Contact
July 1, 1998
Eleven years ago, when I became a senior pastor, I puzzled over how to encourage people to share their faith. I believed in lifestyle evangelism and wanted to be an example to the congregation. I just didn't do it. I didn't know any non-Christians. My whole world was the church. I worked with Christians, socialized with Christians, and worshiped with Christians. All of my evangelism was "official"—preaching, funerals, walk-in counseling. I wondered what sort of evangelist I would be without all the official opportunities. If I were not a pastor, would I be any good at doing what I told my flock to do? I asked God to teach me to be a "fisher of men." Since then God has given me some wonderful and painful pointers. What unchurched friends?
I'd always assumed that unchurched people would not want to be friends with a pastor. My role would make people feel awkward. They would cuss when they hit a bad golf shot, turn, blush, and apologize to me. Or, at a birthday party make comments about having fun after I left. To my surprise I found non-religious people remarkably open, even hungry, for friendship. Some were curious about who God is and welcomed my presence. Others were lonely; they had no community. My first step in telling people about Jesus was to look for people who liked me. I made friends through common interests. We met parents of our kids' school friends. I coached sports teams. These were the same opportunities my church people had. When we purchased our home, I got to know the real estate agent. He had books all over his office and said he loved to read. He also told funny jokes, though most were a little off-color. We had a lot of fun in the process of closing the deal, and I decided this friendly contact ...
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