Why do Reformed Christians get a reputation for being bad at evangelism? Dr. R. Scott Clark, who once taught Evangelism Explosion, joins Rev. Chris Gordon to talk honestly about the pressure tactics he learned as a young Southern Baptist, why he came to see some of those methods as manipulative, and how the love of an ordinary Baptist layman still brought him to faith in Christ. Together they make a helpful distinction: evangelism is the authorized proclamation of the gospel by ministers from the pulpit, while witness is something every Christian is called to give.
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I have been exposed to the Three Circles practice of evangelism within the last decade, and I am discouraged that so many Christians seem to think it’s a wonderful idea to develop an elevator speech designed to convert someone between the first and 6th floors. Three Circles reeks of a slick sales pitch you’d give at someone’s front door selling vacuum cleaners, and I wish it could be driven out of our churches due to the harm it does to the Gospel.
Correction: the harm it does to the PROCLAIMING of the Gospel.
Addendum: Francis, of course.
I resented the canned-speech, memorized script, manipulating me and cornering me with well-tested sales pitches. I wanted honest discussion, with an honest, personal response to my honest questions. My son’s guarded mind and heart would have remained skeptical and aloof, had Dr. Francil Schaeffer not taken the time to sit down with him, one to one, to answer David’s real, honest question, this even though had a flight to London to catch to lead a pro-life rally. In addition to honesty, he and I wanted substance, coherence, reasonable content. Interest in the reality of the supernatural was built on the base of truth and integrity.
I am grateful for this Heidelblog.
This is why I am a really big proponent of the method of evangelism and apologetics from Greg Koukl–the process of asking leading, clarifying questions (the TACTICS) approach has been so appealing to me. It seems to avoid the approach that makes those who receive our evangelistic efforts feel less like a new notch on the belt and more like a conversation partner. The process is more organic.
As Koukl likes to say, most of us are not harvesters, and just randomly engaging someone like a street preacher makes many of us feel uncomfortable. Most of us are gardeners–we plant, we water, God gives the growth. We don’t need to feel like we’ve got to “seal the deal” or “close the sale” by the end of our encounters, which is definitely felt by those we’re evangelizing.
While I have definitely shared the explicit gospel of law and grace to people, most of the time, it has been a very brief interaction where I asked a question about something they were wearing and we had a lively chat. I trust that my planting or watering will be used by God and the harvesters he’s called to the field will be there when that fruit is ready to drop, so to speak.