The Burden of Evangelism, by Nadine Templer

Of all the things that cause stress in evangelical Christianity, the burden of “sharing our faith” is right at the top. Most people are not naturally equipped to enforce their beliefs on another person, hand out invitation cards on the street, knock on strangers’ doors, and persuade others that they have the truth.

It can be very intimidating and even scary. Only a few extroverts or super-friendly people enjoy the pursuit. Most are reluctant. I grew up very shy, so for me, sharing my faith and inviting strangers was daunting. I am, however, very determined and hardworking, and I made myself do it. I also became very good at it, mostly through sheer grit and perseverance.

As a result, I rose very quickly in the ranks of leadership, not because I was the most popular person in the church, but because I baptized a lot of people. Less than three years after my baptism (out of atheism), at the age of 24, and while still single, I was appointed a “women’s ministry leader”, the female counterpart to an evangelist. The main reason was that I was good at baptizing and training others to do the same. That was really the only thing that mattered.

The pressure to evangelize and baptize was relentless. I had the emotional resilience to handle it, but my nervous system was on high alert 24/7, and I lived on adrenaline. I lived like that for 20 years, day in and day out. I challenged myself with higher goals all the time. I expected myself to be an example and “set the pace”, so I would not be a hypocrite. I would bring the most “visitors” to church events, in an effort to inspire others. What I was really doing was passing on my frenetic lifestyle to others. Sadly, many did not have the same resilience or willingness to keep that crazy pace.

The toll that kind of lifestyle takes on our physical and mental health is dire. Sadly, it can also put people off from sharing their faith altogether. There are so many better ways to shine our light and be a godly witness. We can serve our communities, spend time with people without an agenda, advocate for the weak, the orphans, the widows, and the oppressed. We can BE like Jesus, talk about him, and gently introduce him to people without bullying ourselves and others in the process.

Sharing our faith with kindness, respect, and patience leads to deeper and more genuine faith in the people we reach. There is no coercion, only free and informed choice. The numbers may not be as impressive, but the faith will reach deeper.

If our Christianity is stress-inducing and exhausting, there is something wrong. I am deeply sorry for the way I dragged others along with me in that crazy rat race for the first two decades of my Christian life. I changed that 22 years ago. I still believe in sharing about Jesus. In fact, I still do, and I still bring my friends to church, but there is no stress and no guilt anymore. And I don’t have to report to anyone either. It is now completely self-motivated because I believe in what I do.

Sharing about Jesus can be so beautiful and so healing. So let’s just take a deep breath and reflect on the kindness of God as we witness to others.