Wednesday, August 28, 2013

How to Produce Evangelistic Students

At its heart, Christianity is an evangelistic religion. We have been so moved by what Christ has done in our life that we are compelled to share it with others. However, one of the biggest problems that faces mainline religions like the one that I am associated with is that we have lost the passion to share what Christ has done in our life with others. Furthermore, we have experienced or witnessed evangelistic methods that are turnoffs therefore making the word “evangelism” a bad word.

Be that as it may, here are a few suggestions on how you can encourage students to share their faith with others.

Lead by Example-If you want your students to share their faith with others, then you also have to share your faith with others… This is a leading by example! This is a practice that Jesus used often. He didn’t just tell his disciples how they should share about the kingdom of God, he showed them. If you want your students to be evangelistic and share their faith with others, you need to model it for them.

Help Students Know Their Own Story-Students need practical ways to share their faith with their friends and family… One of the best ways is helping them articulate their own spiritual journey. If their story is filled with sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll-That’s okay because it’s THEIR story-but make sure the focus rests squarely on Christ and his redemptive work. If their story isn’t quite as dramatic, encourage them to point out how God is moving in their life. Either way, having everyone write out their personal story is a great way to help them build confidence around sharing their faith with others.

Create Opportunities to Share Their Faith-Every opportunity you get, have some students share their personal faith testimony. This can be done during worship, on a mission trip, on a retreat-ANYTIME! The more opportunities you allow students to share their faith stories with others the more confident they will become and the easier it will be for them to share it with their friends, family and even with people they don’t even know.