Trends for Student Evangelism
Over the last few months, I’ve had some conversations with youth pastors around evangelism. How do we talk about Jesus without making it cringy?
We’re excited about Jesus, we see that our students are excited about Jesus, and we want to share the good news we believe with people around us. We want to help equip our students to share Jesus with their friends.
But evangelism has a bit of a bad take on it.
It’s unpopular in our culture to express our truth in a way that puts down someone else’s truth. We don’t want to offend people, so we just avoid talking about Jesus.
Is that because of our own uncertainty about what we believe? Is it rooted in fear of a ruined relationship?
Check out Caught in the Current
In his research with Canadian and British evangelicals, Dr. Sam Reimer observes the aversion to evangelism that is common in our churches. He highlights that his respondents would speak of ‘lifestyle evangelism,’ and that they believed that their actions speak louder than words [Caught in the Current, 103]. Although we still believe that evangelism is a good idea, most of us would rather someone else did that work.
Reigniting Hope
Alpha Canada and Flourishing Congregations have partnered together to study the state of evangelism in Canada (check out their 2024 Reigniting Hope report). They’ve identified some positive trends as they’ve seen an openness to spiritual conversations in the last few years since the pandemic.
In particular, they’ve highlighted three trends that should be significant in our ministries as we look to a new ministry year:
Prayer
Cultivate Your Culture
The report highlighted that ‘foundation of evangelism must be prayer.’ And yet, how often is prayer an afterthought in our ministries? Something we tack on at the end of a meeting?
This year, our focus at One Conference was to cultivate cultures of prayer – and this is something we want to continue encouraging you to pursue. How are you helping your ministry cultivate a culture of prayer?
Resource
Dave and Jon Ferguson have a helpful book that can be used in next generation ministry. Their B.L.E.S.S. 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World calls us to Begin with Prayer and reminds us that in prayer, we are opening ourselves to God and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Practice
Invite your students to pray for some of their friends regularly. Encourage them to seek opportunities to be a blessing to their friends and for conversations to begin about their faith.
Invitation
Cultivate Your Culture
The report highlighted that ‘foundation of evangelism must be prayer.’ And yet, how often is prayer an afterthought in our ministries? Something we tack on at the end of a meeting?
This year, our focus at One Conference was to cultivate cultures of prayer – and this is something we want to continue encouraging you to pursue. How are you helping your ministry cultivate a culture of prayer?
Resource
Christine Pohl has a great chapter on hospitality in Living Into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us. In particular, she reminds us of the importance of shared meals and extending hospitality to people who do not appear to have the ability to repay kindness.
Practice
Plan monthly dinners where students and leaders can share food and conversation, encouraging everyone to sit with different people each time. You could do this as a potluck-style meal, which will foster a sense of community and shared responsibility.
Celebration
Cultivate Your Culture
Finally, the report highlights the importance of celebration. Many leaders do not do a great job at tracking new believers or celebrating with them. But as I’ve visited churches and watched online, I’ve been excited to see great numbers of baptisms happening! Jesus continues to invite people to follow him, and this is a great cause for celebration!
Resource
Check out the ‘Wonder and Onions’ chapter on celebration in Delighted: What Teenagers are Teaching the Church About Joy. It’s a great reminder for us to help our students notice what God is doing.
Practice
How are you doing at celebrating baptisms and new commitments in your ministry? Consider implementing storytelling as part of your ministry. Testimonies don’t always have to be a ‘come-to-Jesus’ story, but a recognition of God’s ongoing work. Ask your children or youth a question like, “Where did you see God this week?”