Conversational Evangelism

I was recently asked if in Namibia we would have opportunities to bring people to Christ. What seems to be a simple question actually relies on culturally conditioned language that makes it much more complicated than it seems. It was this very question many years ago that challenged my understanding of how I share Christ with people and led me to what I now call conversational evangelism.

The difficulty comes in how Christianity has come to define what it means to “bring or lead people to Christ.” Typically it involves sharing some form of multi-point gospel presentation then leading someone through a pre-fab “sinner’s prayer” and suddenly they’re “saved.” That seems to imply that salvation is contingent upon saying the prayer, which is no longer salvation by grace but by works. And more than that, that’s not how we see people coming to Christ in the Bible. Instead we see people having an experience with Jesus that causes them to put their faith in him. Philip told Nathanael, “We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote…Come and see” (Jn 1:45-46). The Samaritan woman told the rest of her village, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (Jn 4:29). In the Gospels, “bringing people to Christ” literally meant introducing people to the person Jesus. Perhaps it shouldn’t be so different for us. Perhaps instead of, “Pray this after me,” our gospel presentation should be, “Come and see” (Ps 66:5). Now let’s place that understanding in the context of evangelism in Namibia.

In Namibia the "official" statistics will tell you that about 80-90% of the population is Christian, but all that really means is that they go to a Christian church. It doesn't necessarily mean they have a relationship with God through Jesus. If you ask someone if they are a Christian they will likely say 'yes,' but many of those people are trusting in their good works (like going to church or saying a prayer) to save them rather than trusting in Christ. They have a false understanding of what Christianity really is and believe in a works-based salvation that is no ‘good news’ at all (Gal 1:6-7). As a result there are many people who call themselves Christians who still need to hear the true good news about Jesus. (Side note: The situation is not so different in our own country!)

Most of our team’s ministry activities will involve supporting the local church and the orphan ministry. Whether we are interacting with non-Christians or working alongside other Christians, our mission is to bring Christ into whatever situation we find ourselves. We probably won't be doing any big revival meetings and inviting people to come forward and talk to a counselor, but rather most of our opportunities to share Christ will come in the context of conversations. Our evangelism will take place through relationships that YOU build and through conversations that YOU initiate. The everyday conversations and interactions we have with children and other people can help teach them what being a true Christian means and how it looks to live that out in life. That's why we go through exercises like sharing our testimonies, so that in a conversation you can share what Christ has done for you and through your experience you show them what the gospel really is. Your personal story beats a 3-point outline any day.

So the simple answer to our original question is an abundant YES! Everyday, in every interaction, we will have opportunities to bring people to Christ. We won’t necessarily be the ones leading them in a sinner’s prayer, but we will be introducing them to who Jesus is and the saving power he can have in their lives. And when all is said and done we will do well to remember Paul’s words to the church at Corinth: one plants the seed, another waters it, but only God makes it grow (1 Cor 3:6).