Focus on Reproduction, Mentor's Guide, MG12

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F O C U S O N R E P R O D U C T I O N

Effective Evangelism: Which Method Works Best?

While many churches spend many dollars and hours investing in methods that focus on contacting “strangers” with the Gospel through programs, visitation, and outreaches, the evidence shows more and more that the vast majority of people come to Christ through those who are nearby–friends, family, and associates. What is your opinion about using methods of evangelism that emphasize contact with people who are “total strangers,” rather than seeking to help members share the Good News with people in their “webs of influence?”

I Don’t Know Anybody around Here

More and more urban communities are disconnected in terms of friendships and contacts. It is common to find people living in a neighborhood and not a single person in their relational network live in the physical community where they live. Most of their significant relationships, those who make up their web of kinship, friendship, and affiliation and association, do not actually live on their block or even in their community. What should these facts about the pattern of relationships that are becoming so common in urban communities suggest about what we think about when we want to plant a neighborhood church, or encourage members to ask their family, friends, and neighbors to come to their church? How might we need to change the way in which we think about “church” and “outreach” for our urban church members?

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Planting Urban Churches: Sowing

Segment 1: Introducing the Concept of Oikos in Urban Evangelism

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

God has granted us his wisdom in pursuing effective evangelistic strategies in the city. In connection to the various ways we can win others to Christ in the most natural and personal way, one of the key concepts deals with the principle of oikos , or household evangelism. An oikos is a web of common kinship relationships, friendships, and associations that make up a person’s larger social circle. Winning others in the context of their oikos is an effective means to share the Good News with the lost in the city.

Summary of Segment 1