Mari speaks: "Art of Evangelism"

Marilyn is a full-time business student in SIM; she loves making new friends and sharing her life and walk with God with them.

Jiayou Campus for the harvest month! Let's take it higher :)

Guy Kawasaki, a former evangelist for Apple computers, talks about the art of evangelism. In a nutshell, what used to be a religious term has been borrowed by business.

In a quirky step farther, let's take evangelism back to the church and reapply Kawasaki's art of evangelism on churches. Obviously we're a couple steps removed from the original concept of evangelism so not everything fits, but it's an interesting exercise.

1.) Create a cause.
Thankfully for the church, we already have a cause. No need to sweat this one.

2.) Love the cause.
Kawasaki says 'evangelist' isn't a job title, it's a way of life. Sound familiar? He also says, "No matter how great the person, if he doesn't love the cause, he cannot be a good evangelist for it," which might be a useful point in the debate over Christian/non-Christian marketers.

3.) Look for agnostics.
Basically it's more productive to go for those who are more likely to buy in. That makes sense for business, and is a worthy reminder for the church, BUT we're also called to go after those least likely to buy in, whether it's productive or not.

4.) Localize the pain.
Christianese and revolutionary language aren't helpful--how is faith practical? Our faith may also be revolutionary, but that may not be the best way in.

5.) Let people test drive the cause.
It's hard to imagine test-driving a faith and in some ways it's very contrary to the way Christians think, but letting someone tag along and "try out" church without making a commitment can be huge. Does your church leave room for people to test drive Christianity.

6.) Learn to give a demo.
is one where many Christians, myself included, flounder. Can I explain my faith in a way that makes people excited? Can my church explain it in a way that gets people interested?

7.) Provide a safe first step.
Goes back to the idea of a demo. Is the "safe" first step an alter call in front of a thousand people? Are there too many expectations on a new Christian?

8.) Ignore pedigrees.
The church so easily panders to those with power. But Jesus wanted the masses.

9.) Never tell a lie.
This should be a no-brainer for the church, but sadly many of us are hypocrites, and that never helps the cause.

10.) Remember your friends.
New convert begats new convert. That's how the church started.