People are most apt to be drawn to Christ and the church through friendships and close relationships with dedicated disciples. Our network of relationships often includes folks who either do not have a personally transforming relationship with Christ or who are not meaningfully related to a local congregation. National research suggests the average church member knows at least seven people who are not regularly involved in a church. So what we need to do is think carefully about the people we already know (or perhaps would like to know) who are not currenlty aligned with a worshiping congregation.
Putting it simply, relational evangelism concentrates on developing genuine friendships with unchurched people, first and foremost to be a Christian friend, and sharing in natural and unforced ways what Christ and the church mean to us in the hope that the person or family will want to participate with us. It means intentionally widening our circle of friendship to include people who do not already regularly attend church, sharing joys and hurts as we do with any other friend, and responding to opportunities to include them in our spiritual journey.
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