Short game vs long game evangelism
This is part of a series of posts on effective entry strategies in the modern American landscape. I am writing this series as a work in progress, not as an answer that I have found. In some instances, I may not even agree with myself, but I have found that writing out thoughts helps me arrive at answers that I do agree with, both Biblically and personally. I would love constructive feedback so we can grow together to better engage lost people with the Gospel. To follow this conversation, be sure to subscribe to this blog. You can click here to view all blog posts in this series.
I don’t even like the word evangelism. I don’t know if I ever have. But, call it what you like, all followers of Jesus are given the task to Make Disciples of people that are currently NOT followers of Jesus. So at some point, the message of Jesus needs to be shared, and the reality of a different worldview needs to be addressed…
How do we approach this? We can play the short game. The “no place left” training path is great at this. You can truly get from Hello to the Gospel in one conversation. I think we should be ready to do this. I’ve trained this a lot. I’ve done this a lot.
But, that approach has its challenges, as it can quickly burn bridges or leave us with no other options after we’ve knocked on every door in a neighborhood.
We can also think about the long game. I think that the KC Underground has done a great job of codifying a slightly longer but still intentional pathway to telling people about Jesus. (Basically: pray, engage, move from casual to meaningful to spiritual conversations, and invite people into discovery Bible studies).
But the long game has its challenges too. First of all, the urgency of the task can be lost. There are literally billions of people dying without hope and without Jesus. How long of a game can we play? Second, I don’t see a lot of Biblical support for long-game evangelism.
Short-game evangelism is all over the Word: the Woman at the Well, Philip with the Ethiopian, The Jailer in Philippi… I could go on. As Mike Shipman said in my interview: "The Gospel is never intentionally delayed in the New Testament past the first meeting."
I fully agree with that statement, but I also feel at a loss when it comes to reaching two very different places:
• My neighborhood (Leading with the gospel puts you as the ‘weirdo’ that people avoid.)
• High-security concern places (Western missionaries will get kicked out and local believers will immediately get persecuted if they lead with the Gospel.)
This quote from Nik Ripken in The Insanity of Obedience is appropriate at this point:
“The more resistant, the more dysfunctional the culture, the older and more respected should be those we build relationships with in order to become a midwife to a rapid spread of the Good News. Historical Christian cultures will increasingly focus on reaching children in order to protect and preserve their denominational or theological base. To begin movements, befriending those thirty years and above with a godly, in-culture witness is the healthiest manner through which to see the kingdom of God start strong, grow deep and wide.” P166
This leads me to this question: Are there Biblical examples of long-game evangelism? Let’s end this post there. I would love to hear from you.
What Biblical passages come to your mind about long-game evangelism? Are there any? Please reply or send me a message!
