Network Evangelism - Part 1- "Come and See" VS. "Go and Tell"

So you have been attending a family church for the past few weeks and you have come to enjoy your experience. Weeks of interacting with fellow brothers and sisters in the faith and learning closely from your Pastors and now you want to share the gospel with others and possiby even introduce them to the idea of gathering with you at your church, now is the time to discuss some ways to activate the Evangelist ministry in your life and contribute to the health and growth of the general Kingdom of God and in context to Red, your family church.

In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4 verse 11, he identifies what is termed as "The Five Fold Ministry", functional pillars that were put in place to grow and sustain the church through the end of the age, ashe writes in verse 12, "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The Evangelist is the third of the pillars mentioned and we will focus on how we envision the Evangelist best working along side the Pastoral and Apostolic function of our Family Church Model. If you are reading this article and do not attend Red, don't worry, keep readng as we tie in some universal kingdom principles that translate perfectly to all believers for the growth of the Kingdom!

RELATIONAL/NETWORK EVANGELISM

The first point we will start with is understanding that when it comes to making disciples, our family church model is built on maximizing relationships . Therefore as it relates to evangelizing, we prefer a personal relationsip approach which we term as "Network Evangelism" or "Relational Evangelism". We believe strongly that every individual has their own sphere of influence and within this sphere there are many levels of relationships that have been built throughout the individual's lifetime, and no one has a better opportunity to share the gospel to that network of people than that individual who has invested their precious time and resources to forming those key relationsjips in the first place. Therefore, when you begin thinking about who God has prepared for you to share the good news of salvation with, begin by looking no further than your friends and family. When Jesus tells us in Luke 10:2 , "The Harvest is Plentiful" , we strongly believe our biggest opportunities are found with those we already have relationships with. Now that we have this first point understood, we have to pray about an evangelism strategy for the following two categories discussed in the proceeding paragraphs.

"COME AND SEE " EVANGELISM

When it comes to a less intimidating approach to evangelism, an "attractional" approach is by far the most common form but still very effective. Many of us who call ourselves born again christians came to the faith through this approach. This is where we simply extend an invitation to friends and family to a attend a church gathering. This is nothing out of the ordinary for the traditional church, it also has its place in our strategy to reach the lost. At Red Church, what we have done was create another "Come and See" opportunity for the lost that may be less intimidating for folks within our relational sphere. Some of the those we know may not be comfortable attending a more traditional large public gathering like what people will come to experience at our Red Regionals, or in 90% of what churches look like in America, but by opening up our homes, a smaller setting such as the one found at our Family Church Gatherings may be just the setting they need to let their guards down and accept the invitation to "Come and See". Jesus spoke of this approach in a parable in Luke 14:23 where it says "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be full". So we encourage to be brave, go out and invite everyone you can to join you for a gathering.

"GO AND TELL" Evangelism

Lets just face it, "church" isn't for everyone and many will not accept that invitation to attend a church gathering, whether it be in a large auditorium, or your house living room. should that mean that your efforts to tell them about Jesus must come to a hault? Of course not! When taking on the role of an Evangelist you have a wonderful opportunity to find creative ways to bring the gospel to the lost, for Jesus did say "Go and teach all nations". This word "Go" is our focus, remember when earlier I identified "Come and See" evangelism as being less intimidating, that is because to "Go", takes more independence, courage, and forces us to step outside of our comfort zones. For example, a "Come and See" evangelist might ask someone "I would like to invite you to our bible study" , while a "Go and Tell" evangelist would ask "would you like to have bible study with me" or "do you mind if I lead a bible study in your home or in a coffee shop?" See the difference here? This is why "Go and Tell" creates an entirely different dynamic when it comes to sharing the gospel. I want to shift your attention back to the idea of network/relational evangelism. One thing I have tried to do was look at how Jesus himself taught his disciples and shared the message of the Kingdom of Heaven to the public. Many times we see Jesus choosing to eat and drink with them. One of the most powerful moments in the Gospel of Luke was when Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and they could not recognize him, they thought he was a stranger (Luke 24:30-31). Jesus proceeded to teach them about what the scriptures taught concerning the death and resurrection of the Christ, it then goes on to say that as Jesus taught he broke bread with them, and immediately upon the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened and they could see that it was the risen Jesus who spoke to them, a perfect example how a supernatural awakening occurred through more intimate experiences such as over a meal at home, or in other smaller social spaces.

DO BOTH!

In closing, the Evangelist has and continues to play a critical role to the expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven, and is needed to ignite church growth. There is so much that can be discussed when it comes to the many ways we can share the gospel with others through both approaches. The big takeway I would like you to take from this article is that we cannot put the presentation of Jesus in a box. We have to figure out ways to make the gospel more accessible, creating more ways to leverage "Come and See" and "Go and Tell" evangelism. Getting stuck in just one approach results in bottle necking access to the revelation of Jesus which is never a good thing since it alienates a specific group of people who see and think differently from those who are drawn to that one particular approach.. When it comes to relational evangelism DO BOTH! Be intentional but be relational. God has been settting your relationships up from the very beginning, positioning you to very well be the one, who may lead them to a lasting relationship with Jesus, finding their path to repentance and acceptance into the Kingdom of God. In Part two of our Network Evangelism series we will look at more specific approaches we can try on as we look for ways to lead our friends and family to Christ.

-David Badillo

Senior Pastor

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