Tim Briggs showed me the following thoughts from thegoodbook.com. The analogy is not an original one as it was used at Lausanne Conference for World Evangelisation 1989 but it’s the first time I’ve heard it:
Main point: Everyday evangelism is a job for everyone, not just for “professionals”
Evangelism is an intrinsic part of any healthy church. It’s part of gospel community. It shapes our gospel teaching. And perhaps it’s helpful to outline two potential approaches to evangelism a gospel-centered church can have: frog-centered, and lizard-centered.
FROGS AND LIZARDS
Frogs are very good at catching flies with their long tongues. They stay on their lily pad, waiting for that fly to come close.
Lizards are not so good at catching flies. But they move around. They see more flies, and some they catch.
There may be a lot of biology-related holes in this analogy (if there are, blame the Lausanne Conference for World Evangelisation 1989—that seems to be where it was first used). But it’s a helpful way of thinking about evangelism (hopefully you won’t mind being described as a “frog” or a “lizard”!).
A JOB FOR PROS?
Could it be that often we (consciously or subconsciously) think of evangelism as a job for the pros, the people who work for the church? They’re great at explaining and defending the gospel—they have long tongues!
Problem is, the pros don’t get around that much. They’re not in the workplaces; not at the school gates; not in the sports clubs. That’s where the lizards, the ordinary church members, are. They come into contact with a lot more flies (non-Christians) than the professionals.
Every day, the church membership can be seeking to evangelise far, far more people than the church leadership ever can—particularly in a time when cultural reasons for contact with church leaders, such as baptisms and weddings, are fading.
Here are a couple of thoughts to build upon these ideas:
- Tell stories about people who got connected with Christ and the church through sports – even those who are in process! People need to see that God uses everyday “lizards.”
- Realize there is a process going on in this people’s lives around you. Jesus Christ the Lord of the Harvest
is in charge of this process. Your role is to play the part Jesus has given you. His role is to bring results.
- Focus on building relationships rather than just sharing the gospel! My experience is if I focus on the relationship, redemptive issues come up in the course of our time together.
- Define what success is. Some would say success is either leading someone to Christ or sharing the gospel. At CSO, we like to define success as taking the initiative to help a person more one step closer in beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ.
- If you’re a frog, become a part-time lizard. Sports are a great place to start!
For more help, check out a couple of these short videos:
Outreach is a process, not an event.
What is successful evangelism?
The Compassion of the Lord of the Harvest
