Tuesday, February 11, 2020

8 Ways To Practice Small Group Evangelism


In his book Leading Small Groups with Purpose, Steve Gladen says that “Our enemy the devil wants us to think that evangelism is difficult and that we will offend people by telling them about Christ. But the bottom line is this: if your small group is helping the lost become found by praying, sharing their testimonies, and inviting unbelievers to a meal or a social activity, then they are fulfilling the purpose of evangelism.” The book goes further to reinforce that evangelism doesn’t need to be extremely complex or intimidating, just intentional. We’ve spent a few weeks covering “the why” of evangelism within our small groups, but what does it really look like when we put words to action? Here are 8 practical examples Gladen gives from his book that you could implement within your group, this year (Some examples mentioned here were also taken from Gladen’s 250 Big Ideas for Purpose Driven Small Groups).

1)     Watch Party: Although the Superbowl has passed, there’s always some sport to rally around! Invite your seeker friends over to watch the game to build relationships with them and try to insert faith into the conversation.
2)     Prayer Bookmark: Ask each group member to draft up a quick list of individuals on their hearts who need to know Christ. Place the names on a bookmark so that when they read their Bible, they are reminded to pray over their friends. If you have a crafty group, bring some art supplies for the bookmarks and get creative!
3)     Empty Chair: Intentionally having an extra, empty chair in the circle of your group can serve as a visual reminder to your group members that there is room for God to grow the group and that there may be someone they know who is meant to join in. Take it a step further and place a poster board on the chair. Here, list the names taken from the group members’ bookmarks that were made during the previous example and continue to pray over their names during group meetings.
4)     Service Day: Ask group members if they know of someone who needs work done on or around their house. Schedule a date to bless the individual by completing the project and explain to them that the project is an act of love from the church.
5)     Holiday/Barbeque Party: Host a party and invite each group member to bring a friend who is a seeker. Plan for food, fun, and lighthearted games to help make everyone feel welcome (With Easter coming, a kid-friendly Easter Egg Hunt may be a great option!). At the end of the event, personally invite guests out to the church (or your small group) if they seem interested in learning more.
6)     Garage Sale: Plan a group garage sale where there’s enough room at someone’s house to display each group members’ wares. Be sure to advertise your sale as a multifamily sale to raise interest. Group members can take turns assisting guests, greeting them, working the event and also helping share the gospel when the opportunity arises.
7)     Why Are You Christian?: Imagine if this question was asked to your group members by a nonbeliever. Each group member practices answering this question and helps to give feedback to the others (Try to keep answers to a few minutes long).
8)     Let's Play Sports!: Encourage group members to invite their seeker friends to join a sports small group that either is ongoing or will be starting up at the church this summer!



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