You don’t have to have a long relationship with someone before you share your faith. But we always want to be relational when we share. Here are three steps to becoming more relational in evangelism.

Demonstrate Your Care

In today’s culture, evangelism can be incredibly insulting to some. If someone is upset, two thoughts might go through their mind about you:

• You have a judgmental heart.
• You only care about me if I trust Christ.

If you have a relationship with someone, seek to make two things clear as you share the Gospel message. This can help alleviate those thoughts.

• I am sharing the Gospel because I care for you.
• Our relationship is not dependent on your response to the Gospel.

While we want to express this with our words, it is also important to demonstrate your care through actions. By using your actions to care for someone genuinely, you can help set yourself up to share the Gospel.

Use Your Circle of Influence

A key to relationally sharing the Gospel is to understand your circle of influence. While we ought to go out and pursue new relationships, we need to examine which ones has God already entrusted to us. On an average week, where do you go? Who do you spend time with?

Here are three examples with some practical tips for each one:

• Church Pews:

By assuming everyone around us at church trusts Christ, we might be missing great opportunities to invite someone to believe in Jesus. A couple at my church hedges against this by sitting in the same spot every week. By establishing a consistent presence here, they can recognize if anyone is new or if anyone is missing.

You could try something like the example above or take a different approach. Maybe the next time you see someone sitting by themselves, think about asking if you could sit with them. It could very well chart a course toward some meaningful conversations.

• Grocery Stores:

If possible, go to the same clerk at the same time every week. Slowly, but surely, you can get to know who they are and hear their story.

Remember their names and key elements of their story. You can scribble down notes on your phone to help you recall later.

Be attentive to your surroundings. If there is a massive line, it might not be the best time to share.

Pray for them by name as you are developing a relationship with them. As we give our hearts to God in prayer about them, He will give us His heart of love for them.

• Your Neighborhood:

If you’ve lived in a neighborhood for a while, you might feel as though it is too late to introduce yourself. In fact, others in the neighborhood most likely feel the same way. But that’s not true! In reality, most people are simply waiting for a reason to connect. If you happen to see a neighbor, say hi and introduce yourself! And be sure to keep an eye out for a Moving Truck that lets you know new neighbors are arriving. In all times of transition, people are searching for something consistent in their life. What a great chance to share Christ’s never-changing love with them!

Combine the ‘How & What’

What you say is incredibly important. But how you say it is important, too! If your tone or demeanor is off-putting, building a relationship will be difficult. But a welcoming tone can invite a new friend into your life. In all our conversations, we should strive to:

• Speak kindly and gently.
• Be authentic and transparent.
• Show compassion towards them.

As the conversation and relationship progresses, we can do what comes naturally – share about things that are important to us. This opens the door to share the Gospel message with them. Check out this blog to learn more about how to share the Gospel in conversations.

At the end of the day, the way we relate to people will largely communicate to them about our relationship with God.

What are you communicating when you share your faith?