Part 5 of our ‘tasters’ of the book TOGETHER – Life Changing Perspectives To Inspire Youth Ministry, looks at the topic of EVANGELISM.
It’s a down to earth ‘taster’ is by Mitch, a Christian communicator and co-founder of Crown Jesus Ministries, based in Belfast. Having served over sixteen years with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, he stepped into full-time ministry in 2011. Mitch has over twenty years active involvement in evangelism, especially amongst teenagers. This chapter is all about faith in action; indeed the subtitle to this Landmark is “you’ve got to make the effort”. Mitch kicks off with the question: “How did you become a follower of Jesus?” and goes on to say: “Most likely your story involves someone who made the effort and took a risk to point you towards faith in Christ…. Regardless of the detail, there is a good chance it was an ‘ordinary’ person, making the most of every opportunity and pointing you in the direction of Christ.”
The heart of this chapter is that evangelism isn’t just about preaching, door-knocking, and big campaigns; we have all been commissioned to it as part of our daily discipleship: “the great commission is for every disciple and the Holy Spirit uses all types of personalities to reach all types of people”. Most evangelism will happen in the ordinary rhythm and routines of our daily lives: “Evangelism is about joining people in the journey of life and lighting up theirs with the love of God.” It is, amongst other things, about the Power of Presence (being where people are), and the Impact of Action (an act of kindness will speak to someone’s heart often before we need to use words). But yes, “Actions and words are the two sides of evangelism coin; both are essential.” To this end Mitch challenges us all to write down our story, our journey to faith, and the impact Jesus has made on our lives. People love stories. This chapter includes excellent guidance on how to write down and communicate our own story effectively and help others to do the same, remembering that we are not on our own – the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts and saves; He just needs us all to do our bit!
If you’re involved in youth ministry in your church then TOGETHER – Life Changing Perspectives To Inspire Youth Ministry would be a book well worth owning to be able to turn to for inspiration and a load of practical advice on many areas of youth work. You will be familiar with many of the authors as you flick through the pages – Jim Brown from Exodus Europe, Helen Warnock from Scripture Union, Mitch from Crown Jesus Ministries, Neil Young from Causeway Coast Vineyard and a host of other well known local leaders with a heart for our young people and a determination to bring the message of Jesus’ love to them. TOGETHER Life Changing Perspectives To Inspire Youth Ministry is available to buy in Faith Mission & Scripture Union bookshops as well as online from the TOGETHER website here. Digital copies for Kindle are available for download from Amazon. You can check out TOGETHER on Facebook here.