There is no one-size-fits-all approach to evangelism. That is what we’re seeing, more and more, as we look at the various Canadian RP ministries. What works at Cornerstone RP Church in rural Bancroft, Ontario, for instance, will differ from our methods here in metropolitan Toronto. Yet for all that our methods vary, we believe there are some basic principles that, when adapted to any given context, can prove very effective in terms of reaching the lost. We want to share some of those principles with you.

Reaching the Lost with a Biblical Vision

A gentleman, new to our congregation, once asked us what we were hoping to see happen in Toronto. We told him that we were hoping to see nothing less than the conversion of the entire city. “We want to see a Nineveh thing happen. We want the entire city to erupt in worship to King Jesus,” we told him. A little taken aback, he said to us, “That’s a pretty lofty goal.” He was right. It is a lofty goal. But we also think it’s a biblical one.

We take our lead from passages like Psalm 67:3-4 where the psalmist ex claims, “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations he glad and sing for joy.” We have all the nations of the world right here in our city. Toronto is home to people from 120 countries, speaking 80 languages. The United Nations still dubs us “the most ethnically diverse city in the world.” Our goal is to see the nations of Toronto glad and singing for joy.

It is this vision that keeps us on track here at Living Hope RP Church. Time and again we ask ourselves why we’re here. Are we here simply to fill our church or to win the city for Christ? In other words, what is our basic motivation for being where we are? Is the city here for us, or are we here for the city? With millions of people all around us “who cannot discern between their right hand and their left,” we must he here for the city.

This vision also keeps us from falling into what we consider to be the “target” trap. When we arrived in Toronto some one asked us what people group we were planning to target. He informed us, “You have to have a particular target group to be effective. So, who is your target group?”

“Sinners,” we told him, “Sinners of every nation, tribe, and people.” That was our answer, our final answer.

Reaching the Lost with Others

One of the least effective evangelistic methods I have tried as a pastor was to try to reach unbelievers by myself. Ephesians 4:12 tells us that that the pastor’s responsibility is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. While I still take the opportunity to share Christ with unbelievers, I have discovered that many hands make effective evangelistic work. How have I corrected my “solo cowboy” attitude? I preach Christ crucified and risen to my people, and encourage them to tell others this good news.

I strive, by God’s grace, to impress upon members the utter magnificence of their salvation. I do so because it is my firm conviction that the more God’s people grasp what God has done for them, the less able they’ll be to keep their salvation a secret. Think of the demoniac who Christ restored. What was his response? We read in Luke 8:39 that ‘he went his way and proclaimed through out the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

Another way I’m seeking to apply Ephesians 4:12 is by training certain individuals to begin discovery groups around the city. The purpose of these groups is to welcome unbelievers to explore the truth claims of Christianity in a non-threatening, small group setting. At present we have two such groups meeting during the week with the possibility of a third beginning downtown.

Reaching the Lost Closest to You

It is no accident that we know who we know. Acts 17:26 says that God “has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” Surely that has some bearing on evangelism.

One of the most natural and effective mission fields has to be our loved ones and neighbors. It can be significantly easier to share the gospel with people we already know than with the stranger who is not quite sure why we’re so interested in him. At least, this is the case in Toronto. This is why I encourage my people to cultivate relationships with unbelievers they know.

For example, a gentleman in our congregation who had recently come to faith invited an unbelieving friend and me to take golf lessons. When I first met this friend, he was in the process of preparing for baptism with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. By the last night of our course, the three of us sat in my van and he quietly surrendered his life to Christ. God worked through this friendship in a powerful way.

What about our neighbors? How many of you get together with at least two of your neighbors on a regular basis? We were challenged in this area awhile ago and decided that we needed to make some changes. Every month we now get together with our neighbors and talk about religious things over dinner or desert. Just recently they us that they wanted to read the Bible from cover to cover.

Reaching the Lost on Their Turf

When we arrived in Toronto, we held a Bible study in our house every Lord’s Day evening. Later, I began to preach in my living room, using our dining room table as a pulpit. As the months passed, the room shrank as people crowded together to sing psalms and listen to God’s Word. And yet, as our congregation began to grow, not one unbeliever darkened the door of our condominium.

Looking back, I understand why. Few Torontonians would ever venture into a stranger’s house to worship God. Far too weird. That’s when it struck us we needed to start meeting unbelievers where they felt less vulnerable.

As a result, I offered my services at Tyndale College and Seminary (where we now meet for worship). And with two eager students at my side, we drove to the local university campus, planted ourselves in the cafeteria, and week after week engaged dozens of students in things religious. From our weekly outings we made contact with a Chinese student with whom I then met on a weekly basis before his return to China.

One evening, just recently, we rented Second Cup (something akin to a Starbucks coffee shop) and asked Pastor Rich Ganz to interact with whoever showed up. In the week leading up to Rich’s arrival, we plastered the place with posters reading: OUST YOUR ANGST: Have a cup on us and wrestle through today’s toughest questions with psychologist Dr. Richard Ganz.

What we witnessed that evening was nothing short of electrifying. Imagine a coffee shop, filled with unbelievers, asking penetrating questions: “What is truth?” “How can we know if the Bible is the Word of God?” “Why is Jesus the only way?” What an experience it was to hear these lifechanging questions coming from lost souls.

How much was the security of a “neutral” environment re sponsible for their freedom to ask them? Go where the lost are in a way that is comfortable for them.

Reaching the Lost by Community

As students at Ottawa Theological Hall (the Canadian RP seminary), we would dream of what we wanted the church in Toronto to look like. One thing we both wanted was a strong sense of community. What we didn’t realize at the time was that this desire was an expression of our generation’s disenchantment with the rugged individualism of its Baby Boomer parents.

We were born in the epicentre of GenX (also known as Baby Busters and postmoderns) and we wanted community. What we couldn’t have envisaged at the time was the form Living Hope community would take.

Every Lord’s Day our congregation meets for worship at 10 am. We don’t disperse until 7 p.m. (at times we have been know to hang out until midnight!). Between worship services we pack our selves into someone’s house to eat, fellowship, and sing psalms.

It is this sense of community that attracts all kinds of people to us. We’re fairly sure that it was our community, for instance, that first attracted a young woman to us. For the first three months she stood in the hallway. For the next three months she stood in the doorway. Eventually she made her way into the “sanctuary” (our classroom), and shortly after she asked me to lead her through the Narrow Gate. Because the church is a community (or should be, at least), we have an amazing opportunity to reach a new generation of unbelievers.

But this won’t be easy. If we are going to see our cities and towns won for Christ, then we must be prepared to roll up our sleeves and do some hard work. Standing on a street corner handing out tracts isn’t going to cut it anymore (if it ever did). We must create, not wait for opportunities to preach the gospel. Pas tors must equip and congregations must be equippable. We must treat people like people, not projects, taking time to know them and how we can most effectively apply the gospel to their shattered lives. We must be prepared to demonstrate the complete relevance of Jesus Christ to a perishing world. This is our mandate. It is not only possible but exhilarating.

So, what condition are your sleeves in?