How to share your faith

Tim Keller from Center Church on how to share your faith and how church ministers ought to equip people at doing the following:

1. One-on-one - informal

• Let others know of your Christian faith by simply mentioning church attendance or Christian beliefs in casual conversation.
• Ask questions about other people's beliefs and experiences with faith and church and simply listen appreciatively and sympathetically.
• Listen sympathetically to someone's challenges and mention that you will pray regularly for them.
• Share a difficult personal issue that you have and be sure to mention that your faith helps you by giving you strength and granting you forgiveness, etc.
• Share your spiritual narrative - a brief testimony of your Christian experience.

2. One-on-one - planned/intentional

• Offer someone a book or audio recording about Christian issues and invite them to discuss their reactions.
• Initiate a discussion about a friend's biggest problems with or objections to Christianity. Listen respectfully and give them some things to read and discuss.
• Regularly read a part of the Bible together - preferably one of the gospels - to discuss the character of Jesus.

3. Provide an experience of Christian community

• Invite friends to situations or activities where they meet believers but where there is no direct Christian event or communication.
• Invite friends to venues where they hear the gospel communicated and discussed - onetime event, such as an open forum; fellowship group; worship service; group meeting for inquirers, such as book club, seeker group etc.

4. Share your faith

• Share the basics of the Christian faith with your friend, laying out how to become a Christian and inviting them to make a commitment.

Engaging with the community

Tim Keller (borrowing from Tim Chester) lists several ways in which we can engage with the community we live in:

Engaging neighbours

• Take regular walks in your neighbourhood to meet others who are out and about. Keep a regular schedule. Go to the same places at the same time for groceries, haircuts, coffee, shopping. this is one of the main ways you get to know those who live geographically near.
• Find ways to get to know others in your building or neighbourhood - through a common laundry area, at resident meetings, and in numerous other ways.
• Find an avocation or hobby you can do with others in the city. For example, don't form a Christian backpacking club; join an existing one.
• Look for ways to play organised amateur sports in the city.
• Volunteer alongside other neighbourhood residents at nonprofits and with other programs.
• If you have children, be involved at the school and get to know other parents.
• Participate in city events - fund raisers, festivals, cleanups, summer shows, concerts etc.
• Serve in your neighbourhood. Visit the community board meeting. Pick up litter regularly. Get involved in neighbourhood associations. Find individual neighbours (especially elderly ones) and find ways of serving them.
• Be hospitable to neighbours - when and where appropriate, invite them over for a meal or a movie, etc.

Engaging colleagues, coworkers and friends

• Do recreational activities with them - watch sports (live or on TV at home or in a nightspot): go to a theatre show, museum exhibit, art gallery exhibit, etc.
• Invite them to jin a sports league with you.
• Invite them to work out with you at a gym.
• Put together a movie night.
• Go out of your way to eat with them as often as possible. Invite people over for a meal in your apartment or home or just invite them out to try a new restaurant.
• Plan trips or outings - a trip to a beach, a historical site, etc.
• If the person has a skill or interest, ask them (sincerely!) to educate you.
• Organise a discussion group on something - politics, books, etc. inviting mainly non-Christians.