Originally published at https://rethinknow.org.
Let’s face it. Evangelism isn’t working. Or at least it’s not working well.
How to evangelize is often taught as a formulaic approach that sounds more like a solicitor call than anything found in the Bible.
In high school I remember being taught the importance of having a personal testimony that you could share at a moment’s notice. It was stressed to me that these conversations could lead someone to salvation (aka save them from hell). In college, Bible College to clarify, I had assignments to write out my personal testimony and have it critiqued by the professor. And again during my Masters (seminary) a similar story played out.
I know, I know… Not what you expected the curriculum to be for theological degrees.
The problem in all of this is I don’t think personal testimonies are effective. To me they are kinda like getting a sales pitch for that item that you don’t really want, but feel pressured to buy. They might result in an occasional sinner’s prayer. But rarely will it result in someone actually following Jesus. And yet they are still one of the primary tools for evangelism.
Here’s the problem: Most evangelism focuses on creating converts and not training disciples. Not only is that not working, but it’s the wrong focus…
