Yesterday, I sat through a short webinar on Evangelism. In the United Church, this is one of those words that is avoided. Many people hear the words evangelism and imagine people going from door to door telling people about their faith or they imagine someone asking another if they have been saved. Most people see evangelists as loud, assertive, and judgmental. This does not fit into most United Church circles.
But is evangelism wrong? If we don't share out faith with others, are we living out the mandate to share the good news and to make disciples of all nations? If we don't share our faith, will others assume that we are ashamed of it or that it is something to hide and keep to ourselves?
The Reverend Orville James, a minister at Wellington Square United in Burlington, and Evan Smith, a student preparing to be ordained this spring, tackled this topic on the webinar. You can see the recorded version if you missed it: http://www.unitedfuture.ca/forum2
One statement that stood out for me was said by Orville James. He said that evangelism is not a program; it's about relationship. Evangelism is not about how many people you can convert or how many doors on which you can knock. Evangelism is about being in relationship with people. It's about sitting with someone who is hurting; it's about laughing and crying together. It's about seeing Christ in others and others seeing Christ in you.
How do you share your faith with others? How do you invite your neighbour to join you in your faith community? How do you feel about evangelism?
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