Exploring Evangelism MythsSýnishorn

When you hear the word “evangelism” what comes to your mind? Maybe you feel your heart beating faster as you think of the conversation you’ve wanted to have with a friend for a long time, but you don’t know how to bring up Jesus without feeling awkward. Or maybe you see someone shouting on the street with a megaphone and wonder if there are better ways to introduce people to God.

If you’re anything like us, you feel a mix of emotions. Here’s one reason why…

A 2019 Barna study revealed 47% of practicing Christian millennials agree that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. That’s nearly 50% of Christian millennials who believe evangelism is somewhat wrong! 

Another study showed 97% of all practicing Christians (not just millennials) believe that sharing their faith is part of what it means to follow Jesus and that the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to know Jesus.

These two stats reveal that there are a lot of Christians who feel stuck when it comes to sharing their faith. On one hand they think it’s wrong to try and motivate their friends and family to follow Jesus. On the other hand, they think that the best thing that could happen to their friends and family is for them to know Jesus. 

Do you feel this tension in your life? 

Jesus said in him was joy and life to the fullest. But for many, evangelism often feels like a scary “should” rather than an “I get to.” Maybe it has to do with our misunderstanding of evangelism. It’s tempting to toss out evangelism because we’ve seen unethical methods used in the past. But what if the examples that have repelled Christians from the word “evangelism” aren’t even evangelism according to the Bible?