I fear if I wait any longer to post one might conclude I’m against evangelism, nothing could be further from the truth.

I’m generally of the opinion that connectional or lifestyle evangelism is the way to go. As Jonathan mentioned in his Sunday evening devotional, the Lord often puts non-Christians in our lives and we ought to consider how to be good stewards of those relationships. Do our non-Christian friends know we are Christians? Have we clearly articulated the Gospel to them? Do they know that they are not simply a project to us — a goal to accomplish — but that we love them? When I meet with guys I’ll often ask them, “Who are the non-Christians in your life that I can be praying for and what are you doing to see them come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ?” I ask them to hold me accountable to pursuing the same end.
A word on contact evangelism: A college campus is a unique setting–and a even a good setting–for contact evangelism in a way that I’d say the doors around Old Louisville would not be. A college campus is a freemarket of ideas (or at least it should be; Christian ideas are too often supressed). College students are at a stage in life where they expect to be confronted by different ideas — tactfully, lovingly, respectfully — so I think if a group from our church wants to engage in contact evangelism at UL — Godspeed; better there, on campus, than probably anywhere else in Louisville.

A word on programs. We have an evangelistic program at Third Avenue–the church! As a church not a week goes by that the elders and the congregation are not strategizing on how we can be more evangelistic. Equipping – are we equipping our members to share the Gospel? Praying – Every Sunday evening we spend time sharing prayer requests related to evangelistic opportunities. Preaching – Sunday morning sermons are not primarily for unbelievers but they are, nonetheless, evangelistic; Jonathan, thank you for making the Gospel clear. Organizing — Sometimes an evangelistic opportunity requires a bit of organization. Think of this past Sunday evening when Wireman asked that we pray and act toward reaching our Muslim neighbors. This will require members with a burden for this ministry coordinating their schedules and initiating some relationships. This it time-intensive work.

Have the crickets stopped chirping yet?

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