Explorer Model: Evangelism Principles
It is role of an explorer to discover who people are and what their story is.
Here is an example: I sat next to Robert on a flight.
What do you know about Robert spiritually? You probably answered, 'nothing.' But there is one thing you do know: He is on a spiritual journey.
Let me give you another clue. He's French -- a French dentist, as a matter of fact. Now what do you think? Is he spiritually near or spiritually far?
More clues: he considers himself a French humanist. Humanism is a man-centered worldview and not the path you normally think of as leading to Christ. So he is probably spiritually far, right?
I continued to ask Robert questions and learn more about him. I discovered that he considered the church in his own country as irrelevant to the needs of society - not a good sign. He is sounding more and more distant.
But when Robert discovered my interest in spiritual matters, he revealed that he had tried to buy a Bible in a U.S. bookstore. After showing him a brief explanation of the gospel, he responded that he didn't know if it was true or not, but he hoped his children would decide it was.
I asked him why and found out that Robert thought that if his children believed it was true, they would experience a better life than if they didn't.
Robert was spiritually open after all!
Notice how your view of Robert changed with each piece of new information - initially assuming him to be spiritually distant, perhaps resistant because of his worldview, only to discover genuine openness.
That is what happens when we explore the lives of others: our assumptions are overturned as we gain insights into their stories. You can't guess where people are spiritually, you have to explore.
