“The most effective evangelism—by far—occurs through meaningful relationships between Christians and non-Christians.”
“…we must be close enough to unbelievers for Christ to be observed and experienced through us.”
“One reason that 85+% of today’s churches are not growing is that the social networks of people in these churches are almost entirely within the church.”
These challenging observations come from Charles Arn’s research described in “The Silver Bullet for Disciple Making.”
The key is getting Christians and non-Christians together. These principles apply even more so to the tentmakers working overseas. They have the additional complication that they have to cross cultural and ethnic barriers as well. At first glance this task may appear daunting.
Simple habits practiced well can have a big impact. The key to being an effective tentmaker is to build relationships with the people of the country where you go to serve. Being intentional in developing those relationships does not have to be complicated or difficult. Here are 8 practical everyday actions you can take to effectively engage the culture around you. These have been adapted from an article written to the North American church. In most cases they can be applied to any culture, anywhere in the world.
1. Start conversations. Just talk to the people you meet while going through life. These could be neighbors, co-workers, or even total strangers you come across during daily activities like shopping or sight-seeing.
2. Hang out with people who enjoy the same things you do. Find non-believers who enjoy doing the same things you do – or who can teach you something you would like to learn to do. Find ways to hang out with them and enjoy them while exposing them to “Christ in you.” One caveat to the tentmaker. Find your new friends among the nationals you came to serve with, not the ex-patriot community. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of spending all your time isolated from the nationals around you and live in the “ex-pat bubble.”
3. Volunteer somewhere. Be of service to your newfound community and show them you want to help and be a part of them. Just do it.
4. Tell stories. Everyone likes to hear a good story. Tell people about your life, or stories that illustrate important truths, even Bible stories. Learn to do it well.
5. Get to know your community. Ask questions. People are pleased when you express an interest in them and the history and values of their culture. Besides giving you a reason to talk with them you will find that you learn a lot and will gain valuable insights into understanding and relating to them better.
6. Invite others to join you. Don’t go alone. Ask someone to join you in your activity.
7. Pray with others. When you become aware of challenges non-Christian associates are facing, ask if you can pray for them. Pray with them on the spot, if possible. Prayer with them is key. Then follow up and ask them later how God answered your prayer.
8. Address physical and spiritual needs around you. Be aware of the needs around you and begin to make a difference. If you don’t know of any needs, go back to point #1. Ask those around you. You will be surprised at what you hear. Stay focused and work on one need at a time.
Make these practices part of your daily habits and you will find many opportunities to engage the culture around you. Be diligent in doing these until they become habits. It’s not difficult. You just need to start. Just DO it!
By Phill Sandahl