FRIENDS & EVANGELISM
A research study reported in Church Growth: American Magazine, shows the importance of friendship in the process making disciples. The study identified 240 new Christians who were actively involved in their churches. A second group of 240 people were identified as “drop-outs” — they had made a recent decision but had since lapsed into inactivity. A third group of 240 people were identified as those who had been presented with the Gospel message, but had chosen not to make a positive decision. In 720 individual interviews, each was asked to classify the person who had presented the Gospel into one of three categories: 1) Friend, 2) Salesman, or 3) Teacher. The results provided some startling conclusions: 94% of the people who saw the church member as a “friend” were now Christians and active in their churches. On the other hand, 71% of those people who saw the church member who presented the Gospel as a “salesman” made an initial decision, but…
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan
