Few Pointers in Evangelization

by Fr. John Parks  |  07/28/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

As you may know, evangelization is a passion of mine. It is an honor, privilege, and a great duty that the Lord has placed upon us in commanding us to “go make disciples” of all nations. We make others a disciple of Jesus by preaching Jesus. But there can often be preliminary steps to this proclamation and the way in which we evangelize can also have a significant impact on our fruitfulness. Thus, I would like to offer a few pointers (certainly not exhaustive) that I have found effective in evangelizing others.

Love other people
I know it sounds obvious, but the first thing we want to do is simply love other people. Wherever they are in life, we want to do good for them. We want others to experience that being friends with us or having us in their lives is a blessing to them. We represent Christ, and Jesus went about “doing good.”

Listen and ask great questions
Do you know what every person is deeply interested in? Themselves. So, we want to be people who are genuinely interested in the lives of others and ask great questions. We live in a fast-paced and largely distracted culture. In that context, when you meet a person who sincerely listens to what you are saying and first seeks to understand before being understood— or offering advice of some kind—it can have a unique impact. Everyone desires meaning, purpose, and joy and wants to know what to do in the face of evil and suffering. These desires are simply “below the surface” and when you encounter a great question asker and listener, they organically rise to the surface. These are the very realities whose answer is Jesus Himself.

Pray
Mother Teresa once said that silence leads to loving thoughts; loving thoughts to loving action; and loving action to peace. Everything I have said before is fueled by and inspired by the presence of the living God. Prayer is essential for becoming more like Jesus, i.e. “little Christs” or saints. We need to first encounter Jesus as we are before we seek to introduce Him to others.

Invite someone to Alpha
Alpha is an inter-denominational experience that is perfectly suited for curious non-Christians, new Christians, or those who have fallen away and are making their way back. It always begins with a meal, followed by a video that covers an aspect of the Christian life (they are the best-made evangelical videos I have ever seen), and then a discussion where people can share whatever they want in response to the video. It advertises itself as a great space to hear the answers concerning life, faith, and meaning. This ‘program’ has been instrumental in millions of people coming to know Jesus for the first time or coming to know him better. We begin our next Alpha here at Our Lady of Joy on September 3rd. Please take a red card from the narthex that explains the details and pray about giving it to a person who would benefit from it. This simple invitation could change someone’s eternal destiny.