Whenever I teach on mission or evangelism, I tend to leave people two simple pictures: keys and nets. Together these pictures help us see how to share our faith in a way that’s authentic to who we are, but also sensitive to the needs of our friends.

Keys

Like most of us, I carry a bunch of keys. About four or five of them. I don’t have keys to open every door, but I can open the most important ones in my life. Some of these I hold in common with others; a few are unique to me. But any time I come to unlock a door, I simply have to ensure that I’m using the correct key for the lock in front of me.

The same is true when it comes to evangelism. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to sharing your faith. Rather there are a whole range of styles, from the more direct and intellectual to practical service-based approaches. Understanding styles of evangelism that fit your temperament and skill set can be hugely empowering.

But in reality, none of us has only one mode. Each of us will have a range of styles that we are comfortable operating in. Not every key to unlock every heart, but a good number of keys for a great number of hearts.

So, when it comes to witnessing about our faith, instead of racing in with sharing in whatever way makes sense for us, we need to ask, “what is the key to this person’s heart?” And that is a question we need to ask ourselves, but also God.

There have been various times where I’ve been praying for friends and a thought has popped into my mind. Perhaps a specific question to ask them. An act of service to perform. A particular encouragement to share with them. Perhaps a prompt to ask them for a drink that week, which turned out to be timely. Or maybe a sense that it’s time for something new – an invitation to a particular event, an offer of prayer, or that now is an appropriate time to ask them more explicitly, “would you like to begin following Jesus?”

Usually when you prayerfully ask God to reveal the key to your friend’s heart, He will give you something simple that you can do. But on other occasions you may realise that the key that’s required is not one you have on your keyring! For instance, they may have questions you feel ill-equipped to answer. Or maybe they need someone to be more direct with them than you feel able to be yourself. That may mean that you need to ask God to give you a new key – to pray that Acts 4.29 prayer, “enable your servant to speak your word with great boldness” for instance. It may mean that you need to do some research, read a book, or get advice from someone else, so that you can serve your friend well. But it may also mean that the key to their heart lies on someone else’s keyring.

Which brings me to the second image…

Nets

My dad is a fisherman, and something of an introvert. He enjoys little more than spending an entire day by himself – or perhaps with his dog – sitting by the edge of a river, with a fishing rod and an enormous flask of tea. It’s his happy place.

To me, the idea of being all on your own for hours on end just sounds lonely. And when you add in the distinct possibility that you will catch nothing at all, it doesn’t motivate me to give it a go!

So when I hear Jesus say, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4.19) the idea sounds quite unappealing, and only reinforces the sense that I have that evangelism can be a lonely and largely fruitless task.

But in Jesus’ day fishing wasn’t a solitary pastime – it was a team activity, which used a net rather than a line. You would have a whole group of people working together to draw in the catch. People would work together, getting the boat out to sea; casting the nets; shouting directions; hauling the nets back in; sorting the fish; and cleaning and mending the nets before the next day.

What if we pictured evangelism more like that?

Being fishers of men is a team activity, and each of us may have different roles. Those who are brilliant at acts of service, hospitality, and creating friendships can often struggle with the more direct elements of sharing your faith, such as explaining the gospel, answering difficult questions, and knowing how and when to invite someone to respond to the gospel. On the other hand, those who excel in intellectual argument, apologetics, or helping people cross the line of faith may struggle with the softer stuff of hospitality, small talk, and developing friendships.

We need each other.

Take an Alpha Course as an example. Running a successful course will require organisation, catering and hospitality, group leaders to direct the conversation, people praying behind the scenes, possibly speakers or musicians, and certainly people who invite friends. Those roles will almost certainly not be performed by the same person! Some who feel ill-equipped to have difficult questions may be perfectly equipped to invite friends or cook a meal, leaving those who are more skilled in conversation to lead groups.

Keys and Nets

Or, allow me to mix my metaphors… imagine you have a friend who you have been getting to know for quite some time. You’ve enjoyed socialising together and they have begun to open up about questions they have. In praying for them you’ve realised that the ‘key’ might be a more in-depth conversation about the gospel, but that they’re not yet ready to be invited to an event or to church. But maybe that’s not a key you feel you have readily available on your keyring. Perhaps you struggle to know how to shift the conversation from general friendship talk to something deeper, or maybe there are specific questions your friend has that you feel ill-equipped to answer.

Remembering that ‘fishing’ is less about rods and more about nets, you may consider your wider friendship group and think about whether there are any others who might have the key to your friend’s heart. You might choose to introduce your friend to another person from church who is better at opening up deep conversations, or answering complex questions. You could use your gift of hospitality to host a dinner, while asking someone else to intentionally help with the conversation. Not in a way that seems contrived or scheming, but in a way that uses your different skills to serve the needs of your friend.

Seeing evangelism like this – not as a one-size-fits-all approach, nor as something you have to do in isolation – is far more freeing, and is likely to be more fruitful in the long run. Evangelism isn’t about using the same key for every heart, or trying to do it all by yourself. It’s about asking God for wisdom, leveraging the unique strengths of your church community, and working together for the sake of the gospel. When we understand that, evangelism becomes not only more effective but far more joyful.

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Photo by Jason D on Unsplash