Discussion Questions

Elijah says he traced the word “church” through the New Testament and found it is “very seldom, if ever” used in direct evangelism, with evangelism happening through individuals; how does that observation reshape what you think God intends the gathered church to prioritize, and what parts of the New Testament push back on your instincts here? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If evangelism in the New Testament usually happens through individuals, not the gathered “church,” what should the church focus on when it meets? What New Testament passages challenge your first reaction to that?

The speaker claims, “The role of the church is discipleship… fellowship is a key word,” and evangelism flows out from individual members; what does that reveal about what God is doing when believers gather, and how might early Christians have understood “fellowship” as a formative, not merely social, reality? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If the church’s main job is discipleship and “fellowship,” what is God doing when believers gather? How might early Christians have seen fellowship as something that shapes people, not just hanging out?

“Evangelism in the local church is not…the programs…The key is the people”; when you think about the way your church measures faithfulness (attendance, events, giving, decisions, baptisms), what metrics might God care about more if Elijah’s claim is true? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If “the key is the people,” not church programs, what signs of faithfulness might God care about more than attendance, events, giving, or numbers of baptisms?

Elijah critiques “a sudden foray out into the world…then you retreat back into your own selfish lifestyle”; where do you see that pattern—personally or in church culture—and what would need to change in your weekly rhythms for evangelism to become “a lifestyle”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you see the pattern of doing outreach for a moment and then going back to normal life? What would need to change in your weekly routine for evangelism to become a steady lifestyle?

He says tracts, VBS, kids’ clubs, and revival meetings “can all be good,” but “those aren’t going to bring people into your local church” without relationship and follow-up; what real examples have you seen where a program created a moment but not a disciple, and what specifically was missing? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When have you seen a program create a quick spiritual moment but not a long-term disciple? What was missing—relationships, follow-up, or something else specific?

The transcript highlights a hard stretch: kids come, but “by the time they’re 13, 14, 15…they leave,” and “where the rubber meets the road is someone willing to stick with them”; what does this expose about our assumptions regarding what conversion and perseverance actually require? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If kids come for a while but leave as teenagers, what does that say about what conversion and staying faithful usually takes? Who needs to “stick with them,” and in what ways?

“We’d much rather run off every weekend…or play softball…We’re too busy to do lifestyle evangelism”; what comforts, hobbies, or “good” commitments compete most with a relational life among neighbors, and what would repentance look like in concrete scheduling decisions? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What comforts, hobbies, or even good activities keep you too busy for real relationships with neighbors? What would repentance look like in your calendar this week?

Elijah says the prime places for evangelism are existing relationships—neighbors, coworkers, relatives—and that most people entering Mennonite circles come through those ties; which of your real relationships with non-believers have you quietly agreed to keep “unchanged,” and what fears or loyalties maintain that agreement? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Which relationships you have with non-believers have you chosen to keep the same and never bring faith into? What fears, pressures, or loyalties keep you doing that?

He warns about shortcuts that “ease our conscience” (“let’s have VBS or tent meetings…It doesn’t work”) and insists “it’s in the heart…love for the community”; where do you sense conscience-easing in your church’s outreach habits, and how can love become the motive rather than guilt-management? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where might your church do outreach activities mainly to feel better, not because of real love for the community? What would change if love, not guilt, became the main reason?

The practical counsel is blunt: “What about you?” and “take someone else with you…No one else is going to do it for you…the responsibility is each of ours”; what would it look like this month to stop “passing the buck,” and who specifically could you bring alongside you so evangelism becomes a shared, discipling practice rather than a solo burst? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like this month to stop waiting for someone else to do evangelism and take responsibility yourself? Who could you bring with you so it becomes shared and helps them grow too?