How do you bring people to Jesus? As I ponder this question, my heart is instantly stirred. Since I can remember, I have been told to invite people to church. Growing up in the church it was something I frequently heard. Something we said and emphasized every Sunday, Wednesday night bible study, and during each church event. We write it on the church sign or on our social media pages, “Come to Sunday service! Church starts at 10am! Bring the family!” It rolls right off our tongue so easily, and it’s an easy check on my religious list of things to do and say. But bringing people to Jesus will require more than a passive invitation.
…bringing people to Jesus will require more than a passive invitation.
Building Relationships
Our focus and mission are outside the church walls with the people in our communities. We have to be personal and relational. Why? Because Jesus is personal and relational.
Building relationships is the very heart of being missional. In my native culture, we have a clan system. A Navajo acquires clans from their parents much like a surname. It becomes part who we are and it follows us throughout our lifetime. So as Navajos, we are all connected and are family as if we are related by blood. You could be in a random community on the reservation and find out that the store clerk is the same clan as you. You have gained a brother and are recognized as family from that moment on.
In the same way, we as Christ-followers have this huge opportunity to build relationships and bring others into the family of God, treating each one as family. We have the opportunity to take this journey alongside them and not just point them in the right direction.
Youth ministry is not just ministry to youth alone. We get to know them and their families; we can care for them, pray for them, and take time to hear their stories and heartaches. We can be the consistent beat in their lives that lets them know that they are valuable, seen, and heard. You bring in their siblings, their parents, maybe their grandparents too. You loop in their friends from school, their teammates, and neighbors. Building relationships in your community is essential to earning that trust and communication.
Building relationships is the heart of being missional.
Authenticity
We have to be the raw reflection of Jesus. Our demeanor, attitude, and words must be open, honest, and mirror who Jesus is. I believe one of the greatest tools is our own personal testimony. It gives us the opportunity to be real and honest about our own story. I’ve found that people are more receptive to the gospel when I have been open and honest about my walk with Jesus. It lets others know that we’re not perfect, but Jesus is. It neutralizes the perspective.
Let me paint a picture: my mom makes the best fry bread in all Navajo land! It’s so soft and crispy–absolutely delicious. I can’t think of anything better in this world than her handing it to you right out of the frying pan. Now, I go to the county fair and there’s a food truck with a sign that says, “Indian Fry Bread.” I love fry bread, right? So I buy one and I take a bite, but it’s not the same. Why? It’s not the authentic Navajo fry bread that my mom would make. The fry bread at the fair was good, but my mom’s just tastes better. Things are better when they are authentic and real. Jesus in us is authentic and real.
Servanthood
Serving as a church family within our community helps us visualize and grasp what Jesus did during his life on earth. It’s a servanthood that Jesus started along with his disciples and we must continue live into. Serving can be feeding the hungry in your community or being available when a teenager needs prayer. We should be obedient to this call of servanthood each day, not just on Sundays or for youth group, but every day. It will become a part of our daily routine, initiating this overflowing of Jesus on to others. We see this in the gospels as Jesus went with his disciples from town to town being present with the people even though he was probably tired, hungry, and had no place to rest. He was engaged in conversations as he visited homes. He healed the sick; he celebrated the good times and mourned with people in the midst of their pain. Our serving has to mirror Jesus. We have to be selfless, especially in youth ministry. And remember, it’s not about us. It’s about showing the beautiful and authentic person of Jesus through our obedience to servanthood.
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