. I have gathered what I have learned into a book, and on June 25th, A New and Ancient Evangelism: Rediscovering the Ways God Calls and Sends will be released in North America by Baker Academic. What follows is a small excerpt from Chapter Two, which explores the conversion of the man known to many of us as the Ethiopian eunuch, found in Acts 8:26-40. In this story Philip, one of the Seven chosen to help lead the early church, is told by an angel to go to a certain place. There he encounters an important Ethiopian official (a eunuch) who is on his way back from worshipping in Jerusalem. As this man rides in his chariot, he reads aloud from the book of Isaiah, in what we now know as Chapter 53. Led by the Spirit, Philip approaches the man and strikes up a conversation that quickly results in the man’s conversion and baptism. I hope you find this excerpt thought-provoking, and I hope it encourages you to consider who the Spirit may be prodding you to invite into a life-giving conversation. To discover other truths about a thoroughly biblical form of evangelism, and to read what precedes or follows this excerpt, the book can be pre-ordered through Amazon, Indigo, or your local Christian bookstore. Enjoy!  

 A Poignant Passage

 We know little about the history of this Ethiopian. He was likely forcibly castrated as a slave; it is also possible that he suffered an accident that resulted in castration. Least likely, he may have been born with what today would be called ambiguous genitalia. We simply don’t know. We do know that he had no say in his condition and no power to change the stigmatization that was inextricably connected to it, both within Judaism and in the broader Greco-Roman culture. Because of his physical deformity, he was also cut off from God. He was relegated to being part of a ridiculed and despised group. He would never have children to carry his name into the next generation. And he simply had no say in any of this.

Let’s now consider the passage the Ethiopian eunuch was reading.

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.
(Isa. 53:7-8), quoted in Act 8:32-33)

 

Is it any wonder this passage caught his attention and resonated so deeply? While we can’t know what this man was thinking, we can guess why the Ethiopian asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” (8:34). How could Isaiah, a prophet of God, understand so deeply what this eunuch himself felt? Or did the prophet know another who was so despised and rejected, so wrongly judged and shamed? About whom was the prophet speaking?

Good News for the Suffering

 Philip’s response is summed up in one sentence in this story: “Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus” (8:35). Christians looking for a script for sharing the gospel will be disappointed, for Philip took quite a different approach: listening first, asking if help was needed, awaiting an invitation, and responding to a question only with what he knew about Jesus, the person who Christians throughout the ages have identified as fulfilling Isaiah 53. One who suffered at the hands of others. One who suffered humiliation. One for whom justice was denied. One whose life was taken from him.

And yet that was not the end of the story for the one written about by the prophet, as Philip must have conveyed. The resurrection of Jesus turned his humiliation and death upside down. What looked like a horrible defeat was revealed to be an ultimate victory. The victory of God. The good news. God, in Christ, had atoned for the sin of all the ages, and he was now reconciling the whole world to himself. I often wonder if Philip showed the Ethiopian eunuch a passage in Isaiah located just three chapters after the passage he was reading. If he did, it would surely be part of the good news that Philip spoke of that day. Isaiah’s long-promised Suffering Servant had come, and as a result everything had changed.

Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people,”
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord:
To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off. (Isa. 56:3–8)

 

The story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts takes place among a series of stories about the sharing of the gospel with more and more outsiders. Philip seems to have been particularly called to this work. First we read about him preaching to the Samaritans. Next we learn about him discipling and baptizing Simon, who was formerly a sorcerer. This conversion is followed by him being sent to reach the Ethiopian eunuch, after which he was whisked away to the city of Azotus and then to villages and towns up the Mediterranean coast, until he finally reached Caesarea, where he settled. The church in Jerusalem may have been persecuted and scattered, but it was now reaching farther and farther out across the ancient world.

Loving God as the Starting Point

When churches think about how to encourage their members to share the faith, they often start looking for a new program or the latest resources in evangelism. Yet this story, and most other conversion stories in the Bible, suggests that evangelism begins with something else entirely: a deep love for God that results in a commitment to spending time with God. Our efforts to cultivate missional churches must begin with teaching our people that the Christian disciplines of silence, solitude, meditation, and prayer are the birthing ground for sharing the gospel with others. Philip’s amazing interaction with the Ethiopian eunuch began with hearing something, an instruction from an angel of the Lord.

In the West, these spiritual disciplines have often been viewed merely as the way we ourselves are fed in the faith, and so they have become disconnected from the church’s calling to share the gospel. But if we don’t see these disciplines as attending to God, how can we be attentive to God’s prodding, direction, and guidance in sharing the faith? The Ethiopian eunuch came to know about God’s amazing love for him demonstrated in the life of Jesus, the Suffering Servant, because Philip heard God’s direction. As we see in so many biblical conversion stories, and as we see in research on churches that are effectively reaching new people today, learning to listen for God’s direction is key. God most desires us to be a people of prayer. The Great Evangelist wants to teach and guide us, if we only make listening and speaking with him a priority, not just for our own sake but for the sake of the world God loves. As we seek to be a people who reach out with the gospel, our first question should be, Is this goal grounded in a deep love for God as evidenced in a commitment to prayer?

  Content taken from A New and Ancient Evangelism by Judith Paulsen, ©2024. Used by permission of Baker Academic.  

Go Into All the World Wide Web

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Jesus told his followers to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15), but what happens when the world moves onto the Internet? We have entered the digital age, and are spending more of our time online for nearly all facets of life, from banking and bills to work and video calls, and especially for breaking news and many of our social connections. Most recent reports indicate we spend an average of seven hours a day on our screens, phones and digital media. Not all ways we can use this new technology are good or beneficial for human flourishing. Yet from the Roman roads to the printing press to radio and television and now the Internet, Christians have always leveraged communication tools to take the Good News of Jesus to those who need it. With each new tool, we need to learn how to use it most effectively. Let’s consider some ideas of where to start with the digital tools we have today.

  1. Display the fruit of the Spirit. We all have likely seen some uncomfortable posts from Christians online trying to share their faith or views but sounding more like a clashing cymbal than a loving voice. When we post online, above all else we need to consider how to do so with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Perhaps the last one is the most critical to mention. Sometimes the way to share our faith online is simply to demonstrate the restraint so many others seem to lack.
  2. Remember: digital first, not digital only. We can use online platforms like Facebook or Instagram to connect with people, but it’s better to move into more personal ways to continue building trust and relationship. I’ve tried posting an invitation like, “Drop by Starbucks Monday from 8–10 a.m. I’ll be there and I’d love to see you!” I bring my laptop to do work between visits, but I often find people are so hungry for connection that my time is filled with conversations and opportunities to pray with people. Many are looking to turn their online chats into in-person connection if given the invitation, and sometimes a casual opportunity like this is less intimidating than setting up a formal one-on-one conversation.
  3. Join neighbourhood forums. We can use apps like Nextdoor or Facebook to join or start a neighbourhood group to connect with those around us. It’s amazing how quickly that leads to opportunities to meet our neighbours’ needs and to see what concerns them most—and to share laughs, find out about local events and build trust that enables more meaningful conversation.
  4. Consider chat rooms versus street corners. Some of the bravest among us may have tried door-to-door evangelism or street evangelism. Increasingly, people do not trust strangers on the street, but they are more open to having conversations with strangers online. Some of the most effective evangelists I know are seeing great fruit in chat rooms like JesusCares.com or ChatAboutJesus.com, where people are having real conversations, asking questions and accepting Christ. This could be a great way to offer your time each week to those seeking truth.
  5. Start a YouTube channel. YouTube, which is owned by Google, is the second largest search engine in the world. People wanting to know how to roast a chicken, the history of electric vehicles, or whether the Bible is trustworthy are going to YouTube by the billions. A friend of mine who was a devout atheist began to explore Christian claims on YouTube, and actually gave their life to Jesus this year because of the platform. If you want to share your faith and enjoy talking to the camera (or are willing to learn how to), there is a huge strategic opportunity to answer questions, share your life, and interact in the comments with real people on this platform. Grab a friend and do it together!
  6. Be your real self. My last encouragement is for us to be our true and authentic selves online when we post on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. We may start out by copying the voices of our most admired Christian leaders, but the best way to connect with an audience is for each of us to find our own voice—not just sharing the shiny parts of our experiences, but offering some of our real-life struggles and unpolished life with kids, work and messy homes. That builds trust, and it’s more sustainable if we don’t put on a persona. We can share Jesus by sharing ourselves.

Let’s be courageous! The online world is a new one to navigate, but if people loved by God are there, the people of God should also be there, demonstrating God’s love. He has planted us in this unique time in history to prayerfully leverage all the tools available to us to offer hope and life to a world struggling with loneliness, confusion, mental health challenges and unclear identity. Jesus is not just good news, but the best news in the world. So let’s become the best communicators of that message as we practice and live out our lives online and in person.

Welcoming Newcomers to Worship: Three Lessons from a Church Nomad

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In my career as a consultant and coach for churches, I have visited dozens of Canadian churches from St. John’s to Powell River and from Edmonton to Kingsville. The worship experiences have been amazingly varied: from liturgical to charismatic, from a forest in a local park to a historic cathedral, from Hmong to French, and from Catholic to Salvation Army. Every time I visit someone else’s church, it is a learning opportunity I cherish. As a missiologist, I firmly believe that churches must participate in God’s redemptive mission. So, one of the questions I always ask is, “How would a newcomer, especially one who is not a Christian, experience this worship service?” I always take some imaginary friends with me when I visit churches. They are a composite of people who have had spiritual conversations with me but are not connected to a church. They cause me to wonder what their response would be to the church I am visiting. Some of them are spiritual people who do not consider themselves Christians; others have concerns from past negative religious experiences; others have perspectives shaped by a different faith. I find it helpful to ask myself how my friends might react to each experience of worship. In all of my church visiting, I have learned that a few things are vitally important in order to welcome newcomers. So, at the risk of contributing to the crazy amount of “click bait” you are already exposed to, here are three things I have learned from being a church visitor (and that you will want to discern about your own church, too).  

What to Pay Attention to in Your Worship Service

  1. Invitation/Friendliness (Hospitality)

The experience of visiting a new church starts well before stepping through a doorway. Most of the time I have been invited by a friend. However, it can be quite a scavenger hunt to visit a church where you do not know anyone. Recently I found a church in a city in southern Ontario from their online posting and, while I was able to get to the correct neighbourhood without a problem, I had to walk most of the way around the block (following the sandwich boards and banners) to find their entrance in the back of an apartment building. I strongly recommend that you ask someone to test how easy it is for a stranger to find their way into your worship service or listen to the experiences of recent visitors. One of the most obvious things that affects a new visitor is the friendliness of the “regulars”. Our hospitality needs to be spiritually and relationally sensitive to the needs of the visitor, who comes to worship with expectations unique to their life experience. A few months ago, I attended a worship service in the Maritimes where I watched the office administrator leave the building to stand in the parking lot to wave in someone she had met that week. Her new neighbour had recently arrived in Canada, and she wanted the visitor to know she had a friend to sit with in this new community. How people relate to each other before, during, and after worship speaks volumes about the qualities of Christian community that have been nurtured over time in each particular church. But it is essential that this community is ready to open up and take in strangers and newcomers, even before they come in the door. Discernment questions: How challenging is it for someone to enter into the worshipping community? Do the folks at your church spontaneously welcome someone into church and do what they can to make them feel at home?  

  1. Gospel-Shaped Community

Recently I visited Baptist, charismatic, Mennonite, and Presbyterian church plants that offered opportunities to reflect on what it means to enter into Christian community as part of the introduction to the Lord’s Supper. These short explanations of the meaning of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus were directly linked to the themes of the Sunday morning. One of the ministers even offered a personal invitation to meet with anyone who wanted a follow-up conversation that week. Some experiences of congregational worship focus more on moral teaching than the message of salvation. However, I have experienced church worship services that are transformative because kerygma (proclamation) and didache (teaching) are intertwined. Love of God and love of neighbour are often just-below-the-surface themes of worship, and the ways they are present has an impact. I have interviewed people who started following Jesus after moving to Canada and they spoke about the importance of experiencing the community of faith during worship—the power of the spiritual and relational environment of a gospel-shaped people. The emotional ambience of a service, as well as the themes of the songs, prayers, and speaking, combine to create a collective experience of worship that is more than the sum of its parts. How people relate to each other before, during, and after worship speaks volumes to the qualities of Christian community that have been nurtured over time. Discernment questions: Acknowledging that the Gospel can be presented during worship through both words and actions, is the good news of Jesus clearly explained at some point in the service? Is an opportunity to interact with the good news offered during the Bible reading, as part of the sermon, or as an invitation to conversation, reflection, or prayer?  

  1. Faith-full Intentionality

My biggest take away from a new church experience is always reflecting on why they did what they did together; what was their intent? Sometimes it is obvious; when a congregation offers Spanish, French, and English during worship we know something about who is being invited to participate. Often it is more subtle or nuanced; a certain way of wording the pastoral prayer, or how children are encouraged to engage, can speak volumes to a visitor. Leading worship is definitively more art than science; it is crafting a moment in time together where we experience God, share life with each other, and reflect on how the Holy Spirit is at work around us. Discernment questions: How does your church’s intentional faithfulness in worship sensitize people to the presence of the Holy God among you? How do you identify (and celebrate) the “fruit” that is nurtured by the environment of worship?  

How to Experience Someone Else’s Worship Service

One of the most effective ways to get better at welcoming visitors is to practice being a visitor yourself. Experiencing other churches and church traditions while travelling, or worship services that meet at a different time than your own, can be valuable learning opportunities. As a veteran church visitor, I have discovered that, in order to learn well, the most important thing to get right has been my attitude. When visiting churches, it is important to enter in genuinely curious about how the body of Christ is embodied in this place, at this time, among these people.

  • I genuinely want to know why they do what they do, so my lack of familiarity is actually an opportunity to learn something. When I am authentically interested, often one of my new friends will explain to me why what I experience as strange or confusing has value for the people of this community.
  • While I generally try to enter fully into the experience of worship, I do not need to turn off my spiritual and theological discernment. Often there are moments in a worship service when I realize that they have found a way to express something about God that many of us have neglected.
  • There are other times when I leave with something on my heart that caused a “ping” on my spiritual/theological radar. I often pray for the church I have visited, and these moments can inform my intercession. I have to remember that, as a visitor, I may not fully understand all of the issues but I know God is present with them.

    James Watson (MDiv, PhD) had the privilege of visiting worship services as part of his 20-year career as a consultant and coach for church planting and congregational health. He carries these experiences forward as a 2024 Research Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Empirical Church Research at Wycliffe College, where he is leading an in-depth research project on Canadian church planting. He is enjoying the opportunity to reflect on how the Holy Spirit is at work among the churches in Canada.  

Conversion as Reconciliation: A Multifaceted Relationship. Part 2 of 2

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In this second of a two-part series, I continue to explore how viewing conversion as the formation of a relationship with God helps us reframe our efforts to share the gospel as churches and individuals. [Click here] to read the first article. Does becoming a Christian mean accepting a set of beliefs or doctrines? Is it an emotional or spiritual experience that happens to a person? Or is it a choice they make? Or does it have more to do with being baptized and joining the church? How we answer these questions has a profound effect on the way we share the gospel, as churches and individuals. Last month we began to explore the idea of conversion as reconciliation. Paul explains that “while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10). In other words, the distance from God we once experienced is being replaced by closeness and friendship. As we explored last month, this is not a one-time event but a process that unfolds step by step over time—just as in human relationships. However, not only is relationship formation progressive, it is also multifaceted. It affects many aspects of life, including: cognitive, as knowledge is gained of the other person; emotional, as affection and fondness take root; volitional, as decisions are made to invest in the relationship and change in response to it; and social, as each person gets to know the friends and family of the other. Each of these elements plays an essential role in the formation of a relationship. If two people in a romantic relationship do not know each other, no matter how strong the feelings of attraction are, their relationship is not healthy. On the other hand, if they know everything about each other, but do not like each other, or refuse to compromise, or never join each other’s social circles, their relationship is on shaky ground. Human relationships are wholistic, integrating many aspects of life. The same is true of a relationship with God. However, when we think about conversion (and evangelism), we tend to emphasize just one area of transformation. In fact, most of our ways of framing what it means to become Christian fall into one of five models of conversion:[1]

  1. The cognitive model views conversion as coming to believe a certain set of beliefs or doctrines. Education and argumentation are therefore essential tasks for the evangelist. Introductory classes and apologetics are especially important tools within this model.
  2. The emotional model looks for an affective experience—a Damascus Road vision (like Paul) or a “heart strangely warmed” (like John Wesley). Evangelism, then, focuses on stirring up emotions that will lead the person toward Christ. Both modern experiential worship and traditional revival services focus on this aspect.
  3. The volitional model primarily sees becoming a Christian as a decision to be made. Evangelism, therefore, targets the human will through persuasion. Billy Graham called for people to make a “decision” for Christ, and many evangelistic approaches of the last fifty years have likewise emphasized this aspect.
  4. While the previous model focuses on the human side of the relationship, the supernatural model accentuates the divine. God does the quickening and regenerating by his own initiative, and this is what matters most. In this model, human evangelists are responsible for proclaiming the gospel, but the results are entirely in God’s hands.
  5. The social model closely associates becoming a Christian with joining the church, so efforts centre around the convert’s incorporation into the community through social connection and entrance rites, especially baptism. The outreach efforts of many mainline churches are built around this communal component.

Each of these models captures one piece of what it means to become a Christian. However, we intuitively know that there is more to conversion than simply assenting to Christian beliefs, having an emotional experience, or encountering any one of the other aspects on its own. Looking at conversion as reconciliation can give us a more complete vision for what it means to become a Christian. This “relational model” incorporates all five elements of conversion—cognitive, emotional, volitional, supernatural, and social—into the wholistic process of forming a relationship with God. It also allows room for each of the above approaches to evangelism, giving them all a role to play in the larger objective. This framework can help individuals become more aware of the needs of those they are sharing their faith with. Evangelists can consider which aspects of a relationship with God are already developing in the other person, and which are missing. They can also identify the aspects of evangelism they gravitate toward—and ask for help in areas of weakness. For example, if someone has a strong emotional connection with God, they will likely emphasize this in their evangelistic efforts. However, if the person with whom they are sharing has intellectual questions, they can enlist the help of a friend who is interested in apologetics and the more cerebral side of Christianity. This way of looking at conversion can also help churches analyze their congregation’s overall strategy. Stronger and weaker areas can be identified, and efforts made to fill in missing gaps. For example, a church may welcome spiritual seekers effectively (social), offer a well-attended introduction to Christianity class (cognitive) and foster an environment for passionate worship (emotional). However, if they do not regularly call people to “repent and be baptized” or give opportunities to make a commitment to Christ, they will miss the important volitional aspect of the conversion process. Incidentally, this framework also helps to explain the effectiveness of the Alpha course, which gives attention to all five aspects. Just like a healthy marriage, a relationship with God is complex, multifaceted, and constantly growing. This is just as true at the beginning as it is at the twenty-fifth or fiftieth anniversary. Which aspects of your own relationship with God are strongest and weakest right now? How might God use your own growth and development in those areas (or others) to help those who are just getting started? How can you partner with those who are strong in different areas to create a more wholistic approach to helping people become Christians? [1] These five models are not necessarily exhaustive. They emerged as a way to organize the various perspectives I encountered while researching conversion for my MA thesis. While we are focusing here on Christian perspectives, they can also be helpful for categorizing secular scholarship on conversion. E.g., anthropologists focusing on changes in worldview are highlighting the cognitive element of conversion, whereas Freudian psychoanalysts view it as an emotional event.

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