Grow Your Own Evangelists

It’s easier to run a safe, fun youth programme that stops short of challenging young people to live evangelistically. It’s far easier to do the mission ourselves rather than mobilise our most effective agents of change. But, at the same time, it’s not rocket science to join the dots and suggest that if we are going to see revival in Britain, it is going to be through young people with a heart and inclination to reach out to their friends. After all, 75 per cent of Christians in Britain make a decision to follow Jesus before the age of 21, and every significant missiological study reveals the importance of peers in people coming to faith. I would go further to suggest that one of our primary roles as youth workers is to equip and inspire every one of our young people to make disciples of their peers. When Jesus came to change the world, he didn’t run for government, start an army or take part in Jerusalem’s Got Talent; he started a youth group, and core to his strategy was the empowering and training of them to do mission.

No quick fix

This is much easier said than done, and I am painfully aware of the challenges I have faced trying to put this into practice. Equipping young evangelists is not as simple as downloading and installing ‘Calling of Duty 1.0’ Matrix-style into our young flock. Jesus seemed to take the time to instil into his youth group a culture of missional living – he lived it through what he said and what he did. Maybe the first step is to ask God for a fresh passion to share who he is and then begin to talk about how you feel about it, ensuring that you communicate your heart to your team. It might be helpful to hold yourselves accountable to that vision in some way so that your focus remains the same, even when your eyes are turned to the next new ‘thing.’

Instilling the culture

Peer prayer

Despite my hyperactive, activist tendencies, I am learning that significant things start with prayer. Stories of young people transforming their schools don’t start with ‘Once upon a time…’ but with, ‘So, we started to get together to pray.’ Prayer changes situations and it changes us. Maybe the first step in facilitating a culture of peer evangelism is inspiring and encouraging young people to pray together for their friends. The young people at our church get together every Monday at 6:45 (am!) to do just that. It is not surprising that this has been immensely challenging to the adults in our congregation!

Tell the story

In our post-modern digital culture, story and question have replaced statement and proposition. Peter tells a First Century community to, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you, to give a reason for the hope that you have’ (1 Peter 3:15). In 2013 young people rarely want the four points or a copy of ‘Journey Into Life’ as their answer. Clear communication of God’s story is important (see next point), but the starting point usually is personal story and current experience of why we follow Jesus.

If someone asked the young people you are discipling why they are Christians, could they or would they even want to tell their story? How can you help them to do this? I would suggest regularly asking your youth group what God is doing in their lives and encouraging them to think about their ownstory – maybe writing it down. Discuss with them how they respond when someone asks them why they are a Christian. Try incorporating this as a week in, week out discipline.

Confidence in the gospel

I am most effective and passionate as an evangelist when I am at my most convinced of just how much God loves me and everyone else in my life. When I remember how much the message of Jesus matters and how powerfully he can change lives, I am filled with courage. Do we have a culture in our youth work of talking about Jesus as if he is the very source of our connection to life or an additional app that we can bolt on to make our lives a bit better? How do we build the confidence of our young people in communicating good news to their friends?

• Firstly, I would suggest regularly sharing the gradual yet transformational effect Jesus has in our lives. For example, when someone of any age in the church becomes a Christian, or makes a breakthrough on their journey of faith, invite them to share what has happened with the group.

• You can also teach people methods to concisely share the essence of the Christian message. I remember the confidence it gave me when I was taught to articulate the gospel in four simple points. I remember realising that I could tell the story of the prodigal son and it encapsulated so much of the story of God. Neither of these tells the whole story but they are like the grappling hook and ‘Batarangs’ in Batman’s utility belt; each one provides young people with confidence in speaking the good news. 

A culture of invitational mission

Consider the way Jesus discipled the disciples. In Luke 9 there is a fascinating series of events where Jesus sends out the 12 to preach and heal (verses 1-9) right before Peter has his moment of revelation about who Jesus is (18- 20). Jesus was a post-modern kinaesthetic educator before his time. He got his disciples to understand what knowing God was about by releasing them to do the things that God does in the world. His style seems to be less ‘run a crash course on evangelism and make sure everyone knows what they are doing’, and more, ‘go and have a go at some mission and then we’ll chat over some food, reflect, and go again.’ Jesus modelled learning styles before they were trendy. I think that 21st Century mission will look much more like an invitation to join in with some social action rather than hear a preacher or attend a course. I am convinced that a journey to faith that involves being a contributor to mission rather than a target of mission will become more and more common.

How do we go about creating this culture of missional invitation?

• Identify the needs in your community.

• Explore with your young people what it might look like to meet this need. Frost and Hirsch state that it is one of the core tasks of leadership: to help the community to dream again, and this is just as true for leadership of young people. Participation at the vision and dreaming stage will mean greater buy in and willingness to invite their friends to join in.

• Go and do it. Encourage young people to invite their friends. Most young people I know are up for making a difference - we have seen non-Christian young people who love getting involved in mission with our youth group.

• Make these activities an integral part of what you do as a youth group. Through these activities a difference is made in the community, your young people grow in their character and there is the opportunity for others to get involved and experience God. This leads to young people finding purpose, provides them with opportunities to ask questions and builds trusting relationships which ultimately lead to Jesus.

A culture of the long haul

As a teenager I had two best mates. Both were cooler than me and neither followed Jesus. I prayed regularly for them, tried to take opportunities to talk to them about Jesus, made mistakes, invited them to all kinds of church related stuff and tried to trick them to coming to Christian festivals. Around 15 years on, one of them did have an encounter with God - he made a decision but has sadly fallen away – no longer calling himself a Christian. My other friend is a dangerous, wholehearted follower of Jesus who is an incredible encouragement and inspiration to me. As a 14 year-old I expected instant results when I started praying, but it was at least five years before anything really tangible happened. Now there is no doubt that in some situations, conversion can be instant, but in most cases people’s journeys are more like Peter than Paul. That is why the culture of mission is so important; in a ‘buy with one click’ culture we need to remember that the making of disciples is an epic novel not a tweet. 

The power of the gospel is its ability to change lives, but it is also in its capacity to spread virally. Paul tells Timothy not just to preach the good news but to pass it on to reliable leaders who will also be able to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). I challenge you to instigate and foster a missional culture so that you might realise that your greatest effectiveness might just be through young people.

Missional resources

Youth Alpha continues to provide an exceptional context for young people to meet Jesus. It is also an excellent tool to put into the hands of young people for them to run themselves in their schools and churches. www.youthalpha.org

Live Life 123 provides a quality framework for the relationships young people need in order to be effective disciple makers. The principle is for young people to have one mentor, two running mates and three friends to be praying for and investing in. www.livelife123.org

YFC Resources aim to provide an ongoing curriculum of material for youth leaders to 1) reach out to young people in your community and 2) inspire and equip every Christian young person to share their faith. We are currently reimagining all of what we do to develop the culture I have outlined in this article. Watch this space over the next 12 months. www.yfcchurchresources.co.uk