1. Deep down non-Christians really want to know and obey God.
2. Non-Christians typically have five or more significant encounters with the gospel before coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Non-Christians usually won’t come to us to find God. We have to go to them.
4. Evangelism is the easiest and most natural of all the ministries in the church.
5. Effective evangelism requires little training.
6. Friendly, openhearted people make the best evangelists.
7. Church life, spent in the presence of Christians only, produces saints who are neither friendly nor openhearted to outsiders.
8. The kingdom of God is the primary mission and issue of our shared life as Christians, not self-preservation or the perpetuation of a church.
9. The primary foundation of all our evangelism is love.
10. Placing expectations upon someone we’re evangelizing is always injurious and works against that person coming to Christ.
11. We become holy and righteous by identifying with Jesus and surrendering to his will for us rather than trying to obey the law.
12. Each person in relationship with Jesus is primarily responsible for his or her own follow-up and fellowship needs.
13. The Holy Spirit is the only true evangelist who has ever existed, as well as the only disciple-maker.
14. It is normal for everyone who loves Jesus to have a heart for the poor, sick, lost, widowed, and homeless.
15. We are committed to prayer as an essential element of any successful outreach venture. Because we highly value active obedience to the will of God, an ideal time to pray is on the way to share God’s love with others.
16. Non-Christians may not remember what they’ve been told regarding God’s love, but they always remember what they’ve experienced of God’s love.
17. None of us can manufacture the genuine working of the Holy Spirit.
18. The Holy Spirit is able, willing, and free to break in and carry on his work in unspectacular, non-manipulative, and surprising ways.
19. An atmosphere of anointing, freshness, and vitality comes upon believers when they spend time with non-Christians.
20. Because of irrational fears, the average evangelical Christian today has no plans to participate actively in evangelism.
21. Most Christians are so far out of touch with the world around them that they know little of its fears, problems, concerns, or issues.
22. Because God is highly committed to the lost, almost any evangelistic approach will work given enough time and commitment to sharing the good news.
23. God has a passionate heart to the lost. Whether we choose to bring Christ to unbelievers or not, God is very creative and will always seek to win them in some way.
24. It is a privilege to be involved in the process of sharing God’s love with those he is inviting into the family of God.
25. Effective evangelism is more of a mindset and paradigm than a program.
26. Our evangelism is really an overflow of our relationship with God and our relationship with people.
27. In order to effectively evangelize our cities, we will need to make major time commitments to sharing our lives with the lost. In fact, God may ask us to dedicate the rest of our lives to the task of reaching our cities with the gospel.
28. The value of evangelism will regularly conflict with day to day programs of church life.
29. Because they are central to the mission of the local church, funding for evangelism and ministry to the poor ought to be seen as a part of the regular church budget rather than areas to be financed by special offerings.
Comments compiled by Doug Murren, Doug Roe, and Steve Sjogren and found in Conspiracy of Kindness: A Refreshing New Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus, Regal Press 2003.
Youth Department