There might be times when the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak to someone you don't know about Jesus. And some people are called to a kind of street evangelism that involves being loud and confrontational. Most of us, though, participate in friendship evangelism, where we rely on relational connections as the channels through which we can share the good news of Jesus.
I want to suggest that the relational approach can apply when it comes to sharing the gospel with strangers. You just have to work at creating relational connections.
I've led groups of students to do beach evangelism that involved distributing cold soft drinks to total strangers. The act of handing someone a Coca-Cola piques curiosity and provides the opportunity for conversation.
A few years ago PIU sent a group of students on a mission trip to a university in Thailand. They met students simply by sitting in the cafeteria. Because Micronesian students looked so different from Thai students, and nobody was familiar with Micronesia, curious people drifted over to their tables and started conversations. Our students explained that they were there because of their faith in Jesus. It was a very simple approach to having conversations with strangers.
When our church was trying to meet students from a local school we set up a table in our parking lot and gave away bags of popcorn to students as they walked home in the afternoon. We ended up having lots of conversations over time as we repeated the ritual week after week. You can meet strangers, develop relationships, and share the gospel.
Watch this short video (https://youtu.be/uX3Vt_9Qx1A?si=RiR7E7AP0-Sf_m92) on ways to have spiritual conversations with pretty much anyone. Pastor Nelson suggests that it's a matter of letting them start the conversation. Send me an email (bboydston@piu.edu) detailing his advice and whether you can see it working for you. This assignment is worth 25 points.
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