Newman defines evangelism as “the verbal proclamation of a very specific message: that Jesus died to atone for sins, that he rose from the dead, and that people must respond with repentance and faith” (21). He then shifts his focus away from evangelism to pre-evangelism, and argues that in our culture there is generally the need for work to be done with an outsider before jumping to “Hi, pleased to meet you, can I tell you about Jesus?”

Unlikely Converts is a new book on evangelism which I encourage every believer to read. Author Randy Newman argues that most “outsider conversions” (those not raised in the church, but instead won to faith through evangelism) share a few characteristics. Understanding these will make the typical Christian more encouraged in their evangelism.

First, Newman defines evangelism as “the verbal proclamation of a very specific message: that Jesus died to atone for sins, that he rose from the dead, and that people must respond with repentance and faith” (21). He then shifts his focus away from evangelism to pre-evangelism, and argues that in our culture there is generally the need for work to be done with an outsider before jumping to “Hi, pleased to meet you, can I tell you about Jesus?”

The point of Unlikely Converts is simple: understanding the common characteristics of an outsider’s conversion will help us be more bold and strategic in our pre-evangelism. So what are those traits? That outsiders tend to come to faith:

1. Gradually—it is usually the result of a process, not a one-time conversation.
2. Communally—there are typically many people involved; from those praying, to several people asking questions over the years, often leading to a new person or stranger who then gives an invite to church or Bible study.
3. Variously—behind every conversion is the complicated details of an individual’s life and perspective, thus no two conversions are really the same, nor is there one passage that is a silver-bullet in evangelism.
4. Supernaturally—because salvation is a work of the Lord, we often are able to see outrageous providences that God uses to bring someone to salvation.

Rightly understood, all four of these should give an ordinary Christian extraordinary confidence in evangelism. Because salvation is gradual, we shouldn’t feel like we have to explain everything in one conversation. Often simple questions are all the Lord needs form us at a certain moment. Because conversion is generally communal, we shouldn’t feel like we have to do it all. Maybe we are the ones who lay a foundation for another evangelist later, or perhaps the Lord might use us to simply ask a question that will come back to the person’s mind long after we have left. When we invite the neighbor to church, understand there are likely others who have been working on that person well before we ever met them.

Read More