Still pondering evangelism in the emerging setting. All my formation has been in traditional, campus ministry, personal evangelism methods tied with an overarching oikos methodology. I am not going to diss these things, BUT, I never really do them and no one I know does them. When I was in college and being "discipled" I had weekly pressure (oh, sorry, I mean encouragement) to befriend folks in my circle of influence and earn the right to share (usually the Bridge Illustration) with them. I recall one guy praying with me to receive Christ at a pizza place. Haven't heard from him since!!

At the same time, I am still possessed with this desire to see disconnected folks come to faith in Christ!!

So how? Don't know yet. But I believe God yearns to draw folks to himself and the fields are white for harvest. My main hunch is that we do not need more methods and techniques. Maybe we need our hearts to break like God's heart does and love like God loves and live welcoming lives like God welcomes us. Somehow out of that people will be drawn to Christ.

Here is what I am thinking. We need to be intentional about being in our world. No more "Jesus Ghettos" and "Holiness Snobbery". Here are some ideas: 1) We need to befriend real people and really be their friends and really love them and respect them as people. No projects!!! 2) How about some hyper serious communal/kingdom praying - something tells God would like that, it would change us and position us to cooperate with God's active work in the lives of all persons (what John Wesley called prevenient grace). 3) Figure out ways to welcome persons into our communities. This does not necessarily mean to worship or home church meetings. It might mean inviting folks to parties or maybe sponsoring a Habitat Build and asking everyone we know to join in on the project. 4) As folks find faith/community attractive/interesting we invite them into the more formal expressions of our community life. 5) If they want to follow Christ and be fully connected to the community of faith, we invite them into a catechesis process - a period of formation that prepares them for baptism or re-affirmation of baptism. This would not be a "post-conversion experience" process of follow-up or discipleship. It would be a conversion process where conversion is understood not as an emotive experience, but a process that reshapes world-view and habits. As my friend and professor, Lester Ruth calls it, "baptism with integrity." (By the way, this would not be a "program" it would be relational and person centered, but marked by important stages of ritual process.)

I know real people, right now, who would be delighted to join a faith community in serving on a Saturday morning at a homeless shelter. What a way to be a Kingdom witness and see folks drawn into a community of faith!!

More thoughts to come.

Pax.