Gavin Perkins, senior minister of St Jude's at Bowral, shares insights from his research on church engagement in evangelism. He reveals that while many view it as an individual task, actual conversations with non-Christians are minimal. The discussion focuses on creating an evangelistic culture, tackling barriers like lack of relationships and confidence, and the importance of community in sharing faith. Gavin also emphasizes the role of music and innovative programs to facilitate spiritual dialogues, encouraging a collective responsibility in evangelism.
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insights INSIGHT
Obstacles to Evangelism
Many Christians want to share their faith but struggle to do so.
Key obstacles include lacking meaningful relationships with non-Christians, difficulty articulating the gospel, and fear of follow-up questions.
insights INSIGHT
Evangelism as a Shared Responsibility
Despite obstacles, most church members recognize evangelism as a personal duty.
This contrasts with the view that evangelism is only for specially gifted individuals.
insights INSIGHT
The Role of Everyday Believers
While some are gifted evangelists, everyday believers also have a role in sharing Christ.
The New Testament offers examples of ordinary Christians engaging in evangelism.
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Alan Hirsch's "Cross-Shaped Apologetics" offers a unique approach to Christian apologetics, emphasizing humility and the transformative power of the cross. It challenges traditional apologetic methods that focus on intellectual arguments, instead advocating for a relational and incarnational approach. The book explores the implications of the cross for how Christians engage in conversations about faith, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection and vulnerability. Hirsch argues that a cross-shaped apologetic is essential for effectively communicating the gospel in a postmodern world. It's a call to embrace humility and empathy in dialogue with those who hold different beliefs.
Ulysses
James Joyce
Ulysses is a groundbreaking and complex modernist novel that chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners over a single day. The novel is loosely based on Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey', with Leopold Bloom paralleling Odysseus, Stephen Dedalus paralleling Telemachus, and Molly Bloom paralleling Penelope. It explores themes such as antisemitism, human sexuality, British rule in Ireland, Catholicism, and Irish nationalism. The novel is known for its innovative use of language and narrative techniques, including stream-of-consciousness and multiple literary styles. It captures the essence of early 20th-century Dublin, providing a detailed snapshot of the city's social, political, and cultural landscape[2][3][5].
How do you grow your church’s evangelistic ecosystem? Is that possible?
83% of Gavin’s church members see personal evangelism as an individual responsibility, yet at most 60% of them had a maximum of two spiritual conversations with non-Christians in the last six months!
Gavin Perkins has been researching what may be the causes and blockers to personal evangelism and how we might overcome these to see more people to Christ! (See https://bit.ly/3zUPIZK)
So then how could we create a congregational ecosystem where individuals take personal evangelistic initiative?
GAVIN PERKINS, is the senior minister of St Judes at Bowral, to the south of Sydney, and he’s just completed a major project as part of his doctor of ministry project in this area.
The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele 