Party Evangelism 

Party Theology Part 2 of 3

Evangephobia 

Do you cringe at the thought of evangelism? Do you think it awkward to start conversations with phrases like “if you died today,” or “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” Would you rather get a root canal than bring a co-worker to your bible study? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions then you might suffer from evangephobia.

Evangephobia is a common disorder resulting from a misunderstanding of how Christians are supposed to go about making disciples. Side effects of Evangephobia include guilt, condemnation, and fruitless ministry. Evangephobia is a result of Christians believing in a false view of evangelism. They think evangelism is trying to convince people to accept Jesus through emotional manipulation, complicated arguments, or fear mongering. The truth is that non of these things can actually produce a disciple of Christ! Now that you know the truth, you can stop feeling guilty for not wanting to participate in awkward evangelism, and you can start actually making disciples.

Party Evangelism 101

Don't be weird.

The Apostle Paul says “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). This means that we should not create a Christian subculture which alienates people from accepting the gospel, but instead be a part of the culture we are trying to relate to. Some Christians confuse being weird with being a witness, and this is a barrier to evangelism and discipleship. Jesus was a witness but entered into human culture and was a friend of sinners (Luke 7:34B)

Be a Missional Partier.

People who suffer from evagephobia believe that once they have targeted their next evangelism project they should immediately invite the target to church or bible study. Evangephobics are constantly being stood up and ignored by others and therefore they fear evangelism. Invite an acquaintance to a party instead of bible study, and what do you know, attendance skyrockets! Jesus used parties as a key tool in his ministry and so should you. In the new testament. Jesus is constantly being found at parties. He parties with everyone including sinners, tax collectors and he even attends lame religious parties. Jesus starts his ministry at a party, and he brings the wine (John2:1-11)! He parties so much, with the “wrong people” that he is falsely accused of being a glutton and a drunkard(Luke17:34A) But Jesus does not just party aimlessly, he parties with purpose (Mark 2:16-17). As discussed in the previous blog, Christians parties should demonstrate our hope and reveal peoples need for the gospel. There is no easier way to evangelize than to invite people to a good party. I guarantee you are more likely to make a friend and once you make friend you are one your way to making a disciple.