More Ready Than You Realize

I'm almost done with this book by McLaren, and it's been pretty good, although the e-mail format makes it hard to read. But I thought that near the end, he does a good job at wrapping up his thoughts into eight separate evangelism "factors". Here they are, in condensed form:

I've been reading "More Ready Than You Realize" by Brian McLaren, which is a book on evangelism, and I thought that eight factors that he talks about at the end of the book was very good for us to think about when it comes to unchurched people and how we can reach out to them - here they are:

1. THE RELATIONAL FACTOR: Count conversations, not just conversions.

Some of us Christians don't "get out much." We run from holy huddle to holy huddle, like squirrels darting from tree to tree, afraid that we will get hammered by a devil or seduced by a temptation.

But if you are willing to get out, reach out, relate to and willing to be a neighbor, a friend, a decent human being, then you are more ready than you realize. You don't start by being religious; you start by being human, relational, neighborly, friendly. If you've forgotten, it is never too late to relearn.

You may have to, as we suggested before, trim back your church activities. Instead of yet another Bible study, you might start coaching basketball, or taking an art class, or volunteering at a retirement community - just to get out a bit. In the process you will meet some people and you will ask some questions, conversations will begin, and a relationship will develop. Don't worry about the content of the conversions. Just get them going and see what happens.

2. THE NARRATIVE FACTOR: Listen to their story, share your story, and share God's story, not just propositions or formulas.

As we have seen throughout this book, somewhere along the line modernity tricked us into thinking that the greatest truths are contained in abstractions rather than stories. We start by honoring the stories around us.

Next time you are on an airplane, don't hurry to stand squashed in the center aisle waiting to deplane at your destination. Just sit there and look at the people. Notice their faces. Imagine the story behind each face. You are story in progress surrounded by stories in progress, and at any moment, your story could intersect with the story of someone else, and as a result, both of your stories will take a novel turn. In the process, both of you will find yourselves part of God's unfolding story too, because God's story intersects with ours at every turn, in every breath, pulsing in every heartbeat.

3. THE COMMUNAL FACTOR: Expect conversion to normally occur in the context of authentic Christian community, not just in the context of information.

Spiritual friendship isn't just about you. You are part of something bigger, something Paul called "the body of Christ." In a real way, Jesus is still here in the flesh through one body composed of thousands and thousands of us. So one of the best things you can do for your friends who don't yet know and love Jesus is to introduce them to your other friends who do.

Jesus said that the love your unconvinced friends observe between you and your fellow disciples will be the most telling evidence possible for his legitimacy. In the context of imperfect but vibrant Christian community, the message of Christ will come alive in a way that a booklet or lecture never could convey. And once your community begins to function as such a portal, a process will be set into motion that will not always be easy, but will be exciting and worthwhile because every new person who comes in will make your community even more ready to welcome the next.

4. THE JOURNEY FACTOR: See disciple-making as a holistic process and unending journey, not just a conversion event.

You will be more comfortable with the journey factor if you understand the difference between four kinds of thinking - boundary, centered, process and journey thinking. (diagrams go here) Boundary thinking is always asking the same question: in or out? Christian or non-Christian?

One of the negative effects of our boundary thinking has been this: What Jesus intended as a starting line became for us a finish line. Because of our boundary thinking, many of us got across the in/out barrier and parked there. But Jesus did not call us to a parking lot, he invited us to an adventure, an odyssey, a journey that will never end. Quite a difference!

5. THE HOLY SPIRIT FACTOR: Believe that God is at work "out there" in everyone (either working from the outside to get in or from the inside to get out), not just "in here" in the church.

Many people are experiencing the Holy Spirit but do not realize it. The Spirit of God reaches out to them through beauty, humor, joy, rest, excitement, justice and mercy. In many ways, we simply come along to help them understand what already surrounds them, as Paul did at Mars Hill in Athens.

One of the tragic ironies of the twentieth century was the continual talk about "church renewal" that preoccupied us with how the Spirit would work through us in our church services. Meanwhile, Jesus was concerned about how the Spirit would work through us in the world outside the church - its ghettoes, art galleries, shops, schools, sidewalks,parks, etc. The Holy Spirit factor reminds us that evangelism is not simply the transmission of information, it is a mysterious encounter between human beings and the Spirit of God, who loves, surrounds, and pursues them gently. It is our privilege to be part of that mysterious encounter.

6. THE LEARNING FACTOR: See evangelism as part of your own discipleship - not just the other person's!

Like Peter with Cornelius, we all find that we learn lessons we never could have otherwise as we reach out with God's love. This learning posture helps protect us from the arrogance and brashness that were too common in our modern-era evangelism, as if we had found "it," figured it out, processed and packaged and sold it, but stopped learning from it ourselves.

7. THE MISSIONAL FACTOR: See evangelism as recruiting people for God's mission on earth, not just people for heaven.

When Jesus says to go and make disciples, teaching the new disciples to do everything Jesus has taught, it is clear that Jesus is not just recruiting "souls" for heaven. He is sending his agents into the world. He is launching a revolution, which he called "the kingdom of God." Hatred and revenge will be replaced by love and mercy; love and greed will be replaced by respect and generosity; luxury and stress will be replaced by joy and rest. We contribute, one life at a time, to changing the world.

The fact is, our mission has two dimensions - a historic, here-and-now, down-to-earth dimension of changing lives, changing cultures and changing history, and an eternal, ultimate, transcendent dimension of helping people become the kinds of people who will enjoy God forever beyond this life.

8. THE SERVICE FACTOR: See evangelism as one facet of our identity as servants to all.

Should we be surprised that Jesus said our role in this earth is not one of critics, cynics, consumers, escapists, controllers, or isolationists - but rather servants? Jesus said he came not to serve but to be served. So the best first step for you as you finish this chapter would be to keep your eyes open - as a servant does, as a waiter does in a restaurant, simply looking for an opportunity to be of service. Anyone can serve...anyone who is willing. And so, if you are willing, you are more ready than you realize.