How do you share the gospel with a student when you’re together? Let’s see how Judy did it.
Prepare
Judy is going to follow up with Cari, a student who filled out a comment card from a Cru meeting. Cari expressed interest in knowing God personally. Judy will meet with her to explore Cari’s spiritual interest.
First, Judy prays. She thanks God for this amazing opportunity and asks God to prepare Cari’s heart for the appointment. Then, she picks up her phone to set up the appointment. She sets up the appointment, letting Cari know she can bring a friend, and establishes a time and a place to meet.
To prepare for the appointment, Judy familiarizes herself with the four points of the “Connecting with God” booklet. The questions following each point are cues for her to sit and listen to Cari’s response. If you don’t have a gospel tract like “Connecting with God,” you can download Cru’s GodTools App. This puts gospel tracts like “Connecting with God” at your fingertips.
Judy also reviews her personal testimony in case she has an opportunity to share her own story. She looks for any “Christianese” phrases or terms like salvation, sin, and born again, and chooses less “churchy” words that any student would understand.
If you don't have a gospel tract like "Connecting with God," you can download Cru's GodTools App. This puts gospel tracts like "Connecting with God" at your fingertips.
Meet
At the appointment, Judy takes a few minutes to get to know Cari by asking intentional questions. As soon as she can, Judy asks, “Are you very familiar with Cru?” Depending on Cari’s response, Judy may want to explain Cru- as a school within a school or an organization with activities, retreats, etc. After explaining Cru, Judy asks Cari about her experience with Christianity. For example, Judy may ask Cari if she has ever been involved in a church. Then she listens carefully to Cari’s response, as it will give her further insight into Cari’s spiritual background.
It’s easy for Judy to transition to the gospel by asking, “Has anyone ever taken the time to explain to you how you can know God personally?” No matter how Cari responds, Judy asks, “Can I show you how Cru shares the good news about Jesus?” This gives Cari the opportunity to hear the gospel presented clearly.
If Cari agrees, Judy reads through “Connecting with God,” paying close attention as Cari answers each transitional question. A good evangelistic conversation is more of a dialog than a monologue. After reading through the prayer, Judy asks, “Have you ever made that personal commitment and invited Jesus Christ into your life? If not, would you like to do that?” (It’s important that you never pressure a student or make them feel awkward if they are not ready. Everyone is at a different place in their spiritual journey and you don’t want to push them away.)
Cari answers, “I don’t think so.” Judy shares that Cari doesn’t have to say yes right now. She thanks her for getting together, and asks if they can meet again soon. In the meantime, Judy invites her to more Cru events (weekly meetings, Bible studies, retreats, etc). If Cari wants to do research on her own, Judy suggests checking out everystudent.com. This site explores who God is, answers a lot of common questions, and explains more about a personal relationship with God.
Cari answers, Yes she would like to invite Christ into her life. Judy would then lead her through the prayer, wrap up the conversation, and set up another appointment with Cari. The point of the next appointment is to help Cari grow in her new faith.
Here are some great follow-up materials for you to help your student understand her new life in Christ.
