Evangelism Visual Guide from Cru Church Movements
How do we share the gospel today?
Exponential and Cru are proud to introduce a visual guide based on extensive Cru research that can help you answer this question. We began with a desire to listen to the city—to deeply listen to their words regarding their thoughts on Christianity, and their experiences with Christians and the church.
We heard that we who follow Christ have a problem to solve:
“The teachings of the bible are generally morally advantageous, but if taken literally can be dangerous.”
“If Christianity is so appealing…there would be no need to market things to me so heavily.”
Research: Understanding Faith in Christians, Spiritualists & Agnostics, Copyright © Cru 2016-2022.
Understand, then Evangelize
Christianity is neither AUTHENTIC nor RELEVANT to those who don’t follow Jesus. Christians are often perceived as those who talk at people about their own beliefs without understanding or caring what another believes. Sure – our truths need to be embraced and believed! Absolutely! But our truth will land BETTER if we understand those around us.
Picture gospel communities multiplying in our cities—a growing number of believers who are equipped and empowered to have significant gospel conversations as a way of life and demonstrate the love of Jesus everywhere. For that vision to become a reality we need to engage in gospel conversations in the wide variety of relational contexts that everyday life provides — where we live, work, learn and play — everywhere everyday life takes us.
Go, And Make Disciples
Our faith has always been one on the move. Jesus’ great commission includes “go, and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Making new disciples means that we engage others in personal evangelism. This is our call.
This can often seem intimidating. The world functions like a wild field. The winds of change blow one way and then another. Negative influences charm and distract. Chaos rules. People are exposed to influences from every angle, with no central support network to guide them.
We must learn to thrive in chaos. We must develop capacities and skills to communicate the gospel through meaningful conversations that take place out there – in the open, chaotic, wild fields of our day.
Making new disciples means that we engage others in personal evangelism.
Learn, then Engage
In our research at Cru, we also discovered a new framework that we call the “Seven Personas”. This collection identifies different types of people that we live among and uses data to help us understand their background, experiences, and general orientation toward Christianity. Our role is to get to know everyone we meet and see the world through their eyes. If we respect that everyone has their own beliefs, then we will always have a place to start with the truth of the gospel.
Practically all people have a positive view of Christian values and are open to engagement around purpose and community. Our deepest values – if perceived and experienced by the non-believer – can create pathways to know them, and have respectful dialogue over the gospel.
As you get to know the “Seven Personas” in your city, we hope that this guide will help you continue engaging with them in meaningful, everyday ways that point them to Jesus.
Download your free Visual Guide.
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On behalf of the entire Cru Church Movements team, be assured that we are praying with you for God to multiply all of our disciple-making efforts and stand ready to partner with you! Click here for more information.
Dave Robinson is the Executive Director of Church Movements (Cru) and Teaching Elder for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. His passion is to collaborate with, train and coach mobilizing leaders to advance the mission of Jesus by making disciples and multiplying churches. He is a pioneering leader, teaching-pastor and communicator. Dave served with Cru in Eastern Europe/Russia and was a church-planting partner with the E-Free Church from 1989-2007. He is the Co-Founder of Youth at the Threshold of Life (YTL), an educational movement that began in Hungary and grew into 62 nations. YTL helps spread the gospel and multiply the church through community engagement. He co-authored “Youth at the Threshold of Life” and “The Outrageous Promise” — a story of God’s love for those who suffered under communism and how leaders collaborate to make a difference.
Amy Karst is a Partnering Church Catalyst and serves on the National Leadership Team with Cru Church Movements. She served with the Cru Campus Ministry in Debrecen, Hungary, and St Louis, MO for 21 years. Her passion is to see gospel-transformation in global cities. She is excited about awakening and mobilizing believers to their calling as everyday missionaries and planting vital churches within the relational distance of the 160 million unchurched in the US.
Gabor Gresz grew up in the communist Hungary, not hearing and knowing anything about Jesus. He became a believer at age 13. He is the co-founder and co-author of the Bible-based educational program called “Youth at the Threshold of Life” (YTL). YTL is used in 62 countries where thousands of educators had been trained and had been exposed to the gospel through YTL symposiums. Gabor currently serves as the Executive Director of Cru Church Movements USA. Gabor received a ThM degree from the Karoli Gaspar University of Budapest and is an ordained presbyterian minister. Gabor also the co-founder and church-planter of Rosegarden Baptist Church of Budapest.
