The Practice of Evangelism
Evangelism Is Something We Learn to Practice
Following Jesus eventually turns our attention outward. We learn to love our neighbor, notice the people God has placed around us, and become available to participate in what He may already be doing in their lives.
Yet many Christians feel uncertain about evangelism. Some are afraid of saying the wrong thing. Some have experienced approaches that felt forced or impersonal. Others genuinely love people but rarely know how to move a conversation toward spiritual things.
TELL was created to help bridge that gap.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Mark 12:31Evangelism begins there. People are not projects. They are neighbors to love. TELL helps us learn how to love them sincerely while also becoming willing to speak about Jesus when the opportunity is right.
A Different Posture
Neither Pressure Nor Silence
Christians can easily fall into one of two extremes.
Pressure
Evangelism becomes a presentation to deliver, an argument to win, or a decision we feel responsible to produce.
Silence
We become so concerned about being pushy that we never talk about Jesus or invite someone to take another step.
TELL offers another way: genuinely love people, understand the world they actually inhabit, listen to their story, remain attentive to the Holy Spirit, speak honestly about Jesus, and recognize the next appropriate invitation.
The TELL Framework
Trust. Engage. Listen. Lead.
TELL provides a simple framework for developing an evangelistic life that is relational, prayerful, courageous, and responsive to what God may already be doing.
Trust
Love people genuinely.
Trust begins when people know that our interest in them is real. Evangelism is not treating someone as a project or building a relationship simply so we can deliver a message.
We learn to be present, dependable, curious, respectful, and willing to remain in relationship whether someone agrees with us or not.
Engage
Enter meaningful conversation.
Genuine relationships sometimes require courage. Engage means learning how to ask thoughtful questions, notice spiritual curiosity, share something of our own story, and move beyond surface conversation when the opportunity is present.
We do not force spiritual conversations, but neither do we spend our lives waiting for someone else to begin them.
Listen
Listen to the person. Listen to the Spirit.
Listening is at the heart of TELL. We listen for the person’s story, questions, experiences, doubts, hopes, wounds, and current openness.
At the same time, we learn to listen prayerfully for what the Holy Spirit may be doing. God may bring a question, Scripture, impression, encouragement, prayer, word of wisdom, or another prompting to mind.
We hold those impressions humbly. Spiritual gifts are gifts, not techniques, and they should never be used to manipulate another person.
Lead
Offer the next appropriate step.
Leading does not mean controlling the outcome. It means recognizing when someone may be willing to move and having the courage to offer an appropriate next step toward Jesus.
That step might be another conversation, reading a Gospel together, praying, exploring a difficult question, visiting a church, using a resource such as SEEK, or—when someone is ready—inviting them to trust and follow Jesus.
The Heart of TELL
Practice Double Listening
Listen to the Person
Pay attention before preparing your response. Ask another question. Hear the story beneath the question. Notice what matters to them and resist assuming you already know where they are.
Listen to the Spirit
Quietly ask, “Father, what are You doing in this person’s life, and how can I participate?” Remain attentive to the Spirit without needing to manufacture something spiritual.
“Father, what are You doing in this person’s life, and how can I participate?”
Sometimes the faithful response will be to speak. Sometimes it will be to ask another question. Sometimes it will be to pray, share Scripture, offer a personal story, or simply remain present. TELL helps us become more attentive rather than more controlling.
Wherever Conversation Happens
Evangelism Happens In Person and Online
Relationships no longer exist only across a table. A spiritual conversation may begin over coffee and continue by text. Someone may ask a question on Zoom, respond to a social media post, send an email late at night, or explore faith privately after receiving a link from a friend.
TELL is designed for the world we actually live in. The medium may change, but the posture remains the same.
Friends, neighbors, coworkers, family, church outreach, everyday encounters, and conversations over time.
Text messages, email, social media, online communities, and private conversations that unfold gradually.
Meaningful conversations can happen across distance while remaining personal, relational, prayerful, and attentive.
Wherever the conversation takes place, we can learn to trust, engage, listen, and lead.
One Faithful Step
We Do Not Have to Take Someone Through Every Step at Once
People come to spiritual conversations from very different places. One person may be wondering whether there is anything beyond the material world. Another may believe in God but distrust Christianity. Someone else may be curious about Jesus. Another person may already be ready to respond to Him.
Faithful evangelism pays attention to the person in front of us.
Meet people where they are.
Listen for what is holding their attention.
Offer one appropriate step toward Jesus.
Let them decide whether to take it.
A conversation does not have to end in a conversion decision to have been meaningful. Movement from indifference to curiosity matters. A willingness to reconsider God matters. Reading about Jesus for the first time matters. Asking for prayer matters.
We keep Jesus clearly in view while remembering that a faithful next step may look different for every person.
A Tool When It Is Helpful
SEEK Can Help Continue the Conversation
Sometimes the next step is simply another conversation. At other times, someone may benefit from exploring privately, thinking through their own questions, or discovering a place to begin without feeling pressure.
SEEK is being designed as a resource for those moments. It can give someone space to explore questions about life, meaning, God, Christianity, and Jesus, and help identify an appropriate next step.
TELL does not teach Christians to hand relationships over to a website. SEEK is simply one tool that may support a relationship when it is useful. The Christian continues to listen, care, pray, and remain present.
Your TELL Discovery
What Is the Evangelism Preparedness Assessment?
The Encourager TELL Discovery is designed to help you reflect honestly on how you currently approach evangelism and identify areas in which God may be inviting you to grow.
Relationships
Do you build genuine relationships with people who do not share your beliefs, without treating them as projects?
Courage
Are you willing to move beyond surface conversation and speak naturally about faith and Jesus?
Listening
Do you seek to understand someone’s story and questions before deciding what you think they need to hear?
Spirit Attentiveness
Do you approach spiritual conversations prayerfully, expecting God may already be at work?
Discernment
Can you recognize that different people may need very different next steps?
Invitation
Are you able to offer a meaningful next step without pressure, manipulation, or fear?
Use the Discovery Wisely
TELL Is Not a Measure of Your Spiritual Worth
The assessment is not designed to determine whether you are a “good Christian” or a “good evangelist.” It cannot measure your love for God, determine what the Holy Spirit will do through you, or reduce evangelism to a score.
Instead, it is a reflection tool. It can help identify strengths, assumptions, fears, habits, and areas where greater formation may help you become more available to God and more attentive to people.
Your results should never replace Scripture, prayer, Christian community, pastoral wisdom, or dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
Before You Begin
Approach the Discovery with Honesty and Prayer
Choose the response that best reflects what you normally do, rather than what you believe a mature Christian ought to do.
Picture actual conversations with friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, or people you interact with online.
Fear, uncertainty, limited experience, or past mistakes are not reasons for shame. They simply help identify where growth may begin.
Your discovery may affirm strengths you already recognize and reveal habits or assumptions you have never considered.
Ask God to show you how He wants to form you into someone who loves people well and faithfully bears witness to Jesus.
Take a Moment
Begin with Prayer
Father, thank You for the people You have placed in my life. Teach me to see them as You see them and to love them without treating them as projects. Give me courage when it is time to speak and humility when it is time to listen.
Help me hear both the person in front of me and the quiet leading of Your Spirit. Show me what You may already be doing and how I can faithfully participate. Make me more attentive, loving, courageous, and dependent upon You as I bear witness to Jesus. Amen.
Your Next Step
Begin Your Encourager TELL Discovery
The assessment will help you recognize your current strengths, identify areas for growth, and consider practical next steps for becoming more prepared to participate in meaningful spiritual conversations.
Your TELL Discovery will help you explore:
- How naturally you build trust with people who believe differently
- Your willingness to engage in meaningful spiritual conversation
- How well you listen before responding
- Your attentiveness to what the Holy Spirit may be doing
- Your ability to recognize an appropriate next step
- Practical opportunities for continued growth and practice
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