Be Yourself & Make Friends

“SEND has been in Spain for many years and I have the opportunity to work on a team with missionaries that have been on the field for over 10 years. Working alongside these other missionaries, I have received a lot of helpful advice and been able to learn from their own experiences. Personally I have just been friends and been myself with non-believers. One of the most important things in Spain is for people to know an evangelical Christian and see that they are just normal people. Most Spaniards think that evangelicals are a cult and strange, so to have that connection and be able to see that we are just like other people is very important. Authenticity is also very important when talking and sharing with the younger generation. Be honest and real when you are sharing.”

Build Bridges

“There is a great need for large scale sharing that we see in things like social media pages and posts, videos, or larger gatherings such as a summer camp, but I have really tried to approach non-believers more personally. This means that there needs to be some sort of bridge to connect with them initially. I have used things such as English clubs, sports, or just talking with someone because they are my neighbor to build that first connection. In all of this I try to live in a way that what I say and do brings God into conversations. Some people will show little, if any, interest in my religiosity or spiritual life, but others will be interested in knowing why I do the things I do and say the things I say. As people show more interest, I give opportunities for going deeper into exploring God and his Word. Sometimes this means meeting them one on one, inviting them to a special event the church is doing, or inviting them to some sort of Bible study. Sometimes it means giving them a Bible, video link or a book. A lot of this is just trying and seeing what interests people have.”

Relationship Informs How You Share the Gospel

“It all depends on who they are and what experiences they have. This means that we must take the time to get to know them. Relationships are key in determining this. But we must not fall into a belief that the relationship has the power to save them. The message of the gospel is still what holds the power, but the way it gets to them can be informed by the relationship we have. It will come with more authority and power if it comes from a loving and trusted friend.”

Be the Presence of Jesus

“When trying to understand my approach to ministry, I look to the things Jesus said and did as a model. Looking past all the 'do’s and don’ts' in the Bible and seeing the whole picture. 

From understanding the life of Jesus, there are two things that became critical to my approach: 

1. Contextual/Incarnational 

Jesus came to humanity, as a human. He is the ultimate example of 'becoming like so he might save some'. He had things he left behind and new things he took on, all for the purpose of contextualizing to humanity to bring his message of truth. 

2. Jesus did not only offer forgiveness. He offered changed lives, holistic healing, and life…life to the full! 

So we can see that our approach must go beyond sharing words. We cannot only bring the message of Jesus to people, we must also be the presence of Jesus in their lives. We must enter into the messiness of people’s lives to offer them real life change and help, whether physical like feeding the hungry or mental and emotional needs. Jesus met them all and offered restoration to the everyday lives of people."