Being the Director of Evangelism for the State Convention, I try to keep up on the latest news that is happening in the area of evangelism. One way I do this is with “Google Alerts.” Everyday when I turn on my computer I get a listing from Google of the big stories in evangelism. A few of the reports I read are interesting and relevant to us, but most of the stories have little to no impact on our work in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
A few weeks ago I began getting stories about secular companies and their “evangelism” efforts. At first I thought that these stories would not relate to us, but as I continued to read I found that we could learn from some of their methods and conclusions.
One interesting story I read was titled “Herding cats at Microsoft.” If you want to read it for yourself you can go to www.news.com and search for “herding cats.” It was posted on March 17, 2008.
Now before you get too excited about Microsoft trying to convert their workers, you need to realize that although they are using the term “evangelism”, they have modified it to fit their needs. It has nothing to do with leading a person to Christ; rather it deals with convincing workers to change their thinking and behavior as it relates to company rules and procedures.
Tim O’Brien, a senior director of Microsoft in charge of the evangelism organization said, “My role in the company is to help groups understand what the paths are.” He does not want them heading down random paths. He further stated, “The evangelism organization was conceived to get people to adopt technology when it doesn’t necessarily seem rational… Evangelism can help envision the possibilities. My role is to… piece together an end-to-end story for developers and create a call to action.”
Isn’t that what we are commanded to do as Christian evangelists? We are here to help people find the straight and narrow path which leads to life. We do not want people traveling down random paths which lead to destruction. (Mt 7:13-14) Many times the message we give does not make rational sense to the unconverted. Therefore we need to help them envision their life as a follower of Christ. We present the story from beginning to end and call for action in the form of repentance and faith. (Rom 10:9-13)
The article goes on to point out that this evangelism organization at Microsoft consists of 1,750 people trying to herd 78,565 employees down the same path. As can be expected, trying to guide all these people in the same direction “could generate a significant amount of friction within the company.” To accomplish this task with the least amount of friction, O’Brien states that “good communication, rather than arm twisting, is the primary mechanism.”
Not much needs to be said here for us. We all know that arm twisting evangelistic methods rarely, if ever, produce transformational change in a person’s life. Often these methods actually create friction and hard feelings among the very people we hope to lead to Christ. However, any method that uses good communication and concern for the listener is the most effective way of partnering with the Holy Spirit to convince others of the truth.
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The "L" Factor
Tim Sanders is a Christian business man who I first learned about when I read his book, Love is the Killer App. At that time he was the leadership coach at Yahoo who used Christian principles to help Yahoo.com grow and prosper. Tim has also written the book, The Likeability Factor. How to Boost Your L-Factor and Achieve Your Life’s Dreams. Although this book is not about evangelism, there are some very important principles that do relate to how we successfully practice our evangelism.
According to Tim, “talent and timing are very important in life, but the likeability factor is the tie breaker in life. The L-factor is your capacity to consistently produce positive emotions in the lives of other people.” This does not mean you tell people what they want to hear, rather it means you practice all of the four critical personality traits:
1. Friendliness: The ability to communicate, “I like you.”
2. Relevance: The ability to communicate, “I relate to you.”
3. Empathy: The ability to communicate, “I can see things from your point of view.”
4. Realness: The ability to communicate, “I can be trusted, I will do what I say.”
A person can be trained in all the evangelism methods and strategies and would thus be very talented in the area of evangelism. A person of evangelistic talent is very good, but talent is not enough. A person can also be available at all the right times to do evangelism and could be said to have good timing. A person with evangelistic timing is also very good, but this is also not enough. What we need to add to talent and timing is the likeability factor.
Too many times I have seen Christians neglect evangelistic talent and timing resulting in them not witnessing to others about their faith in Jesus Christ. I have also seen fellow Christians use their talent and timing in ways that communicate to the prospect that they have encountered a person who sees them as a conquest for the sake of Jesus or as just another evangelistic notch in the evangelism belt. Either way, these encounters usually do not result in successful evangelism.
I believe the likeability factor has enormous implications for those who want to be effective in leading others to faith in Jesus Christ. If we desire to become more effective in our personal evangelistic efforts, I suggest we begin with the L-factor. When we are friendly toward others we prove to them that we really like them. We then begin to have influence with them. When we show others that we are relevant to them and can relate to them, we have opened doors in our relationship with them that will help them listen to us. When we empathize with the other person, we not only show them that we can see things from their point of view, but we also earn the right to speak to them in their times of need. When we prove our realness and our trustworthiness to others, we have become important to them and thus have earned to privilege to not only share our faith but to be taken seriously about what we believe.
When we take seriously our relationships with non-believers, we begin to see them with the eyes of our Savior. As we invest our lives in the lives of those whom God has given us access, we are also given opportunities to influence them toward God’s Kingdom. When we become “likeable” it reaps evangelistic opportunity and success. Let’s all work on our “L-factor.”
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
According to Tim, “talent and timing are very important in life, but the likeability factor is the tie breaker in life. The L-factor is your capacity to consistently produce positive emotions in the lives of other people.” This does not mean you tell people what they want to hear, rather it means you practice all of the four critical personality traits:
1. Friendliness: The ability to communicate, “I like you.”
2. Relevance: The ability to communicate, “I relate to you.”
3. Empathy: The ability to communicate, “I can see things from your point of view.”
4. Realness: The ability to communicate, “I can be trusted, I will do what I say.”
A person can be trained in all the evangelism methods and strategies and would thus be very talented in the area of evangelism. A person of evangelistic talent is very good, but talent is not enough. A person can also be available at all the right times to do evangelism and could be said to have good timing. A person with evangelistic timing is also very good, but this is also not enough. What we need to add to talent and timing is the likeability factor.
Too many times I have seen Christians neglect evangelistic talent and timing resulting in them not witnessing to others about their faith in Jesus Christ. I have also seen fellow Christians use their talent and timing in ways that communicate to the prospect that they have encountered a person who sees them as a conquest for the sake of Jesus or as just another evangelistic notch in the evangelism belt. Either way, these encounters usually do not result in successful evangelism.
I believe the likeability factor has enormous implications for those who want to be effective in leading others to faith in Jesus Christ. If we desire to become more effective in our personal evangelistic efforts, I suggest we begin with the L-factor. When we are friendly toward others we prove to them that we really like them. We then begin to have influence with them. When we show others that we are relevant to them and can relate to them, we have opened doors in our relationship with them that will help them listen to us. When we empathize with the other person, we not only show them that we can see things from their point of view, but we also earn the right to speak to them in their times of need. When we prove our realness and our trustworthiness to others, we have become important to them and thus have earned to privilege to not only share our faith but to be taken seriously about what we believe.
When we take seriously our relationships with non-believers, we begin to see them with the eyes of our Savior. As we invest our lives in the lives of those whom God has given us access, we are also given opportunities to influence them toward God’s Kingdom. When we become “likeable” it reaps evangelistic opportunity and success. Let’s all work on our “L-factor.”
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Thursday, September 20, 2007
A Natural Evangelist
I remember when I first met Ginger. It was in the first week of my ninth grade year. She was hanging around with a lot of cute girls in the school lunch room. She had a strong presence based on personality not looks. Please don’t get me wrong, she was pleasant looking but she was neither cute nor gorgeous. She was plain and muscular. She was strong in body and had a great personality. She was one of those girls who could have sulked off to a shy corner and been left to finish high school below most of our radar screens. But this was not Ginger. She did not seem to be bothered by the fact that most of the girls she hung out with were cuter than her. She did not seem to be bothered by her strong, less that dainty hips and legs. She was Ginger and she was there and you were going to feel her presence and you were really going to like her. She had confidence in herself and it was fun being around her.
During that first year of High School Ginger decided to be a cheerleader. Trust me on this; she did not fit the mold. Never the less, she got on the squad and by her senior year she was captain of the team. She had a voice that you could hear over any crowd noise. She was always the base of the stunts. She was the one who stood strong holding other girls as they stood on her shoulders. She was the one who was strong enough to launch the other cheerleaders in the air. She was also the one who never missed when it came to catching another girl during a stunt. She was strong and dependable.
During our senior year while at one of the football games, I decided to go to the concession stand for some popcorn. The game was in progress and the cheerleaders had just finished leading a cheer. As I passed by I noticed a group of four younger girls, probably seventh or eighth graders, sitting right in front of the cheerleaders. It was obvious that these girls were enamored with the thought of being cheerleaders someday. As I returned ginger as kneeling down next to the fence talking to the four girls who were on the other side of the fence. Ginger was making there day. As I passed by I heard Ginger encouraging them to become cheerleaders and telling them what they needed to do to get on the squad. I don’t remember what advice she gave them but I do remember the picture. Here was the captain of the squad taking time during a game to bless four little girls while the rest of the high school cheerleaders were twenty feel away, huddled around the pom-poms talking to themselves. They were oblivious to the little girls and to what Ginger was doing. They were confining themselves to their own little world while Ginger was casting a vision and instilling hope in the lives others.
Isn’t that a lot like evangelism? Ginger was an evangelist for cheerleading. Ginger has become for me an example of how God can take someone who does not have everything going for them as the world views things, and using them to be successful for the cause of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is great to know that no matter whom we are, God can use us to bring others to salvation. Sometime all it takes is for us to put our confidence and trust in the Lord, look up from our little world, and encourage those who God brings into our lives. Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into the fields.” (Luke 10:2 NLT) Lord, please let those workers be us!
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
During that first year of High School Ginger decided to be a cheerleader. Trust me on this; she did not fit the mold. Never the less, she got on the squad and by her senior year she was captain of the team. She had a voice that you could hear over any crowd noise. She was always the base of the stunts. She was the one who stood strong holding other girls as they stood on her shoulders. She was the one who was strong enough to launch the other cheerleaders in the air. She was also the one who never missed when it came to catching another girl during a stunt. She was strong and dependable.
During our senior year while at one of the football games, I decided to go to the concession stand for some popcorn. The game was in progress and the cheerleaders had just finished leading a cheer. As I passed by I noticed a group of four younger girls, probably seventh or eighth graders, sitting right in front of the cheerleaders. It was obvious that these girls were enamored with the thought of being cheerleaders someday. As I returned ginger as kneeling down next to the fence talking to the four girls who were on the other side of the fence. Ginger was making there day. As I passed by I heard Ginger encouraging them to become cheerleaders and telling them what they needed to do to get on the squad. I don’t remember what advice she gave them but I do remember the picture. Here was the captain of the squad taking time during a game to bless four little girls while the rest of the high school cheerleaders were twenty feel away, huddled around the pom-poms talking to themselves. They were oblivious to the little girls and to what Ginger was doing. They were confining themselves to their own little world while Ginger was casting a vision and instilling hope in the lives others.
Isn’t that a lot like evangelism? Ginger was an evangelist for cheerleading. Ginger has become for me an example of how God can take someone who does not have everything going for them as the world views things, and using them to be successful for the cause of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is great to know that no matter whom we are, God can use us to bring others to salvation. Sometime all it takes is for us to put our confidence and trust in the Lord, look up from our little world, and encourage those who God brings into our lives. Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into the fields.” (Luke 10:2 NLT) Lord, please let those workers be us!
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Roadblocks -vs- Detours
One of the joys of the Christian life is being around people who are excited and enthusiastic about sharing their faith with others. Most of the time these are people who have just recently taken the step to follow Jesus their forgiver and life’s leader. Sometimes it is those who have been Christians for sometime but who have just gotten serious about living out their faith. Every once in a while it is an older follower of Jesus who did not let themselves fall into the pit of evangelistic inactivity. Either way, it is a blessing to be around and work with people who want to share the good new of Christ with others.
I can say now it is a joy to be around such folks, however, that is not the way it always was for me. Early in my ministry I did not enjoy these supercharged Christians because their desire to share Christ with everyone often embarrassed me. There desire to have other Christians as excited about sharing the faith often brought about a sense of guilt in my life because I was not involved in personal evangelism.
Many times these people would come to me for advice and encouragement in how to better share their faith. I am convinced they assumed I knew what I was doing simply because I was a pastor who had been to seminary and made my living serving Christ in the church. Although they were coming to me for advice, I did not have much to help them. I was trying to encourage them in their obedience while at the same time hiding the fact that I was a failure at evangelism. I had a choice to make. I could continue in guilt and shame or I could learn to do evangelism in a way that fit me. I chose to learn.
I learned a lot as I studied but one thing that had a great impact on me was when I understood the difference between spiritual detours and spiritual roadblocks. A spiritual detour is anything a person thinks or does that slows them down in their journey to faith. A spiritual roadblock is anything a person thinks or does that stops them in their journey to faith. There are thousands of spiritual detours but there are only five spiritual roadblocks that can keep a person from salvation. They are:
1. They will not believe Jesus died for their sin and rose from the grave.
2. They will not admit they are a sinner.
3. They will not agree to turn from their sin.
4. They will not acknowledge Jesus Christ as their forgiver and life’s leader.
5. They will not accept God’s free gift of salvation.
It is easy for people to get sidetracked on detours in their lives and never address the roadblocks. As we learn to share our faith with others, it is liberating to realize that we do not have to have the answer to all their spiritual questions to be an effective witness. We do not have to deal with all the detours. All we need to do is ask questions about their spiritual beliefs to see if there are any spiritual roadblocks keeping them from salvation. As we become genuinely interested in their spiritual beliefs we soon know where they stand with the gospel and what roadblocks need to be dealt with. It then becomes our task to keep focused on the spiritual roadblocks in their life. As people begin to deal with their spiritual roadblocks, Jesus deals with the detours.
Many have admonished us to “keep the main thing the main thing”. When it comes to evangelism, we do not need to deal with all the detours in life. Let’s keep the focus on the roadblocks and the detours have a way of taking care of themselves.
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
I can say now it is a joy to be around such folks, however, that is not the way it always was for me. Early in my ministry I did not enjoy these supercharged Christians because their desire to share Christ with everyone often embarrassed me. There desire to have other Christians as excited about sharing the faith often brought about a sense of guilt in my life because I was not involved in personal evangelism.
Many times these people would come to me for advice and encouragement in how to better share their faith. I am convinced they assumed I knew what I was doing simply because I was a pastor who had been to seminary and made my living serving Christ in the church. Although they were coming to me for advice, I did not have much to help them. I was trying to encourage them in their obedience while at the same time hiding the fact that I was a failure at evangelism. I had a choice to make. I could continue in guilt and shame or I could learn to do evangelism in a way that fit me. I chose to learn.
I learned a lot as I studied but one thing that had a great impact on me was when I understood the difference between spiritual detours and spiritual roadblocks. A spiritual detour is anything a person thinks or does that slows them down in their journey to faith. A spiritual roadblock is anything a person thinks or does that stops them in their journey to faith. There are thousands of spiritual detours but there are only five spiritual roadblocks that can keep a person from salvation. They are:
1. They will not believe Jesus died for their sin and rose from the grave.
2. They will not admit they are a sinner.
3. They will not agree to turn from their sin.
4. They will not acknowledge Jesus Christ as their forgiver and life’s leader.
5. They will not accept God’s free gift of salvation.
It is easy for people to get sidetracked on detours in their lives and never address the roadblocks. As we learn to share our faith with others, it is liberating to realize that we do not have to have the answer to all their spiritual questions to be an effective witness. We do not have to deal with all the detours. All we need to do is ask questions about their spiritual beliefs to see if there are any spiritual roadblocks keeping them from salvation. As we become genuinely interested in their spiritual beliefs we soon know where they stand with the gospel and what roadblocks need to be dealt with. It then becomes our task to keep focused on the spiritual roadblocks in their life. As people begin to deal with their spiritual roadblocks, Jesus deals with the detours.
Many have admonished us to “keep the main thing the main thing”. When it comes to evangelism, we do not need to deal with all the detours in life. Let’s keep the focus on the roadblocks and the detours have a way of taking care of themselves.
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sturgis, New Churches, and Death
I am writing this article from Superior, WI on Ken Andrs computer. Ken is our new church planter in Superior and I have been in a mentoring relationship with him as he walked through the process of becoming a Church Planter in the MWBC and as he moved to Superior to begin the new work.
I guess I have been getting pretty forgetful lately. I forgot about the deadline for the article and also forgot to bring my computer with me. But I have a good excuse. You see I was excited to get to Superior to meet with Ken. He and I were just in Sturgis, SD for the annual Black Hills Motorcycle rally. This rally is the largest motorcycle rally in the world.
From the time I bought my first motorcycle I have heard about the Sturgis Rally and wanted to attend. However, after hearing about all the craziness that happens there, I decided that it would not be prudent for me to go. However, for two years now the Dakota Southern Baptist Convention has been conducting an evangelistic event at the rally. It seemed like I needed to go and be a part of this ministry.
Each year they have set up a booth where they invite people to come in and register for a chance to win a free Harley Davidson motorcycle. The only catch is that they have to give us three minutes of their time to hear a Gospel presentation. This year we witnessed to 4,677 Sturgis attendees and God worked in a mighty way as we saw 870 people pray to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Ken and I had a great time leading people to the Lord. Not to mention seeing thousands of beautiful motorcycles and being able to ride our cycles over 1,600 miles there and back.
On another note, it is always a great joy to sit and talk to Ken and Naomi about what God is doing with the new church plant. This evening Ken and Naomi will be hosting an evangelistic cookout in their backyard. Ken is expecting fifty of his neighbors to show up. I wish I could stick around for the good food and to meet some of the people to whom the Andrs have been able to minister. However, I have another task tonight. I will be in Cloquet, MN at another barbeque to raise money for and minister to the Smith family.
Tom and Joyce Smith are friends of mine from the time I lived in Cloquet. I had the privilege of uniting them in marriage and sharing good times. Last year Tom developed cancer. A very aggressive type that the Doctors say will take his life within the next two months. It is amazing what a life threatening disease will do for you spiritually. Over the past few months I have seen Tom come to faith in Jesus Christ and focus his remaining time on earth to following Jesus. I also had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with Tom’s wife Joyce. In the beginning she was very cold to trusting Christ as her forgiver and the leader of her life. But today was different. As I shared with her today, she was open. She is still struggling with the decision but I do not think it will be long until she is ready to make the commitment.
So here I am in Superior rejoicing in how God works in our lives to bring Glory to Himself and fulfill His purposes. I have seen him work at Sturgis in one of the darkest and raunchiest places you can imagine. I have seen repentance and faith develop in the hearts of many who had no idea that they were going to meet God in a booth that was giving away a Harley. I have seen how God works with a man struggling with cancer to bring himself and ultimately his wife to faith. I have been able to see how God works in the lives of two committed church planters to open the door for evangelism and ministry. Today I feel blessed because God has opened my eyes to see how He is working to change the hearts of those who trust Him. I also feel blessed because I can see how God is working through me as I join him in what He is doing.
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
I guess I have been getting pretty forgetful lately. I forgot about the deadline for the article and also forgot to bring my computer with me. But I have a good excuse. You see I was excited to get to Superior to meet with Ken. He and I were just in Sturgis, SD for the annual Black Hills Motorcycle rally. This rally is the largest motorcycle rally in the world.
From the time I bought my first motorcycle I have heard about the Sturgis Rally and wanted to attend. However, after hearing about all the craziness that happens there, I decided that it would not be prudent for me to go. However, for two years now the Dakota Southern Baptist Convention has been conducting an evangelistic event at the rally. It seemed like I needed to go and be a part of this ministry.
Each year they have set up a booth where they invite people to come in and register for a chance to win a free Harley Davidson motorcycle. The only catch is that they have to give us three minutes of their time to hear a Gospel presentation. This year we witnessed to 4,677 Sturgis attendees and God worked in a mighty way as we saw 870 people pray to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Ken and I had a great time leading people to the Lord. Not to mention seeing thousands of beautiful motorcycles and being able to ride our cycles over 1,600 miles there and back.
On another note, it is always a great joy to sit and talk to Ken and Naomi about what God is doing with the new church plant. This evening Ken and Naomi will be hosting an evangelistic cookout in their backyard. Ken is expecting fifty of his neighbors to show up. I wish I could stick around for the good food and to meet some of the people to whom the Andrs have been able to minister. However, I have another task tonight. I will be in Cloquet, MN at another barbeque to raise money for and minister to the Smith family.
Tom and Joyce Smith are friends of mine from the time I lived in Cloquet. I had the privilege of uniting them in marriage and sharing good times. Last year Tom developed cancer. A very aggressive type that the Doctors say will take his life within the next two months. It is amazing what a life threatening disease will do for you spiritually. Over the past few months I have seen Tom come to faith in Jesus Christ and focus his remaining time on earth to following Jesus. I also had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with Tom’s wife Joyce. In the beginning she was very cold to trusting Christ as her forgiver and the leader of her life. But today was different. As I shared with her today, she was open. She is still struggling with the decision but I do not think it will be long until she is ready to make the commitment.
So here I am in Superior rejoicing in how God works in our lives to bring Glory to Himself and fulfill His purposes. I have seen him work at Sturgis in one of the darkest and raunchiest places you can imagine. I have seen repentance and faith develop in the hearts of many who had no idea that they were going to meet God in a booth that was giving away a Harley. I have seen how God works with a man struggling with cancer to bring himself and ultimately his wife to faith. I have been able to see how God works in the lives of two committed church planters to open the door for evangelism and ministry. Today I feel blessed because God has opened my eyes to see how He is working to change the hearts of those who trust Him. I also feel blessed because I can see how God is working through me as I join him in what He is doing.
David Sundeen
Director of Evangelism
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
10 percenter or 90 percenter
Casey sits in the pew on Sunday with a deep desire to hear God speak to her heart. There are so many issues she deals with on a daily basis that church sometimes seems like just one more thing she has to do in her busy schedule. However, today she centers her thoughts on God and genuinely desires a significant experience with the Almighty. Not only does she desire this experience, she needs His touch right now.
The worship leader is being used by God in a special way today. As she sings the words of the songs, she is being drawn into a meaningful and profound time of worship. She senses her bond with God as her spirit is being lifted. She rejoices as her spirit is connected with God’s Spirit. As the pastor comes to the front, Casey excitedly grabs her Bible to follow along with the morning message. She is ready to hear from God. She waits with expectation.
His topic is on the need to witness to our neighbors. The pastor states, “If you are not doing something to evangelize the people around you, you are simply not in the will of God.” Her heart sinks. She would like nothing more than to know that she is in the will of God. However, she sits in quiet desperation being fully convinced that she is not capable of being an effective witness. Although she does not want to be disobedient to God, she knows from past experience that she is an utter failure in evangelism. Her spirit weeps as guilt and depression slowly turn off the message. Her time of worship is over. Her mind, once focused on God, now turns to the concerns of the rest of her day.
This scenario is not uncommon. As you read this, you may feel a strong connection with Casey. As far as evangelism is concerned, she is one of the 90 percenters who stand in stark contrast to the 10 percenters who have almost no problem sharing their faith with others. The 10 percenters are the ones who usually write all the evangelism materials and who cannot figure out why the 90 percenters just can’t get the job done. To them it is so simple.
Below are some of the differences between these two groups. Generally 10 percenters:
• Regularly lead non-Christians to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Have unusually strong desires to see everyone come to Christ.
• Have spiritual gifts or use their God-given talents in the area of evangelism.
• Love to persuade, convince and urge.
• Constantly look for creative ways to talk about Jesus Christ.
• Use every opportunity to practice outreach.
• Love to give their personal testimony in public or private.
• Like to hand out tracts, do door-to-door work, visit prisons and rest homes, do rescue mission work, etc.
On the other hand, 90 percenters generally:
• Have never had the joy of personally leading someone to Christ but have done some things to help.
• Have a desire to see others come to Christ but are not overwhelmed by it.
• Have spiritual gifts but use their talents and abilities in other areas of ministry.
• Say they witness by their lives.
• Seldom are comfortable with talking about spiritual things.
• Outreach is not foremost in their thinking.
• Uncomfortable with talking about their personal relationship with Christ.
• Keep a low profile when it comes to one-on-one evangelism.
Because 90 percent of Christians find themselves in the latter category, it is not hard to understand that most Christians feel either disobedient or defeated in the area of evangelism. Because of guilt most 90 percenters have just given up and resigned themselves to the ranks of the ineffective believing that there is nothing they can do, or nothing they are willing to do to fix he problem.
If you are a 10 percenter, you can rejoice in the fact that almost any type evangelism training will work for you. In fact, you have probably already figured out the best way to do evangelism on your own. For you who are 90 percenters, you can rejoice in the fact that there is still hope. I too am a 90 percenter. However, I have figured out how to do effective evangelism that does not stress my comfort zone. It is my goal over the next years to share, train and implement evangelistic strategies that not only train the 10 percent but also the 90 percent. We want to include all our people in effective evangelism. We can change Minnesota and Wisconsin one life at a time. I would love to talk with you about evangelism. I can be emailed at sundeen@mwbc.org or called at 507-282-3636.
David Sundeen
Evangelism Director
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
The worship leader is being used by God in a special way today. As she sings the words of the songs, she is being drawn into a meaningful and profound time of worship. She senses her bond with God as her spirit is being lifted. She rejoices as her spirit is connected with God’s Spirit. As the pastor comes to the front, Casey excitedly grabs her Bible to follow along with the morning message. She is ready to hear from God. She waits with expectation.
His topic is on the need to witness to our neighbors. The pastor states, “If you are not doing something to evangelize the people around you, you are simply not in the will of God.” Her heart sinks. She would like nothing more than to know that she is in the will of God. However, she sits in quiet desperation being fully convinced that she is not capable of being an effective witness. Although she does not want to be disobedient to God, she knows from past experience that she is an utter failure in evangelism. Her spirit weeps as guilt and depression slowly turn off the message. Her time of worship is over. Her mind, once focused on God, now turns to the concerns of the rest of her day.
This scenario is not uncommon. As you read this, you may feel a strong connection with Casey. As far as evangelism is concerned, she is one of the 90 percenters who stand in stark contrast to the 10 percenters who have almost no problem sharing their faith with others. The 10 percenters are the ones who usually write all the evangelism materials and who cannot figure out why the 90 percenters just can’t get the job done. To them it is so simple.
Below are some of the differences between these two groups. Generally 10 percenters:
• Regularly lead non-Christians to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
• Have unusually strong desires to see everyone come to Christ.
• Have spiritual gifts or use their God-given talents in the area of evangelism.
• Love to persuade, convince and urge.
• Constantly look for creative ways to talk about Jesus Christ.
• Use every opportunity to practice outreach.
• Love to give their personal testimony in public or private.
• Like to hand out tracts, do door-to-door work, visit prisons and rest homes, do rescue mission work, etc.
On the other hand, 90 percenters generally:
• Have never had the joy of personally leading someone to Christ but have done some things to help.
• Have a desire to see others come to Christ but are not overwhelmed by it.
• Have spiritual gifts but use their talents and abilities in other areas of ministry.
• Say they witness by their lives.
• Seldom are comfortable with talking about spiritual things.
• Outreach is not foremost in their thinking.
• Uncomfortable with talking about their personal relationship with Christ.
• Keep a low profile when it comes to one-on-one evangelism.
Because 90 percent of Christians find themselves in the latter category, it is not hard to understand that most Christians feel either disobedient or defeated in the area of evangelism. Because of guilt most 90 percenters have just given up and resigned themselves to the ranks of the ineffective believing that there is nothing they can do, or nothing they are willing to do to fix he problem.
If you are a 10 percenter, you can rejoice in the fact that almost any type evangelism training will work for you. In fact, you have probably already figured out the best way to do evangelism on your own. For you who are 90 percenters, you can rejoice in the fact that there is still hope. I too am a 90 percenter. However, I have figured out how to do effective evangelism that does not stress my comfort zone. It is my goal over the next years to share, train and implement evangelistic strategies that not only train the 10 percent but also the 90 percent. We want to include all our people in effective evangelism. We can change Minnesota and Wisconsin one life at a time. I would love to talk with you about evangelism. I can be emailed at sundeen@mwbc.org or called at 507-282-3636.
David Sundeen
Evangelism Director
Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Saturday, December 2, 2006
The Reluctant Witness
Welcome to "The Reluctant Witness."
This blog was created to help Organize, Resource, and Motivate Christians for effective evangelism.
This blog was created to help Organize, Resource, and Motivate Christians for effective evangelism.
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