In the run up to the event, set aside some time for the whole congregation (and particularly those who will be at the event, even if they haven’t been involved in the planning) to pray and prepare.
This could be done in or after a Sunday service while everyone is already together, or in a separate session. While you will no doubt want to run through practicalities and spend committed time in prayer, it is also worth considering how you might increase people’s confidence in having faith conversations.
People are sometimes nervous about talking about their faith with others. Sometimes that stems from negative past experiences, assumptions about what evangelism looks like, or lack of belief in their ability.
Below are some affirmations that counter some of the most common hesitations around faith-sharing. You might want to use these as the basis for some small group discussions – which ones do people find most/least helpful? What difference do these truths practically make? What else would you add?
- People are more open than we think – Both anecdotal evidence and studies show that the population are more open to conversations about faith and spirituality than most Christians assume. We don’t need to be terrified of bringing it up!
Discussion question: What assumptions do we make about people’s openness to faith? Do we have a good basis for them?
- God is the primary evangelist – The Holy Spirit is already at work in the lives of the people we come across, God is already drawing people to God independently of anything we might do or say. We just get to join in with something already in motion.
Discussion question: How might this truth shape our mindset for faith-sharing?
- We don’t need to have all the answers – The vast majority of the time, an honest account of how God makes a difference in our life is more compelling and interesting than any philosophical or intellectual argument we could make. Honesty about the things we wrestle with, and genuine curiosity in others are often the best evangelistic tools.
Discussion question: Practice now – what difference does faith make in your life? What do you still struggle with?
- We are not responsible for outcomes – We can only control what we can control. How someone responds to what we might say is not up to us. Whether we are planting tiny seeds or accompanying someone on a significant step of faith, we leave transformation to God and concentrate on authentically and faithfully playing our small part.
Discussion question: How might we cultivate high motivation to share our faith without the pressure of feeling responsible for outcomes?
- We have good news to share – We believe Jesus is good news for everyone. We do not need to artificially make Jesus more interesting, we have the most compelling, profound, important story possible and our personal account of God’s role in our lives and in the world can be used by the Holy Spirit in powerful ways. Trust in the goodness of what we have to share.
Discussion question: Practice now – What does the good news mean to you?
You might also want to look at some of the questions in the Meaningful Conversations section and the Linking the Eclipse with Faith section and have a discussion about some of these in small groups, to allow people to think through some of the things they might say if those topics come up.