Tactical Tips

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Evangelism Style Guide

Ways to Evangelize

Things to know before you get started

1. Model the Behavior

Avoid Arguments
a. We are in a battle to win a soul, not an argument.
b. We are not promoting a religion, but rather salvation
c. Understand when a person just wants to debate or argue a point.
d. Leave them a card and calmly walk away.
e. Behavior and appearance are your most effective tools for witnessing.
f. Before people can see the Jesus in the Bible, they must see the Jesus in you.

2. Always Work in Teams

a. Two or three team members.
b. One speaker, engaging the listener.
c. The second stands silently, listening for pertinent information, ready to record data on the CityServe app.

3. Be Prepared

a. Should a person receive prayer or accept Jesus as Savior, always assure them of God’s forgiveness and salvation with Scripture.
i. Romans 10:9 or 1 John 5:11-12.
b. Always provide reading material to leave with the listener: cards, Bibles or booklets with your church’s contact information; address, phone number, service times, etc.

What’s Your Style?

Adapting Your Style

Adapt your approach to the type of evangelism that best suits your personality.

Confrontational:
This technique serves best in door-to-door and street evangelism. (This person should remember compassion and empathy.)

Intellectual:
The intellectual technique serves best to the person who is well versed in Christian Apologetics (historical and philosophical arguments) used to support the faith. (This person should remember that salvation is not an act of the intellect, but conversion is only accomplished by the Holy Spirit and takes place in the heart.)

Testimonial:
The testimonial technique is more suited to the person who is willing to open themselves to others in sharing the “before and after” of how their lives were changed after meeting Jesus. (This person should be careful not to reveal too much personal information but keep the subject matter general and Christ-centered.)

Relational:
The relational technique is for the outgoing personality who knows how to win a friend to win a soul. (This person should remember not to allow the development of the friendship to overshadow their purpose, which is to share the Gospel.)

Invitational:
One of the most commonly used techniques, invitational witnessing only requires asking an acquaintance to be your guest at a church event or worship service. (This person should follow up to ensure that their guest received or remains open to the Gospel.)

Situational Evangelism

“Unto the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without the law, as without law (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without the law. To the weak, became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”
1 Corinthians 9:19-22

The Apostle Paul put his entire life’s experience at God’s disposal for the sole purpose of reaching the lost.

  • Paul was born a Hebrew, ordained a Pharisee, worked as a tentmaker, known as a teacher, a writer, a counselor and a convict.
  • His broad range of experience made him uniquely able to relate to people in various walks of life.
  • Paul understood the importance of developing a rapport with the hearer by being able to relate through common experience.

Your ability to empathize or relate to an unbeliever will make you uniquely able to reach the heart of that person with the Gospel.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Ways to Evangelize

Personal Story Sharing

With a little preparation, your story can be a powerful way to give God the praise he deserves and to help others draw closer to Him. Here are three tips to make sharing your story easier:

Step 1: Focus
What is the overarching matter?
Choose a turning point or defining moment in your life; a problem or struggle; a change of mind or heart; or a significant relationship. A single storyline or idea makes telling your story more manageable.

Step 2: Describe
What’s the essential setup or context for your story?
Paint a picture of your circumstances and describe what motivated your life before the change took place. You will help people understand and relate.

Step 3: Explain
What happened and why?
Bring people along on your journey. Share how and why your choices, attitudes, and circumstances changed. Since your story is ultimately about God, make it clear how Jesus becomes the change-maker — turning a mess into a message, a test into a testimony, a trial into a triumph, a victim into a victor.

Step 4: Reveal
What did God show you about yourself or Himself, and how are you living differently today because of that?
Every good story makes sense of the world. This is your opportunity to offer a personal takeaway.

Pro Tips

  • Be conversational. Focus on expressing your thoughts and feelings, not on the words. Be specific. Use concrete situations, details, and emotions. Help people visualize.
  • Be honest. Embrace the messiness. Don’t exaggerate or sugarcoat.
  • Be real. You are a work in progress. So is what God is doing. Don’t feel the need to tie things up in a bow.
  •  Be simple: Don’t clutter your story with details, tangents, backstories or people that aren’t really connected to your focus.

Contextual Evangelism

Sensitivity to the condition of the person you’re sharing with will provide a credible platform for sharing the Faith.

Situational Sensitivity:

  • Being observant will help you find a common concern that will help you to establish a connection.
  • It is important the prospect knows and feels you care about them or those things they are concerned about.

Examples:

  • Toys scattered around certainly indicate the presence of children. It may also indicate a need for child care.
  • Alcohol bottles may indicate a casual drinker, or a person trying to drown their problems.
  • Body posture may indicate a lack of interest, or that they are busy.

Learn to Listen: Listen to Learn

  • Listen for the need in the individual and allow God’s Spirit to lead you in tactful ways to approach them.
  • Listen with a heart of compassion knowing that, while life is filled with questions, you have the answer, Jesus Christ.

Be Observant: Listen, Look, and Understand

  • Discerning the moment.
  • Timing is essential.
  • There is a time to engage a person, and there is a time to walk away.
  • Watch for signs of stress like tenseness, clenched teeth or nervousness.
  • Be kind and show compassion by respecting their situation.
  • However, if they indicate a willingness to accept help by stopping and listening, share an encouraging word and offer to pray with them.
  • Always be aware of your surroundings. Simply stated—Learn to pray with your eyes open.

Recognizing the “God Moment

In the course of sharing the faith, there comes a “God Moment” when the Lord is dealing with the heart of the seeker. This is a crucial time because they are at the point of accepting or rejecting the Savior, and you must be cognizant of this moment.

Examples of the “God Moment” could be:

  • A change in body posture or facial expression
  • Tears
  • An earnest attempt to hear and understand what you are saying
  • An expression of the frustration with their current situation.
    When your ability to perceive the moment intersects with their receptivity to the Spirit of God, this is the time to lead them to the Lord in prayer. If the seeker is not receptive at that moment, you might respectfully ask; “Would you mind if I pray for you?” If they agree, pray with them for the needs they have expressed or that you may have perceived, and then pray for them that God will give them a desire to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Shorthand Gospel

Shorthand Gospel
In the beginning, there was God. God first created many spirits to worship Him. Next God decided He wanted to make man. But first He needed to make a world for man to live in. So, He created earth and the universe. He created a perfect world; there was no sickness, there was no death, there was no hunger. Then He finally created both man and woman. He created them beautiful; He loved man and woman so much. He even gave them the gift of free will; to choose to follow and love Him in return.

Man and woman had a perfect relationship with God. They walked in peace with God. Everything was good until man and woman disobeyed God. This disobedience is called sin. And because of that, sickness entered the world. Death entered the world. Poverty entered the world and life became hard. But because God loved us, He decided to make a promise to send a deliverer to take the punishment of their sin and return them to a relationship with God.

About 2000 years ago, God himself, came down to earth in the form of a man. He was born as a baby and he grew up. His name was Jesus Christ. He also did miraculous things. He died on a cross as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins.

Three days after Jesus died, Jesus rose up from the grave. This proves that His sacrifice was acceptable to the Father as punishment for the sin of the world. Therefore, if you want to be reconciled back to a relationship with God, believe He is the Son of God and obey His teachings. Would you like to pray and ask Jesus to become Lord over your life?

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