I’m sure you’re right that there are places and times where cold-contact evangelism is more appropriate than at other times. But let me try to put the question as pointedly as I can: Should Christians feel guilty if they’re not out regularly doing cold-contact evangelism?
I’ve been taught all my life that it’s a good thing—and perhaps even to be expected of Christians—that they be doing contact evangelism. In other words, I’ve grown up being told that if I am to be a sold-out Christian, I need to be going out on Saturday mornings, knocking on doors, handing people a gift basket or a light bulb, and asking them if I can share with them about the “gift of God” or the “light of the world,” respectively. Or I need to be hanging out at a local shopping mall, intercepting people to do a “spiritual survey” with them, and looking for a way to transition to the Gospel.
Well, the fact is I don’t particularly like doing that sort of thing. As I said earlier, I find it uncomfortable and even a little distasteful. But I wonder, am I wrong to feel that way? I mean, on the one hand, people have definitely been brought to faith by cold-contact evangelism. And I have many friends who do that kind of evangelism pretty often.
But on the other hand, I also know that cold-contact evangelism, even when it is “successful,” tends to result in more decisions than real conversions. There’s also just the bare fact that if someone pigeon-holed me in a mall, or showed up on my doorstep with a light bulb, I would find that somewhat less than endearing.
So to put a fine point on it—When I have a free Saturday morning, should I feel guilty if I’m not out on the street knocking on doors handing out light bulbs, or standing in a mall giving spiritual surveys, or even handing out tracts at the door of SAC? To push it a little further, is there ever really a time when cold-contact is a better strategy for spreading the Gospel than relational evangelism?
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.
I have already cast my two mites worth on the subject. I wonder how much wisdom is in the old dictum, “they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Greg, is this what you are saying? If Aaron does not respond, we will assume this is his purpose statement (not that there is anything wrong with that).
Since no one’s taking the bait, here’s another thought on this matter of evangelism. It would be hard to name a more insightful and penetrating contemporary Christian thinker than J. I. Packer. Here’s something he wrote in his book Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God: (It’s long, but worth every word.)
It must never be forgotten that the enterprise required of us in evangelism is the enterprise of love: an enterprise that springs from genuine interest in those whom we seek to win, and a genuine care for their well-being, and expresses itself in a genuine respect for them and a genuine friendliness towards them.
One sometimes meets a scalp-hunting zeal in evangelism, both in the pulpit and on the personal level, which is both discreditable and alarming. It is discreditable, because it reflects, not love and care, nor the desire to be of help, but arrogance, and conceit, and pleasure in having power over the lives of others. It is alarming, because it finds expression in a ferocious psychological pommelling of the poor victim which may do great damage to sensitive and impressionable souls.
But if love prompts and rules our evangelistic work, we shall approach other people in a different spirit. If we truly care for them, and if our heart truly loves and fears God, then we shall seek to present Christ to them in a way that is both honouring to Him and respectful to them. We shall not try to violate their personalities, or exploit their weaknesses, or ride roughshod over their feelings.
What we shall be trying to do, rather, is to show them the reality of our friendship and concern by sharing with them our most valuable possession. And this spirit of friendship and concern will shine through all that we say to them, whether in the pulpit or in private, however drastic and shattering the truths that we tell them may be. (Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, 79-80)
I think that’s a good way to think about it—going to battle armed with the gospel. I’d just add, “as long as you don’t make a jerk out of yourself.” You always want to be winsome.
But KGoad, you keep talking about “coworkers,” i.e., people you know already and have some connection with. But what about just doing what is sometimes called “contact evangelism,” where you just walk up to someone who doesn’t know you from Adam and ask if you can share the Gospel with them?
To be honest, I have always had questions—and a certain level of discomfort—with that kind of evangelism. The fruit it produces, in my experience, always seems rather fragile. I’m sure there are ways to do contact evangelism that avoid that problem, and I’d love to hear from someone with any ideas.
But for now, I’ll just come right out and say it: I’m personally a much bigger fan of Connection Evangelism, the kind where you have some sort of natural connection with a person—meaning that they are your neighbor, your coworker, another parent at your kid’s soccer practice, etc. In other words, it means that you have some genuine means of striking up a real (if budding) friendship with them, to the end of sharing the Gospel. It seems to me that is a much more natural—and even effective, if you’ll allow the word—means of evangelism than the alternative. Any thoughts?
In a sermon I mentioned how Christians are the most dangerous folk now with reference to Peter putting down his sword and then being armed with the gospel. I must admit I stole this idea from Mac. He was a missionary who spoke to our church encouraging evangelism. It changed the way I think about how I relate to my coworkers. I should be the aggressor in battle taking the gospel to them.
We should not think about how others will react, but only trust the power of the gospel we preach to them. Its pretty amazing. We have been entrusted with Words that have the power to change a person’s entire life forever. This is all the more reason to be aware of how we use our tongue (Jmaes 3:6-12). Let our words be blessings for others, not curses!
