Have you ever thought about how to best evangelize those outside your church? Missiologists have given it a lot of thought. One of them named Engle came up with a scale to help Missionaries think about how close or far away from accepting Christ any group or individual was. The original scale has about 14 points but I wanted to simplify it. The five point scale is shown above.
The Engle Scale has two aspects:
1.Does the group and or individual like, respect and willingly interact with the one carrying the message. If the evangelist/missionary is hated, disliked or feared it is less likely that they will accept the message.
2. How open is the group and or person to accepting the message of the Good News. Does he hate the message or like it?
To my knowledge, Jesus only gave his followers specific evangelistic advice one time. That advice was to be aware of each of these factors on the Engle Scale and do what they could to make themselves and their message winsome to their target audience. (Luke 10:1-42)
The part that is hidden, of course, is the role of the Holy Spirit in redemption. Saul was actually riding up from Jerusalem to Damascus to kill the messengers and the message of the Good News. He hated and despised both but God broke in and redeemed him.
Do the ways we relate to family, friends, neighbors and strangers makes us and our message more likable. Our book Hope and Change for Humpty Dumpty has some ideas on ways to present ourselves to others as people of positive influence.
After reading Humpty Dumpty ask the Holy Spirit reveal all areas where you have failed to show others the traits of a wonderful ambassador for Christ. Can you list the people you know who are Scoffers?
Skeptics?
Satisfied?
Seeking?
What can we do at each stage to build confidence in God and us?
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