I have been leading a ministry called “Dare 2 Share” for the last twenty years or so. During that time frame we’ve had the privilege of inspiring and equipping a half million teenagers to share their faith. We truly believe that, because 85% of those who trust in Jesus do so by 18 years of age, a student-led movement of teenagers reaching teenagers with the gospel can transform this nation for Christ.
But, over the course of the last two decades, I’ve also encountered the reality that getting Christian teenagers to consistently share their faith is a challenge…a serious one. Yes, teenagers share the gospel when they’re at our training conferences but six months later the majority of them are back to their old non-faith sharing habits. Again and again we have seen that it takes youth leaders to, well, lead their own youth in this area. We can give them the basic faith-sharing tools they need to get started but youth leaders must use them and continue to use them throughout the year if evangelism is going to be a lifestyle for their teenagers.
What’s true of teenagers is especially true of adults. As difficult as it is to get teenagers to consistently share the gospel it’s even more of a challenge for adults. I was a church planter and preaching pastor for a decade or so (I was working at Dare 2 Share for much of this time.) As a pastor I saw firsthand that most of the adults in our church struggled to share their faith and we were a very evangelistic church.
Again and again I’ve seen in youth ministry that, although most youth leaders believe evangelism should be a priority, it ends up being their least accomplished purpose. They, like many pastors, revert back to purely discipleship-oriented functions. Why? Because it’s safer, less messy and far less intimidating.
Here are five reasons why evangelism is hard (but necessary!) Keep reading
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