Part of being an evangelist is feeling the sting of when evangelism fails. You have done your best to share the faith with others, but your efforts fall short of their goal.
When evangelism fails, you begin to question your choices and methods of evangelizing, fearing that you did something wrong.
When evangelism fails, you begin to doubt that you were the right person for the job in the first place.
When evangelism fails, you begin to wonder if you were just wasting your time.
At home, I have tried to share my faith with my family and friends, but it seems like they are no closer to God than they were before. Online, I devote many hours in front of my computer each week, and I am not sure if I am actually having an impact on anyone. It can be quite discouraging.
How do we continue evangelizing when it seems like our efforts end in disappointment?
The first step is realizing that, as an evangelist, you are one of the devil’s greatest enemies. He will do everything he can to put fear and doubt into your mind, hoping that you will stop sharing your faith with others.
Doubt comes from pride. We want to see results for our efforts. We are a results-driven society, and when we do not see tangible results from our work, we become discouraged. Our goal is to inflate our egos through our evangelistic efforts, but this will never work.
Evangelism fueled by ego will surely fail.
The second step, once you’ve stopped evangelizing for your own gain, is to put it in God’s hands. You are doing God’s work, so let Him take care of the results. We are simply His tools in the process.
We cannot control God’s timing. What may seem like a failure now may simply take longer to materialize. Our efforts today may not have an impact until many years later. Still, planting the seed today is necessary to have a budding faith tomorrow.
Also, God’s plans for our work may not be the same as our own. We may be expecting one result, while completely failing to see another. Sometimes, the greatest results are the results that we never see.
The final step is realizing that evangelism never fails. As an evangelist, our goal should be to share our beautiful faith. That’s it. If you have successfully done that, you have done your job. What results from your efforts and God’s plan for your ministry are completely up to Him.
When I share my faith with my family, I cannot control what happens next, but I can take comfort in my best effort. When I share my faith online, I may not impact a single soul, but I have answered God’s call. May the Lord bring me peace in that.
Truly, the only time evangelism fails is when evangelism fails to happen.
When you pass up the opportunity to share the Gospel, evangelism fails. When a loved one needs help, but you are too busy, evangelism fails. When God gives you skills and talents, yet they go unused, evangelism fails.
Do not let evangelism fail. As long as you try, it never will.
Copyright © 2013, Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson works as an IT Analyst for a Catholic publishing group. In his spare time, he enjoys writing and sharing his faith on his website, Waking Up Catholic, a guide to the Catholic RCIA process. and is also the Co-Founder of Assisi Media, a new Catholic publishing company focused on using new media to reach everyday Catholics. His new book, Waking Up Catholic, is available in eBook and paperback formats.
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Excellent and thoughtful article