Varied evangelism methods can be effective, Shuffield says

Posted: 11/18/05

Varied evangelism methods
can be effective, Shuffield says

By Emily Row

AUSTIN–When he was 8 years old, Wayne Shuffield thought becoming a Christian was all about going to heaven. He was ready for Christ to welcome him into heaven at that very moment. Only later did he realize that God leaves people on earth to help bring others to know Christ.

Shuffield, director of the missions, evangelism and ministry team of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, believes God creates divine appointments for Christians to share their faith with non-Christians.

In an overly scheduled, busy world, Christians can miss those divine appointments if they are not sensitive and ready to share, Shuffield told participants at a seminar held during the BGCT annual meeting.

“Our problem as Baptists is not knowing what to say or how to share Christ,” he said. “It's a listening problem. We are not ready to share or are not listening for opportunities.”

But many people become uncomfortable at the mention of evangelism, Shuffield continued. They think that it means door-to-door evangelism. For some Christians, this is a very natural way to share the message of Christ. Others find this prospect very uncomfortable, he noted.

Shuffield described six other ways to share Christ for people uncomfortable with this approach.

The first alternative is an intellectual approach, he said. The intellectual evangelist is prepared to talk to individuals of other faiths. Shuffield reasoned that this approach can be effective with others who have strong spiritual beliefs or with college students who are comfortable with intellectual arguments.

Other people may feel more comfortable with the style represented by the woman at the well, Shuffield said. The Samaritan woman simply told her story. She provided a testimony of the way Christ had touched her life.

The third type of evangelism Shuffield suggested is “storying.” Through telling both personal stories and Bible stories, Christians may have the opportunity to share the reality of Christ.

Relationship-building provides a fourth avenue for sharing Christ. Relational evangelism grows in the atmosphere of close relationships with friends and family members. In the context of those relationships, Christians have opportunities to share Christ.

The last two evangelism techniques Shuffield shared are inviting non-Christians to participate in an experience where they will be exposed to the gospel and ministering to other people in Christ's name to open doors for sharing Christ.