9 tips for Evangelization

1. You are a sinner on a journey for heaven
2. Be honest when the other person makes a good point
3. It is not about victory, but growth in love and healing
4. You are the third wheel between God and the potential convert
5. God has a relationship with someone before you meet them
6. Never encounter sin with anger
7. You are either evangelizing or being evangelized
8. The first question is almost never the question they actually want to ask
9. The potential convert may have valid reasons to not have Faith

You are a sinner on a pilgrimage for heaven.

It is utmost important that our Faith, our knowledge, our lifestyle is ultimately a gift from God. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. We worship Him not out of fear of punishment, but an intense gratitude towards the gift He gave us. It is important to remember that we are still growing, healing, and learning in our own faith journey. So, when we encounter someone to evangelize, it should never be from a place of superiority. Evangelization is nothing more than encountering another pilgrim on our way to heaven and helping each other to get closer to God.

Be Honest when the other person makes a good point

A common fear in evangelization is that the other person will become aggressive or distressed at hearing the Gospel of the Lord. They will respond with mistakes, confusions, or sins they perceive in the Catholic Church. One of the quickest way to diffuse the aggression is to agree with them. Of course, never agree in a way that goes against God or the Doctrines of the Catholic Church. But don’t be afraid to agree when the Catholics of the Church fail to live out their Baptism promises. We can agree with those who do not like hypocrites or pedophile priest or think the mass lack entertainment.

It is not about victory, but growth in love and healing

Never enter into a winner take all mentality. Never believe “You’re right” is admitting defeat. It is not about intellectually destroying the other person’s worldview. We are working on the conversion of the heart not the intellect. Even if we have the perfect response, perfect quotation, perfect evidence, and perfect delivery, then we must be prepared that a conversion will not occur. Because, very few times is the barrier for conversion about the intellect. More often, there is an emotional or spiritual wound that then taints the intellect’s ability to process the teachings of the Catholic Church. So, if you are not focusing on finding healing and love for the person. Then, you will rarely be able to show them the God who is Love.

You are the third wheel between God and the potential convert

This part is especially difficult if you wish to convert love ones or people that are close to you. The journey of faith is justifiably between the person and God. We are the third wheel and praise the Lord that that is the case. God forbid, if the person converts, but then we later fall away that they fall alongside us. The goal should be to facility a reception of a life of faith that is independent of the person that was a part of the conversion. We want the convert to live a life with God without dependence upon our own faith. Therefore, IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU, when you are evangelizing people. It is about that person’s relationship with God and you’re just third wheeling their love story.

God has a relationship with someone before you meet them

The best mentality you can have entering into an evangelization situation is “What can this person teach me about God.” This attitude does multiple things at once. First, it keeps us humble and we assume the role of student rather than instructor. Second, it acknowledges that the person in front of us is made in the image of likeness of God and that God has loved them even while they are sinners. Third, we become more receptive towards the ups and downs their life inevitably went through. Not as a chance to guilt them for their sins, but admire their perseverance and God’s invisible hand of providence. Finally, It’s a reminder that we encounter someone in the middle of their faith journey not at the beginning.

Never encounter sin with anger

There are couple times when Jesus cries in the bible. Once, is at the weeping of Jerusalem as he remarks that He wish Jerusalem will repent and turn back to God. The second time is at the grave a Lazarus as he encounter both Lazarus’s death and Mary’s despairing faith. This should tell us we must encounter someone’s story away from God, not with anger, but with a type of grief. The only time Jesus showed anger is at the presence of sin such as the flipping of the table or his corrections to those leaning towards sin (Including Peter with the comment, “get behind me Satan” from Jesus). As we listen to someone’s past, focus on mercy and love. Do not focus on anger in response to the sin needing justice. Often times, Anger within an evangelist is a sign of either immaturity, ignorance, or insecurity. People will know Christians by their love. There is a time and place for anger, but it is not when someone is telling us how their pilgrimage has been going so far.

You are either evangelizing or being evangelized

It is a great relief to understand that we will not be the sole catalyst for someone’s conversion. The choice to convert is 100% on the person we are evangelizing. We may help, we may hinder, we may serendipitously blunder our way into a conversion. Regardless, the Holy Spirit is the primary evangelist in all evangelical conversations. That means that if we fail, perhaps it was ourselves who needed to be evangelized. If we didn’t have the right answer, or if the potential convert made a point that we didn’t think of, or if we failed to evangelize with truth, goodness, and beauty. Whatever the reason, that failure is a providential calling to grow in our own understanding of the faith. Do not be afraid of being stumped by an inquisitive non-Catholic. Instead, look forward to it, rejoice! This person made in the image and likeness of God has just shown an area you can grow in the relationship with God.

The first question is almost never the question they actually want to ask

One of my favorite way to think about evangelization is teaching a foreign language. We can come in hot with words like Eucharist, Repentance, Worship, Sacrifice, Sacraments, Diocese, Obedience, Liturgy, Prayer, Saints, Rosary, and so much more. But we must remember that the person we are talking to does not have a familiar grasp of the faith and thus cannot appreciate the richness of the language used by faithful practitioners of the faith. Therefore, if someone asks a question, then be sure you understand their question. Better yet, help them to ask an even better question. If you jump straight to answering the question, then there’s a good chance you will steam roll their true question and they feel like you are jumping to conclusions. Be patient be slow, and ask plenty of clarifying questions. It is a great achievement if you get them to say, “That’s what has always bothered me but I never had the words for it.”

The potential convert has good reasons to not have Faith

This is the hardest pill to swallow, but sometimes the arguments for not converting are valid. Of course, we are predestined for heaven and the purpose of life is to serve and worship God in mutual love (check out the first paragraph of the catechism). Yet, that does not change the fact that Faith is an act of the will. If the person does not desire to pick up their cross and follow the commandments of Jesus as taught by the Catholic Church, then they won’t convert. Even if we prove them wrong on every doctrinal and intellectual issue, they still may not convert. When we encounter someone with a genuine reason to not convert, then the conversation needs to switch about perceptions and how those perceptions have been formed. It is an entirely different conversation to explain the biblical and doctrinal evidence of the Eucharist as opposed to changing someone’s perception that the Eucharist doesn’t matter.

As Saint Augustine taught, people can only choose the object that they perceive to be good. Their perception can be faulty, but changing someone’s perceptions is a herculean task that even Jesus could not fight at times. Jesus says in the bible, “those with hears to hear”, “You have eyes but do not see, nor ears that do not hear,” “the sheep knows the shepherd’s voice.” Jesus let the rich man walk away sad. Jesus let those who did not want to eat His flesh and drink his blood to walk away. Remember, we are all pilgrims on the journey. Sometimes we meet people who want to join us to where we are heading. Sometimes we meet people who are going in the opposite directions. Either way, we must encounter these people with the same love that God has shown us.