Since June, Archdeacon Barry and Diocesan Evangelism Enabler, Gareth Fitzpatrick, have been travelling to different churches in the diocese discussing the findings of the ‘2022 Talking Jesus’ survey and using these findings to explore how we can communicate the good news of Jesus in a way that is clear, natural and compelling. Here Gareth gives three reflections on what he has learnt on the roadshow.
Sharing our faith with those around us isn’t always easy, for most of us it can even be scary!
In his first letter Apostle Peter makes it clear that the work of evangelism is something that all disciples of Jesus are called to do. In 1 Peter 3:15 he commands the church to “…always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
In the last few month’s Archdeacon Barry and I have had the privilege of visiting 9 different locations across the diocese with the ‘Everybody Talking Jesus Roadshow’. Our aim has been to encourage & cheer on those in our churches to share Jesus with the people we engage with day in and day out. And to leave people with some simple tools so they feel more “prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…”
It has been a privilege to visit churches across the diocese and explore growing in our personal evangelism. Here’s three things we learned:
- If you feel anxious about sharing your faith, you are not alone.
It’s easy to feel guilty and ashamed about feeling anxious about sharing our faith with our non-Christian mates but the truth is you are not alone. When we asked what people hoped to take from the roadshow over half the people [53%] wanted to grow in confidence and courage. Sharing faith isn’t always easy but you are not alone. - We all have a story to share.
The good news is that we don’t need to have all the answers. An effective way to introduce our friends to Jesus can be done simply by sharing our story. If you have a relationship with Jesus, then you have a powerful story to share with your friends about what a relationship with God looks like. - It is not our job to ‘convert’ people.
I think a reason so many of us feel scared about talking to others about Jesus is to do with thinking that it’s our responsibility to convince people to follow Jesus. Though we would love them to follow Jesus, it is only God who can open blind eyes. Our job is simply to present Jesus and give people an opportunity to choose for themselves. Which is much less scary!
In January 2025 we will be launching ‘The Community of Evangelists’. If evangelism is something you are passionate about or you know someone who is, please get in contact with Gareth.Fitzpatrick@coventry.anglican.org to find out more.