What is one simple thing any church member can do to help someone take a step closer to Jesus?”

One of the simplest ways any church member, no matter their age, can help someone take a step closer to Jesus is by sharing their testimony. During my four years serving in summer camp ministry ay Glacier View Ranch, we were always encouraged to do just that.

We shared how God was blessing us, where we were struggling, and how we had seen His presence in our lives. I was deeply blessed as a staff member because we were constantly ministering to one another as a team, while also being there for the campers. At the same time, our leaders were ministering to me too. None of us were master evangelists. We were simply college students trusting God to use our stories, and He did.

In a culture that often encourages us to keep faith to ourselves, choosing to share how God has been at work in our lives is both countercultural and deeply faithful. Those summers continue to shape how I share my faith today. —Vanessa Alarcón, head elder for the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church

What advice would you give a church member who wants to share their faith but feels unsure or unprepared?

For years, my life was driven by the pursuit of success and the pressure to do more—even when it came to sharing my faith. Looking back, I realize that much of my “striving” was really me trying to do the Holy Spirit’s work through my own human efforts.
Something shifted when I began to understand John 15 in a new way. I realized that my main responsibility isn’t to produce results, but to abide in the Vine. My role is simple: stay connected to Christ. When I do, God produces the fruit—love, joy and peace. My job is simply to share that fruit with others. I’ve noticed that my feelings of inadequacy surface when I rely on my own self-sufficiency. But when I am truly connected to the Vine, I move with a quiet confidence, knowing that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. —Duane Hallock, member of the New Haven Seventh-day Adventist Church

How can an everyday church member build trust with someone who doesn’t go to church?

We can build trust by simply making friends with people; it is called friendship evangelism. It also involves going around the church and surveying nearby neighborhoods to learn about their needs, then coming together as a church to help meet those needs. Friendship evangelism is about building genuine relationships by simply making friends with others. It also includes reaching out to the surrounding neighborhoods, learning about their needs, and working together as a church to help support and serve the community. —Ronisha Belgrove, Bible worker, Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventist

What is one way church members can show Christ’s love outside the church walls?

We show love by going out meeting people exactly where they are. Christ method alone will bring true success without judging or condemning the people but by speaking and meeting them exactly where they are with Christ’s love alone. In following Jesus’ example, we know He spoke the truth aways in love. “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with people as one who desired their good. He showed sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He invited them,’Follow Me.’” (The Ministry of Healing, 73) “Jesus did not suppress one word of truth, but He uttered it always in love. He exercised the greatest tact and thoughtful, kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He spoke the truth, but always in love.”  (Steps to Christ, 12) – Ronisha Belgrove, Bible worker, Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Questions and curation by Hugh Davis
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