Becoming a missionary parish begins by organizing various prayer activities for the renewal of the parish and for the people we seek to reach. The next step is for parishioners to focus on building new relationships, opening channels of communication and creating an environment conducive to spiritual discussion. This is what is called pre-evangelization, which is the preliminary step in the process of sharing one’s faith with someone. Activities such as connecting with new people, bringing them together, witnessing to the Gospel, and inviting people are all part of pre-evangelization.
Here are some practical suggestions:
- Seek to build new relationships: You can do this by participating in local community events or volunteer activities. This is a great way to meet new people. Start conversations and discover other common interests or activities you could take part in together.
- Offer your support: Be ready to help and support the people you meet. Acts of kindness and service build trust and can open the door to conversations about spirituality and faith.
- During your conversations, ask open-ended questions that encourage dialogue about faith and spirituality. For example, you might ask, “What do you think happens after death?” or “Do you go to church on Sundays?” If the opportunity is right, share your personal testimony and explain how your faith has had a positive impact on your life.
- Pray: When someone shares their difficulties and suffering with you, it’s a great opportunity to show her God’s love. Ask her if you can pray for her here and there. Put your hand on her shoulder and turn to God with confident faith, knowing that nothing is impossible for Him.
- Organize small meetings or events to which you invite friends, including the person you want to reach. These can be casual lunches or dinners, game nights or other social activities that introduce them to other members of the Christian community.
- Share relevant resources: Consider giving them a New Testament or other faith-based books that match their interests or concerns. You can give it as a gift, or simply mention a book or article you’ve found inspiring or helpful.
- Be a good example: The best way to share your faith is, of course, to live it. Let your actions speak even louder than your words. Show people Christ’s love through your whole life: your words, actions and attitudes.
- Extend the invitation: When you feel comfortable and the time is right, extend an invitation to attend a liturgy or special event at church. Explain clearly why you love your Christian community and why you think it would be beneficial for them to join.
The purpose of pre-evangelization is to demonstrate Christ’s love to new people and to create an environment of trust and friendship. In addition, it requires patience since building authentic relationships takes time. It is also important to consider the limitations of other people. There may be some people who are not immediately open to discussing faith.
We should initiate conversations about faith, but let others determine the pace and level of comfort. Pre-evangelization is aimed at gradually bringing people to feel comfortable talking about spiritual matters while respecting their limits and beliefs.
Pierre-Alain Giffard
Director of Pastoral Work
Other articles on evangelization and parish revitalization:
- Prayer to Receive the Spiritual Gifts of The Holy Spirit
- The Language of Evangelization
- Key Factors for Parish Growth According to Rich Birch
- How to defeat Satan?
- Bringing Love, Hope and Healing Through the Gospel
- Love: Our Fundamental Vocation
- Touched by the Master
- A Man, a Dog, and the Ultimate Love
- The essence of evangelization: Loving God and our neighbours
- Loving Our Enemies and Reconciling with Others
- A Powerful Prayer for Healing: You Are The LORD Who Heals Me
- Living a Life of Love: Mother Teresa’s Legacy
- Living a Life of Love: Lessons from the New Testament
- In The Shadows Of Darkness, A Powerful Force Is At Work
- 19 Pastoral Orientations for Parish Renewal and Growth
- The Missionary Renewal of Catechesis
- Characteristics of missionary parishes
- Powerful healing prayer attributed to St. Padre Pio
- We are called to share our faith with others
- Should we seek to grow the Church?
- Find a Need and Fill It – Revealing God’s Heart in the Community
- 15 Habits to Evangelize on a Daily Basis
- The Church’s Mission
- Three Barriers to Building An Invitational Culture In Your Parish
- The Relational Evangelizer
- Doing Church at Home
- The Blind Girl
- A Group of Frogs
- The Elephant Rope
- A Shared Faith is a Growing Faith
- In The Shoes Of The Unchurched
- Parish Evangelizing Cells
- Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
- Steps Towards Becoming A Missional Parish
- What Is Evangelization, And How Should It Be Carried Out?
- Discussion And Self-Assessment Questions For Parish Evangelization
- A Missional Church Is A Church That Prays
- The Jesus Prayer: A Method To Pray At All Times
- What can help children raised Catholic continue practicing the faith as adults?
- An Example of a Missionary Parish: Phoenix First Assembly of God
- Satan’s Tactics
- Learning to Be a Missionary
- When we cry out to God, he answers
- Presence and Proclamation
- Saving those who are lost
- Saint-Nazaire Parish: The story of a missionary transformation
- Small Groups and Evangelization
- Evangelizing By Inviting People To Receive Jesus As Lord And Saviour
- You Will Receive Power…
- Have You Heard About the Law of Three Hearings and Seven Touches?
- Three Habits of a Fruitful Christian Life
