Sharing our Faith:

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Sharing our Faith Finding faith on Eastenders
Who is ready to hear the gospel?
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Sharing our Faith Who is ready to hear the
gospel?
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Coming to faith process, event or both? Hill,
M, Entering the Kingdom (1978) Kerr, H Mulder
J(ed), Conversions The Christian Experience
(Michigan Eerdmans), 1983. 20 from 10 Insights
from the Decade of Evangelism (Churches Together
in England Group for Evangelisation), 2000
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Time to conversion? less than 1 year 21, one
year 10, 2 years 11, 3-5years 16, 6-10yrs 8,
11years 6, ongoing 28
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
The Engel Scale Conversion as a process Engel
F. Norton, H, What's Gone Wrong with the
Harvest? A Communication Strategy for the Church
and World Evangelism (Grand Rapids Zondervan,
1975)
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
The role of courses.. Confirmation,
Membership, After Alpha, Alpha, Disciple,
Emmaus.. all enable people to respond and lead
to some form of public confession.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Conversion as Belief in God to Belief about
God Ball, P, Adult Believing (London
Mowbray), 1988 emotions about a life of faith
play key role.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Key influences Relationships special
services Finney, J, Finding Faith Today How
Does it Happen? (Swindon British and Foreign
Bible Society), 1992 Minister, partners, faith
base for kids, friends, eucharist, baptism.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Shock, Horror! The Bible, evangelistic events,
Church activities, Christian television and radio
arent major factors in conversion!
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Shock, Horror! Spiritual experiences are not a
major or supportive factor in conversion!
Hay, D, Exploring Inner Space (Oxford
Mowbray) 1987.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
What is attractive about converting to
Christianity?
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Conversion as a route to find forgiveness from
sin OR - conversion as a path towards fulfilment.
Savage, S, A Psychology of Conversion - From
All Angles, (Percy M,(ed) Previous Convictions
(London SPCK, 2000) emotional or social need,
or as existential need (spiritual hunger,
emptiness, purposelessness and the need for
identity). Kyu, P, Conversion as a Pilgrimage to
Liberation, International Review of Mission
LXXII/287 (1983), p.380-384. Cook, G, Christian
Conversion A Perspective from Latin America
Mission Studies, X-12/1920 (1993) p.91-108.
guilt, sin, judgement and propitiation -
unpalitable
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Conversion in search of relief from a
crisis Savage (p.7) cites Ulman, C, Cognitive
and Emotional Antecedents of Religious
Conversion, Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 43 (1997), p.296-314. Rambo, L,
Understanding Religious Conversion (New Haven
Yale University Press), 1993.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Adolescence Middle age A critical age for
conversion? 1959,1966 Socially Acceptable to
Authentic, nurture of children, children leave
home, relationship crises, care for parents
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
People key to the conversion process
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Ministers who show Integrity, life experience,
rapid response to crises, sharing quality time,
encouraging faith sharing in groups, open
baptismal policy, breaking stereotypes.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Sunday School Teachers and the congregation Astle
y, J, How Faith Grows (London Church House
Publishing) 1991. Fowler, J, Stages of Faith
(London Harper Ro) 1981 Nurturing people
through the stages of faith The Child (Fowler
Stage 1), the Rebel, The Adult, The Outlaw,
The Lover or the Fool (Fowler Stage 6).
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
The positive influence of family
conversion through silent witness. Non-Christian
partner sees conscience of Christian partner at
work. Parents do not influence
faith of children
beyond adolescence. (Finney.)
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
The positive influence of Christian
friends Transparent Christians break
stereotypes, difference faith makes, accepting of
diversity.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Implications for today the changing face of
evangelism..
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Implications for today Evangelism now
congregation led and facilitated by evangelist cf
Church led with evangelist on pedestal.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Conversion as both a process and event
questioning rapid conversion
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Evangelism and confirmation Astley, J, How
Faith Grows (London Church House Publishing)
1991, universal? Same liturgy,
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Evangelism and Friendship
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Concerns about friendship evangelism
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Accomodating seekers creating opportunities for
response. Wright H. Gray F, Local Church
Evangelism (Edinburgh St Andrew Press) 1987.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Supporting Christian spouses with non-Christian
parners
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Baptisms, weddings, funerals pastoral care.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Evangelism amongst young people.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Trust as the bedrock of exploration.
Nurture through small groups Ownership
and participation is key to faith development.
West, L, Young People in Cells - The Challenge
to the Church Anvil 15/4 (1998). p.271-280.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Recommendations Parenting classes Rephrasing
language for children Understanding affiliative
faith
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Recommendations Expose young people to the
testimony of others Encourage an appreciation of
myth and symbolism.
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Fainding faith on Eastenders?
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Do we believe in conversion?
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
What is the most fertile ground for sharing the
gospel?
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
Who is the evangelist in our midst?
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Who is ready to hear the gospel?
What factors help people to come to faith the
most?