I previously shared a three-part series http://next-generation-ministry.com/tag/millennials/ describing how ministry leaders and church members alike can reach and keep the next generation. I wanted to identify and define who the next generation is and provide suggestions based on solid research on how the church can reach and keep the next generation.
Statistics and suggestions are all well and good, but ministry leaders and church members should also be equipped with evangelistic tools to accomplish the Great Commission. I like what Alvin Reid, professor of evangelism and student ministry at SEBTS says concerning the state of evangelism in the church, “We don’t have a training problem, we have a trying problem. The door to door evangelistic method is better than using no method at all, which is what most of our people are doing.”
How can we reach and keep the next generation if we never tell the next generation who Jesus is and what he has done for them? The evangelistic tools (programs, techniques, etc.) are limitless. I know this is a truism but the first thing we must do (after prayer) is to pull an evangelistic tool out of our evangelism tool bag. We need to do relational evangelism but we also need to do intentional evangelism and whether we share Jesus in a formal presentation or a casual conversation, we need to be ready at all times to share the gospel.
Sometimes we are ready but not willing. When was the last time you told someone that Jesus loved them? Did they give you a blank stare or ask you who Jesus is? Rather than lament about how sinful our culture has become, let’s begin to share Jesus with others. My best guess is our culture has degraded to where it is today because at some point, God’s people stopped sharing the good news.
In our postmodern and post-Christian culture, we must begin by explaining creation. We live in Athens (Acts 17) and not Jerusalem (Acts 2) anymore. Since our society is biblically illiterate, we must continue our oral storytelling by illustrating the fall, rescue, and restoration of both man and creation as we discuss spiritual matters with people. We must walk with people from Genesis to Revelation and share the story in a way where they understand their life narrative fits within the metanarrative of Scripture.
My favorite tools are
- 3 Circles (can be drawn on a napkin or viewed on an app) http://www.bpnews.net/43229/3-circles-on-a-napkin-or-with-an-app-conveys-the-gospel
- The Story (also an app) https://thestoryfilm.com/
- Share Jesus Without Freaking Out by Alvin Reid (Coming out in Spring 2017) http://alvinreid.com/?p=4665 (latest update)
Other evangelistic tools include
- Ebands http://shop.e3resources.org/eband/
- Soularium Cards http://crupress.com/products/soularium/
- My 8 by Ed Newton https://store.studentlife.com/biblestudies/my-8-embrace-and-engage-wonder-evangelism
- Christianity Explored http://www.christianityexplored.org/Groups/276315/CE_ORG.aspx?redirected=1
- The God Test http://www.thegodtest.org/
Evangelistic events also share a purpose and have a place in the church. See You at the Pole was just celebrated around the globe. Disciple Now Weekends occur in the fall and spring. Summer camps along with VBS have also produced positive results. Youth crusades or revivals and mission trips through the social media world are also effective.