Even those of us who minister in God’s Church often struggle with personal evangelism. We know we need to do it, but it’s not always easy to connect with non-believers and share the gospel with them. So we turn to programs to help us jump-start this process.

I’m not opposed to programs; in fact, I’ve seen good programs that equip believers to evangelize. At the same time, though, I don’t want us to miss some simple, basic steps that can charge our evangelistic efforts.

Get some prayer warriors on board.

To show you that step, I turn to two of the Apostle Paul’s writings to hear his requests for prayer from other believers:   

• “Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.” (Ephesians 6:19–20)

• “At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, so that I may make it known as I should.” (Colossians 4:3–4)

This was the Apostle-extraordinaire admitting by his request that he needed God’s help to evangelize. He needed boldness and clarity, and he knew God alone would open doors for him to share. Thus, he asked believers to pray for him.  

My point is simple: If Paul needed ongoing prayer to do evangelism, I suspect all of us do, too. If you want to evangelize more, ask some church members to pray for you—for boldness, clarity, and opportunity—and give them permission to hold you accountable for your evangelistic efforts. Prayer and accountability can make a big difference.

Don’t be afraid to ask. 

For years, I tried hard to turn conversations to the gospel—in a way that it almost felt like I was looking for a side door to wedge the good news into a relationship. I’m convinced there are times when we need to build these bridges to the gospel, but here’s another way I’ve begun to share the gospel over the last several years: Simply ask permission. 

Let me illustrate. Especially if I know the person with whom I’m speaking, I’ll say something like, “You know that I’m a follower of Jesus. One of the things we do is tell people what Jesus means to us. May I take just a few minutes and tell you what He means to me today?” If the person says, “No,” I thank him for his honesty and look forward to another opportunity in the future. If he says, “Yes,” though, the door is wide open to move into telling the good news. Either way, I’ve taken the initiative to evangelize—and, in most cases, others have given me the few minutes I’ve requested. As long as I keep my word to share for only a few minutes, the door often stays open for further conversations in the future, too. 

Evangelism must start somewhere, so I encourage you not to overcomplicate it. Enlist some prayer warriors who pray for boldness, and then boldly ask others for permission to share. 

Author Bio:

Dr. Lawless currently serves as Senior Professor of Evangelism and Missions, Dean of Doctoral Studies, and Vice-President for Spiritual Formation at Southeastern Seminary, where he holds the Richard & Gina Headrick Chair of World Missions. 

In addition, he serves as Team Leader for Theological Education Strategists for the International Mission Board. He and his wife, Pam, have been married for more than thirty years, and they reside in Wake Forest with their Aussie Shepherd, Max.

Additional Resources for Evangelism:

Sharing Our Faith		Discipleship & Evangelism with Tamzen Baker		What Is Evangelism?		Better Together Journal
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