What Types of Evangelism Are Best for You? 4 Basic Ways to Share the Gospel

For many Christians, evangelism looks one way: read John 3:16 to whoever listens. But there are many ways to share Jesus. And there’s much more to evangelism than reading a Bible verse and hoping it lands well with the other person who isn’t a Christian. 

I confess that in the past I have limited evangelism to this one scenario: read an evangelistic Bible verse to someone and pray for the best—which is hopefully, one, a positive response and, two, God revealing Himself to them. 

I’ve thought: “Hey, I’m not an evangelist. This is all I can do.” 

But no matter how long you and I have been Christians, it’s always a good idea for each of us to be prepared to share our faith, and in more ways than one. It’s also wise to regularly re-evaluate and shake up the way we talk about our faith.

Evangelism is not a “one-size-fits-all” situation. It doesn’t happen in just one way.

Evangelism can be personal and adjusted to fit who we are, where we live, who we interact with, and the unique opportunities in our lives. The message of the gospel stays the same, the Biblical passages stand true, but the method in which we deliver them and God’s truth can and should change. 

Carefully consider the four types of evangelism below and identify the best one or ones for you. After reading, you may decide to add one or more to your evangelism tool belt. 

4 Types of Evangelism Styles

1. Church-based evangelism

In church-based evangelism, we rely on opportunities to share Jesus through activities at our church and we carry them out with the help of other church members.

• Church events (invitation to church): This style is sometimes called invitational. If your church hosts music, drama, dance or film events that present the message of the gospel, invite your friends who don’t know Christ to attend with you. It will certainly be more comfortable for them to go with someone they know. You can ask for their thoughts after the service and use that conversation as the stepping stone to spiritual conversations. You can also invite friends and family to life groups, small groups and Bible studies. 

• Door-to-door evangelism: Often churches meet in a nearby neighborhood to drop off tracts or attach them to doors, cars or windows. Though not as common these days––at least in the United States––some churches in smaller towns may knock on doors in that neighborhood, offering to share the gospel. (Be aware that being on the shy side or an unsafe neighborhood won’t work for this type of evangelism.)

• Open-air preaching: Like John the Baptist in Matthew 3, if you opt for open-air evangelism, you’re purposefully choosing an open area or street corner where people gather to talk about the gospel.  Open-air preaching often offers an opportunity for you to make a passionate appeal for the gospel, but it can be risky if you encounter hostile opposition or aren’t prepared to defend your position in front of a crowd. Seek the support of your church before going out to preach. Be inspired by George Whitefield’s quotes on evangelism here.

If you’re a pastor looking for effective strategies for church evangelism, read this post.

Children’s outreach or children’s evangelism

Children’s outreach or evangelism is perhaps the most audience-centric evangelism style, as you’re having to tailor the gospel message to different age groups. It requires simple, clear language and an interest in education. Quite often, games and activities will be your main source of evangelistic content.

If you volunteer at vacation Bible school or teach in children’s Sunday school, you’re already taking part in children’s evangelism. Ease around children and a natural, easy connection with young people is a must. 

Parents and homeschoolers are on the front lines of children’s evangelism. Every day with your child is an opportunity to practice children’s outreach! 

2. Relational evangelism

Relational evangelism takes place between you and your friend, family member, or a co-worker you regularly interact with. It specifically builds on the relationships we have built and the closeness and care we’ve invested in the people in our lives. It has no time limit and thrives on patience, grace and a genuine interest in friendship with others. 

Personal relationships  

I like the way one of our guest writers, Connie Thomson, talks about evangelism through personal relationships in her blog post, Personal Evangelism: A Comprehensive Guide: 

To engage in personal evangelism, you’ll want to build authentic relationships first. They set the stage for meaningful dialogue. Sharing the gospel in this style is truly about genuine relationships and heartfelt conversations, not scripted presentations. 

This evangelism style looks like sharing personal experiences during which your faith comforted you or led to transformative moments. Your testimony can serve to illustrate the impact of faith and invite others to explore their own beliefs about their experiences with faith. 

It’s an ideal style with which to share your story and ask questions about how friends and family view faith, hope and God in order to spark spiritual conversations. Read our blog post on personal evangelism to learn from Connie’s experiences with personal evangelism.

Missional communities

A missional community is a group of Christians who experience life together with the intent to share Jesus with others. It’s different from a small group or a life group in that its members don’t gather only to encourage one another in the faith, but to reach out to those around them who have yet to know Jesus as Savior. You can dive into the world of missional communities in our blog post called Living Missionally Together: Learning to Build Missional Communities. We have a list of Bible verses about missional community here.

Cross-cultural evangelism

Through cross-cultural evangelism, we have the opportunity to talk about Jesus with people of other cultures and people who speak a different language than we do. It’s often the foundation of mission trips and missionary projects. Missionaries who travel overseas or minister to refugees within their home country often engage in cross-cultural evangelism.

If you lean toward cross-cultural evangelism, you might be interested in assisting with Bible and media translation, participating in cultural sensitivity training, building relationships with diverse people groups and spreading the gospel around the world.

Jesus Film Project^® is all about cross-cultural evangelism. We exist to help everyone, everywhere, encounter Jesus in their heart language. Learn more about who we are and our mission to spread the gospel across the world.

3. Evangelism through service

Meeting physical needs as a means of evangelism is one of my favorite ways to open the door to conversations about Jesus, because there’s a clear through line between our physical needs and our spiritual need for Jesus. 

Providing someone with a meal or needed supplies models the kindness and love of Jesus. It’s an ideal segue into telling people about the One who cares for them deeply and gave His life for them before they were born. 

Evangelism through service can look like:

• Volunteer opportunities 
• Local outreach events 
• Community service

4. Digital evangelism 

For this evangelism style type, you can use the words digital and online interchangeably. The idea behind digital evangelism is to use the devices in our hands (phones, tablets) and the screens in front of our eyes (computers) to share the gospel. They are today’s best and most accessible evangelism tools. And every Christian can use them. 

All the information and evangelism content we need is already at our fingertips, which makes distributing the message of Jesus extremely easy. All we need to do is click or tap “share.” To learn more about digital evangelism, read Unlocking the Power of Digital Evangelism: 7 Ways You Can Share the Gospel Online.

Films and video

At Jesus Film Project, we have a “soft spot” for sharing the gospel through film. We think it’s one of the most powerful ways to talk about Jesus.

Film is a powerful tool for sharing the gospel. Film and video can reach people who are illiterate or who speak an oral language. Film and video bridge cultural barriers (think of short films with no dialogue, only music). As visual art forms, film and video can convey the message of God’s love in a profound and moving way.

That’s why Jesus Film Project created the JESUS film in 1979, and it’s why we have hundreds of gospel-centered short films, short film series and conversation starter videos on our Watch page. Our films, short films and videos are also available on YouTube. 

Apps and websites

In our highly digital world, smartphone apps and website links allow us to instantly share the gospel with those around us. It’s as easy as emailing a link or tilting your phone screen over to a friend or family member to share a video about Jesus. 

Apps and tools from Cru^®, like the GodTools app and Soularium app, offer amazing ways to start and engage in clear spiritual conversations using your phone. The Jesus Film Project app holds more than 200 films and short films, with content in more than 2,000 languages.

Have you heard about Jesus.net? Jesus.net is a self-service resource and a hub for content about Jesus that answers the web’s most frequently asked questions about Jesus. People from all around the world and all walks of life can visit Jesus.net and explore extensive information about Jesus. When they’re ready to connect with a real person, someone is standing by to talk. 

How simple would it be to share the url “Jesus.net” with someone you know who is curious about who Jesus is?

Social media

You don’t have to download an app or scour the internet to find a simple way to practice digital evangelism. Using social media to share the gospel is quickly becoming one of the easiest and most common ways to share the gospel with broader audiences. 

If you’re on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or any other major social media platforms, you can start a conversation about Jesus simply by posting a question or video on your profile or feed. Then be open to responding to comments and questions as they come in.

Watch Malee’s story to experience the impact a simple video on Facebook made in her life, all the way in Thailand. 

How to Approach Evangelism

There are three common approaches to evangelism: apologetic, testimonial and direct. 

While the evangelism style you use helps you to align your lifestyle, resources and opportunities to how you share the gospel, your approach narrows down the language of your evangelism. Your approach will also determine how you prepare for evangelism.

Apologetic approach

In the apologetic approach, we use logical arguments and both biblical and historical evidence to express and explain the validity of Christianity as a religion to follow. In essence, your objective is to persuade the person you’re speaking to that the gospel is both true and trustworthy. You’re proving that Jesus was a real person, that He is the son of God and the only way to eternal life with God.

When you use the apologetic approach, you are defending what you believe by using persuasive language as well as facts and artifacts. In Acts 17:16-34, Paul uses the apologetic approach with the people of Athens.

Becoming an apologist for your evangelism style requires some time and dedication. Many Christians who use apologetics in their evangelism tend to research science, history, culture and other religions in order to be prepared to compare and defend Christianity against other beliefs and traditions. 

It doesn’t hurt to thrive in intellectual conversations and know how to manage a friendly debate.

The NUA: Fresh Perspective short film series is a great example of someone using the apologetic approach to talk about Jesus. If you’re interested in reaching people through this approach, check out this Cru ministry, which “exists to cut through cultural confusion so people see Jesus clearly.”

Testimonial approach

The testimonial approach tends to be the easiest for most people because it centers on telling people your story, or “testimony.” You’re describing your life before and after God, as well as sharing how you came to know and follow Jesus. 

Think of yourself as a storyteller, with the story being your own. 

To be clear, the testimonial approach doesn’t stop at the point in your story when you accepted Christ as your savior. Talking about life after Jesus, about your ups and downs throughout your walk with Christ, will be meaningful to many people and carries a lot of weight. 

Paul shares his story in Acts 22:3-21.

Our parent ministry, Cru, has plenty of resources to help you approach sharing the gospel using the testimonial approach. For help crafting your story, use Preparing Your Personal Testimony from Cru’s U.S. Campus ministry.

Direct approach

In the direct approach, you can lay out the message of the gospel immediately without attempting to establish a relationship or sharing your story. You can get straight to the point. In some instances, you may be speaking with more than one person. 

Using this approach involves sharing one or a handful of Bible verses that talk about the gospel (memorized or saved beforehand) and explaining them if you have the time. You’re not building an argument, but instead focusing on getting your message across. Paul uses a direct approach in Acts 2:14-41 when he addresses the crowd that witnessed the miracle of Pentecost. 

The direct approach is ideal for conversations with strangers as well as people you know, but especially if they have outright asked to hear the message of the gospel or if the conversation lends itself to a presentation of the gospel. Philip explains the gospel to the eunuch in Acts 8:26-40 because the eunuch asks for help in understanding what he’s reading in the book of Isaiah.

What’s My Evangelism Style? (Where to Begin)

Identify your personal strengths and weaknesses

Not every evangelism style will work for every person. Don’t be discouraged if one evangelism style is not as appealing to you as another. And if you can’t see yourself using one of the styles or approaches, that’s probably because whatever it involves is not one of your strengths, and that’s ok. 

Take a moment to do the following exercise:  Find Your Evangelism Style – Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses

Should you have trouble identifying your strengths, pray for God to reveal them to you and try the exercise again after some time has passed. You can also ask a close Christian friend or a family member who knows you well to help you narrow down some of your strengths with both people and evangelism.

Identify your evangelism style or approach

• Are you an extrovert who loves conversation? Handing out evangelistic tracts with your church and starting conversations on the street about the gospel may be your style. 
• Do you have easy access to transportation and find that your church often hosts outreach events? Inviting friends and family to church (maybe even driving them to the event and sitting with them) may be your best fit.
• Do you thrive in one-on-one conversations? Then relational evangelism through personal relationships might be your best choice. 
• Do you love to participate in weekly activities in groups and meeting new people? You might be best suited to participate in missional communities as your main form of evangelism. 
• For someone like me, who is fascinated by different cultures, loves traveling and connects well with people from diverse countries and backgrounds, cross-cultural evangelism feels like a natural fit. 
• Some people enjoy being around children and have a remarkable ability to connect with children. Maybe that’s you. Perhaps you’re a teacher or already serve in a childcare ministry. It wouldn’t be too far of a leap to participate in children’s outreach. 
• If you’re on the quieter side but love to help in practical ways like me, evangelism through service may be a great place to start.
• If you are extremely tech-savvy and often find yourself in online communities, you’re likely well-suited for digital evangelism. 

The key is to adapt evangelism methods to your personality. Find your niche in fulfilling the Great Commission.

Take an evangelism style test

Another great way to narrow down your style is to take a test. These days, there is a test for everything! In fact, you can take an evangelism style quiz from THE FOUR, an evangelism strategy developed by Cru Switzerland that covers four spiritual truths and is based on Cru’s Four Spiritual Laws evangelism strategy. 

THE FOUR’s evangelism style test breaks up the different styles into categories they call “shoe styles.” They’re not too dissimilar from the ones shared in this post: the testimony style, the invitational style, the intellectual style, the serving style, the direct style, the relational style and the prayer style. Learn about the styles in this magazine article from Reachout Magazine. 

When you’re ready to find out which one is your evangelism style, take THE FOUR’s Shoe Style Test!

Your Next Step—Prayer

Never be in so much of a hurry to try something new that you don’t pray about it first. This is probably the best advice I’ve ever received, and the lesson I most often need to learn. 

As I approach my 40th birthday, I’m determined to try activities I’ve previously declined or felt too afraid to do, like traveling alone or singing karaoke in front of strangers. I’ve traveled and sung before, just not alone and not in front of strangers. 

The problem is that in my excitement to take a leap and do the new, I’ve been leaving God and prayer out of the process. After all, I don’t deem them major decisions or drastic spiritual changes. My new activities are only slight changes to me, and other people do them all the time.

We may have shared the gospel more times than we can count or used one style for years. Like anything else, pursuing a new evangelism style requires dedicated prayer all the same. 

How to pray

As you engage in prayer, approach the idea of a new evangelism style loosely, knowing you may need to learn something new, and that the Holy Spirit’s guidance will be pivotal.

• First, ask God to reveal if it’s time to approach evangelism differently. Would He have you try different types of evangelism?
• Ask God to help you see what doors are already open for you to try a new evangelism style. What resources, people, events or opportunities do you have access to right now that could allow you to try sharing the gospel in a new way?
• Pray for God to reveal if you should try a new style of evangelism with someone you’ve already attempted to share the gospel with.
• Present your strengths and weaknesses to the Lord and ask Him to help you shine in your strengths so that no matter where you are or how you feel, you can seize every opportunity to share the gospel with others.

Beginning your journey into a new type of evangelism with prayer is just good practice. Taking the time to pray before approaching someone with an invitation to church or with the message of the gospel will be just as essential.