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BY CHRIS GOBRECHT

Imagine a necklace.

This gold bead stands for God's wonderful plan for your life. The purple bead stands for sin, which breaks our relationship with God. The red bead stands for the blood of Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. The white bead represents our sins being washed away. The green bead stands for growing in our relationship with God.

This sort of Gospel presentation has its uses. Children and teens may respond well if they are looking for gbwc_superuserance and a simple answer. Those who already have some background and are within a hairsbreadth of the Kingdom may find that this provides the last piece of the puzzle. Unfortunately, in most cases a memorized presentation of the Gospel does not tend to produce lasting disciples.

Canned Gospel reiterations are less useful, not because they are not true, but because they are not compelling. Most people aren't really asking the question, 'How can I be saved?' They have other questions and if we fail to address them in our neat presentations, they may agree with what we are saying, but see no reason to truly commit to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Every Christian should be able to 'give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear' (1 Peter 3:15 KJV). In other words, we ought to be able to explain the Good News of Jesus Christ with integrity and clarity. Often the best way for us to further understand ourselves is to try to explain it to others. Starting with a memorized presentation is a step in the right direction, but let's go further.

Logic and theology have their place, but what people are really seeking is to be loved. That's why it's important for us to live our lives in a way that puts God's love in a form they can understand. This can be organized social ministry, random acts of kindness or simply a joyful spirit. Eventually people will give you a chance to explain what it is that's different about you and your faith.

Every Christian ought to have a testimony. Surely God has done something for you that you're excited about. Some have a powerful conversion experience; others have experienced God's deliverance from a crisis. Some have simply experienced a personal relationship with God in a thousand small ways. Whatever your testimony, be ready to share it when the time comes.

Those are the most basic points of personal evangelism, points I have tried to share at many sessions I have taught around the conference in my experience on the Board of Evangelization. As I travel and as I read the charge conference reports on how evangelism is being practiced, I realize that often the most basic points are not well understood by our members. I encourage every church to equip people to witness to the presence of God in their lives by sharing their faith with others.

A lot of churches seem to be afraid of evangelism. The 'e-word' has gotten a bad reputation amongst non-Christians because it can be pushy. Amongst Christians, its gotten a bad reputation because we feel we don't know enough and because we are afraid of giving offense. I have presented the Gospel thousands of times and only twice have I ever gotten negative feedback, and both of those actually turned out positively in later encounters.

For those who feel they don't know enough, it's best to remember that people won't expect you to have all the answers. Be honest, loving and listen to what they are saying and you'll both have a positive experience. If we're not quite ready to give a witness we can at least invite someone to church or to a church activity.

Even if there are dysfunctional elements, God is at work in our churches. Often we could do better at welcoming visitors. Try to imagine what things would not be clear to the first time visitor. Especially make sure that the message makes sense to those who don't speak our church language. Those who do not know Christ are not looking for a well-organized service on Sunday morning with a three-point sermon; they are looking for an encounter with the living God.

When seekers come to church, they want to connect with God and they want to connect with other people, even if they are timid at first. Honesty, sensitivity and relevance are the kinds of things that bring about evangelism. If your church is offering those things you probably are already succeeding in evangelism. Without these elements, all of the programs and money you expend will not avail.

Our bishop has put forward a model of the discipleship journey that is clear and intelligible: faith celebration, faithful connections, faith development, faithful service and faith sharing. But so many people have never made it all the way around the cycle. Our churches cannot be healthy if they are broken down at some point. Churches that do not produce disciples who produce disciples will never grow. In fact, churches will not ultimately survive without all elements of the journey being present.

I have great hope that as churches adopt Bishop John R. Schol's model, evangelism will begin to happen. Outreach is the most natural thing in the world to someone who has a mature faith and who is excited about what God is doing in her life.

The Rev. Christopher Gobrecht is pastor of Taylorsville UMC in Mt. Airy and chairman of the conference Board of Evangelization.