Many of us who grew up in Christian homes learned a language which can be called “Christianese”. While it is actually English, it consists of certain English “religious” words with meanings for which believers share a common understanding. However, someone who has not been connected to church may not truly understand their meanings. And even sometimes we who grew up in the church haven’t really taken the time to truly delve into what some of these words really mean. As I was attending seminary and working on an independent study, I developed a working definition for evangelism. Although I completed that study over 25 years ago, the definition has continued to guide me in evangelism to this day.
Evangelism is an integral part of the process of making disciples in which,
one is guided by the Holy Spirit,
in reaching out in love to non-Christians through words and actions,
and in meeting them where they are at with God, in order
to facilitate their movement to repentance and a faith commitment to Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior, and
to walk as Jesus walked.
Jesus commanded his followers to be “fishers of men” and to “make disciples”. The process of making disciples begins with evangelism up until conversion and then continues with discipling (teaching, training, and mentoring) the new believers to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6).
My definition of evangelism became a foundational guide in my development of a twelve lesson study guide on evangelism entitled “Laborers for the Harvest: Evangelism 101.” A free downloadable copy of this booklet can be found in the resource section of this website. The booklet was designed to be used by a small group of people who are each committed to reaching out to at least one lost person during the next 12 months, while meeting as a group once a month to study the twelve lessons. However, it can also be completed as a self-study by an individual.