Will Metzger’s book, Tell the Truth, begins with the following paragraph:

Have you ever been stymied by evangelism? Do you feel you are tossed between two unacceptable alternatives and can’t find your niche? On the one side you see Christians who are very friendly to others, but don’t say much about Jesus Christ. On the other side are those who are always “giving out the gospel” but seem to know nothing about genuine friendship. The frustration of bumping into these two extremes in Christian circles is very real.

Metzger wrote these words twenty-five years ago, but I think our blog discussion shows that the tension he described is alive and well. Let me say again that I think contact evangelism can be more helpful on places like a college campus or a spring break beach where it just makes more sense to strike up a conversation about the gospel (at least it does to me) than at the mall or knocking on someone’s door.

Let me also say that contact evangelism, given the “success rate” may be more useful for the evangelist than the listener. In other words, being forced to overcome one’s fears and share the gospel with a stranger can be a challenging, thrilling, and empowering experience.

Having said that, contact evangelism, by its very definition, tempts us to think of evangelism programmatically, categorically, as if evangelism is something that we turn off and on like a light switch as opposed to thinking of evangelism more as a lifestyle. If you think of evangelism primarily in terms of contact methodology than I think you will (and should) feel guilty for not hitting the streets with tracts on Saturday morning because you will not be faithful to sharing the Gospel as you understand faithfulness.

However, if you understand that sharing the Gospel is about seeking out and taking advantage of relationships the Lord has given you in the ways I’ve already described (being more than friendly–being intentional!), then I don’t think you need to feel guilty that you’ve not made contact evangelism a regular staple of your diet.

I want to end this post with a lengthy excerpt from Lifestyle Evangelism by Joe Aldrich. In a tender, respectful way he addressed the issues we are raising:

Three things need to be said about [confrontational evangelism]. First it is legitimate. Many have found Christ through this approach. Second, it is limited. I doubt that 10 percent of the body of Christ will ever be effective in this type of evangelism. Third, it allows a much higher percentage of the body to meet unbelievers and give a positive witness with a little encouragement and training . . . However, it is naive to assume that most people trust in Christ as the result of a stranger witnessing to them during a one-time spiritual transaction. The vast majority do not. Furthermore, many are hindered from making a decision because of a bad decison with a zealous but insensitive witness.

Aldrich went on to suggest a better model:

How much more biblical to have a carefully nurtured church family whose members are released to be Christ’s servants in their sphere of influence. The Christian loves his neighbor and evangelism becomes a byproduct of his self-giving love, not the reason for it . . .

My greatest concern is not the inherent limitations of this approach as much as what it becomes a substitute for. It’s like eating canned peaches all your life and never tasting a fresh one . . . What a joy it has been for my wife Ruthie and me to see many of our neighbors become good friends and also trust Christ. They are born running and grow quickly because a follow-up matrix has already been established before they trust the Lord. We tie neighbor to neighbor in bonds of friendship. They trust the Lord and we all grow together (75-76).

Well, that’s enough for now. A reminder to me to get to know my neighbors for the glory of God.

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