Methods of Evangelism

¶ … Evangelism:

Throughout the history of the Christian religion, Christians have used various approaches to spread Christianity through the practice of evangelism. The differences in the evangelism methods are attributed to the availability, suitability, and efficiency of the evangelism method in the specific evangelism process. Initially, Christianity basically involved the use of few evangelical approaches as new different forms have been introduced by various Christian groups over the years. Most of the new evangelical methods that have emerged in the past few years have come from the United States and Europe as the introduction of new technologies lead to new approaches in evangelism efforts. However, the traditional and new evangelism approaches are used by Christians across the globe to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Part One -- Four Spiritual Laws:

The Four Spiritual Laws is an evangelism method developed by Campus Crusade for Christ International to present a clear explanation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Four Spiritual laws is considered as one of the most effective evangelistic approaches ever that has resulted in sale and distribution of millions of copies in major languages across the globe. The wide use of this evangelistic tool is attributed to its clear presentation of the Gospel and its ability to promote easy way for opening conversations that boosts a person's confidence while sharing the Gospel ("How to Effectively Use the Four Spiritual Laws," n.d.).

The Four Spiritual Laws begin with a positive message about God's love, which is followed by an explanation of man's sins. This presentation of God's love towards human and man's sins are the first two spiritual laws explained in the booklet. The third law gives an explanation of the solution to the sin of mankind, which is Christ Jesus who died on the cross for the sins. This is followed by the fourth and final spiritual law that includes an invitation to receive Christ. Notably, the next pages of the booklet provides suggestions for growth, need to have faith, and the importance of the Church.

The use of the Four Spiritual Laws is linked to the various advantages that this evangelistic method provides including the fact that it opens the conversation in the right way. The other advantages of using the booklet includes its start with a positive note, provides confidence when sharing, clear presentation of the claims of Christ, provision of an invitation to receive Christ, and recommends necessary steps for growth while emphasizing the significance of the Church. However, this method also consists of some disadvantages including the fact that it makes sense for people in comfortable and relatively well lifestyles or environments. As a result, it seems like a relatively unkind standard to people we meet across the streets as most of them live below poverty lines. Secondly, the effective presentation of the booklet, especially in answering potential questions or handling unexpected responses, requires adequate training on how to use it effectively.

Part TWO -- Lifestyle Evangelism:

Lifestyle evangelism is basically described as the process of combining proclamation and affirmation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ over time through a friendship relationship. Through this evangelistic method, unbelievers are usually exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ through daily interactions and relationships they have developed with Christians ("Creating a Culture of Evangelism," n.d.). In the contemporary society, this evangelistic method is commonly known as pursue and proclaim with which the gospel is shared with friends, family members, and colleagues.

Generally, this evangelistic technique is an approach towards sharing the gospel through the demonstration of faith by actions with the hope that people around will be impressed. As the person commits to share the gospel through proclamation and affirmation by actions, people around him/her may be impressed with how God impacts that person's life and become Christians. Unlike other evangelistic methods, this approach considers the practice as a lifestyle rather than event or program.

The main advantage associated with the use of this method is that it involves the use of the major way with which the gospel has spread i.e. along relational lines. Secondly, it provides an easy way for Christians to share the gospel with individuals they know. The other advantage of lifestyle evangelism is that it usually attracts individuals who would not normally read the Bible or go to church. Nonetheless, the use of this method also consists of some disadvantages that are generally associated with the challenges it gives to Christians. First, unbelievers may not necessarily think that the person's behaviors are because of Christianity but rather because the individual is just a good person. Secondly, lifestyle evangelism tends to be process-oriented, unpredictable, and takes time to reach the lost.

Part THREE -- Door to Door Evangelism:

Door to door evangelism is an evangelistic approach used to reach every family in a particular area with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Throughout the history of the church to the modern day, this is the most commonly used method as evident in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christian leaders are currently encouraging renewed initiatives in teaching and training believers how to use this approach, it proves that this method is timely and more effective (Dunlap, 2005).

Similar to Jesus, door to door evangelism is an approach in which Christians move from one household to another in a certain area to share the gospel and even distribute gospel tracts. While this evangelistic technique follows the example of Apostle Paul, Christians should be trained and adequately prepared to handle every circumstance when using this method.

The advantages of door to door evangelism include its easy, reaches the entire community rather than a special group, communicates the church's interests in people to attend services, opens useful contacts, offers a good context for people to start personal evangelism, and its relatively cheap and easy to organize. The other advantages of the use of door to door evangelism include flexibility in planning the evangelistic efforts and avoid leaving an area without outreach. On the contrary, this approach is associated with several disadvantages such as it requires teams of two or three individuals, it may not be suitable for younger people, and contains several difficulties in motivating people to get involved (Hazelden, 2009).

Part FOUR -- Application of These Methods in Individual Life: