Disciple: Evangelism: Where Do I Begin?

By The Rev. Lisa Fischbeck

When the newly minted Baptismal Covenant came out in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, Episcopalians everywhere reacted to the question: “Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Jesus Christ?”

As a layperson at the Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill during the early 1980s, I led a small group discussion of the Covenant, in which we talked about a different question of the Covenant each week. This “Good News” question was certainly the most disconcerting for those who gathered. Some feared that to “proclaim the Good News by word” was the equivalent of proselytizing, of trying to convince someone that they needed to believe a certain way. Others were convinced that any talk about the “Good News of God in Christ” would make those who are not Christian feel uncomfortable. To a person, the group wanted instead to focus on how they could proclaim by “example” what they believed. And the conversation turned to being kind, helping the poor, visiting people in the hospital, etc.

WHAT IS EVANGELISM?

Evangelism simply means to share the Good News of the Christian faith publically or personally. And the call is given, not only in the Book of Common Prayer and in the more recent Five Marks of Mission, but also in the Gospels itself: “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole
creation.’” (Mark 16:15)

But many of us have a hard time talking about our faith. Many consider it nearly or definitively rude to share our faith with others who may not believe as we do. Some of this is born of bad experiences we have had with proselytizers. But a lot of it, I suspect, is because we don’t really know just what “the Good News” is for ourselves.

WHERE TO START

It may help to start with something less directly about our faith. Most of us would not hesitate to share good news about a movie or a book that has just come out. In those situations, we wouldn’t be highly invested in whether or not the person we are speaking to then chooses to see that movie or read that book. But we would be glad if they did. Could sharing the Good News about our faith start with something similar?

Could we say we go to a church that is a really good community of love and support? Would we be comfortable saying that our church has a good music program? If this is good news for us, it would not be pushy or offensive to say it is. It would simply be a statement of fact, a statement about something we enjoy and would like to share with others.

That’s a good warm-up. Next might be to consider what we really do believe in our hearts is the Good News, the Gospel, about God and Jesus. This often leads us into language and terminology we either do not accept or simply do not understand. Is the Good News that “Jesus died for your sins?” Is it that “God became incarnate in Jesus?” How about “God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”? That’s not our usual grocery store, soccer sidelines or dinner table conversation. It may not even be what we believe in our heart of hearts. Or, if we do believe, we are not confident enough to take the conversation further if our Good News is questioned or challenged.

It would certainly be helpful if, in conversations and classes at church, we could sort through just what the Good News is for us and how we might express it in our own terms. Something like, “I believe God is with me no matter what happens,” or “I believe God loves me no matter how much I mess up,” or “The closer I get to Jesus, the closer I seem to get to God” might be a better match.
A next step, and one that is really powerful, is to challenge ourselves to start a sentence with, “Because I am a Christian, I...” or “As a Christian, I....”

Many of us do not hesitate to express our opinions about the need for affordable housing or reducing our carbon footprint, or our opposition to the death penalty or to a war. A big step in evangelism, in sharing the Good News, is to own our faith as a reason for believing or acting the way we do.

All of this seems to come more easily to some of us than to others. There are plenty of honest reasons for that. But it is good for each and all of us to receive the challenge, to ask ourselves earnestly how we would define and express the “Good News of God in Jesus Christ” in our own lives. Then practice it, which is to say, be mindful and intentional about being who we are, and what God calls us to do, and try to do it.

GO SPEAK 2016: EVANGELISM IN ACTION

In listening to Bishop Curry preach, it’s clear that it’s time for Episcopalians to work on our evangelism comfort level. Go Speak: Sharing our Faith is a great entry point to this practice and a powerful experience that brings us all closer together in our faith.
On May 16, 2016, small groups of 8-10 Episcopalians will gather in homes and other informal settings across the Diocese. Under the direction of a trained moderator, participants share personal stories of how God has moved in their lives.

The hope is that dioceses across the country will be taking part in this on May 16 as well, making this a truly nationwide sharing of faith and connecting us all, both as Episcopalians and as followers of Jesus.

At this point, we are asking each congregation to appoint a Go Speak coordinator. For more information, visit episdionc.org, or you can send your coordinator’s name and contact information to the communications department.