Don’t make “Cold Evangelism” an escape from your unsaved family and friends

Jesse Johnson at Pulpit Online discusses the pros and cons of “Cold Evangelism.”

“Many people try to hide their cowardice when it comes to proclaiming the gospel to their friends and family with the mask of cold evangelism. While they have never proclaimed the gospel to their friends, they are faithful to hit the streets every Sunday afternoon. Here at Grace Church, we do have street evangelism ministries. But before someone can be a part of this ministry we inist that he or she is faithfully serving in the church, and has demonstrated evangelistic faithfulness in everyday life.

Christians should be active in evangelism. There is a place for coordinated outings for cold evangelism. A church’s evangelistic health can be seen in conversions and baptisms. But evangelism is a practice, not a program. It happens in your life, not on Friday nights at 7 pm.

When pastors develop this holistic view of evangelism, their people will mimic it. Friends, relatives, the mail-carrier, and the dentist will hear the gospel from someone whom they know — someone in whom they’ve seen the gospel lived out. This is the foundation for effective evangelism.”