The Problem With Friendship Evangelism

The Problem With Friendship Evangelism
“We have to ask hard questions about why we have so many theologically developed people but so few conversions and baptisms.” -Jim Davis

 There are essentially two models of evangelism in the world today. The first is what I like to call street corner evangelism. You know what I’m talking about. The phrase itself conjures up images of a man with a megaphone and a sign around his neck telling people they’re going to hell if they don’t believe in Jesus. Is he right? Of course he is. Is that method the best way to share the gospel? I have my doubts.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure people have come to faith through street corner evangelism. But in my personal experience, the second model of evangelism works much better. I’ve heard it referred to as friendship evangelism. The idea is simple. Rather than try and share the gospel with total strangers, like the guy on the street corner does, you share the gospel with people you know – people you already have a relationship with. Because a relationship already exists, such people are much more likely to listen to what you have to say and to trust you with something as big as accepting an invitation to church.

But I believe there is a fundamental problem with friendship evangelism in the church today. In fact, I believe there’s a fatal flaw. Many Christians cannot practice relationship evangelism in 2024 for one simple reason: they don’t have any non-Christian friends. The church has turned itself into a fortress where Christians seek shelter from the world instead of an outpost from which Christians go out into the world.

Many of us have trouble inviting friends to church because everyone we know already goes to church. Yet 63% of the population within 20 minutes of our church here in Daphne doesn’t regularly attend religious services. If friendship evangelism is going to make a comeback – and it must if the church is going to survive – then Christians must get intentional about becoming friends with unbelievers. We have so few conversions and baptisms because we spend so little time with people who need to be converted and baptized. If we want conversions in our churches, we’re going to have to convert the way we spend our time and the people we spend it with.

Your Pastor and Friend,
John Knox Foster