Last Saturday, about 15 international students crowded into Dave’s home to watch the AFL Grand Final.

Most of them didn’t understand Australian Rules Football very well. Dave explained what was happening, there was plenty of food and conversation, and everyone settled in to watch the game.

Well, almost everyone.

One young man sitting near me was much more interested in talking about the Bible than watching football. He had been reading Genesis and had reached the story of Noah. Before long, we were discussing a question he had about the passage.

Was watching the Grand Final an evangelistic event?

Definitely.

Years ago, I learned a definition of an evangelistic event that has stuck with me:

Any event planned with non-Christians in mind that brings them in contact with trained Christians in a relaxed setting enabling interaction.

Notice what isn’t in that definition.

There doesn’t have to be a speaker. There doesn’t have to be an evangelistic talk. You don’t have to hand out tracts or ask everyone to bow their heads at the end.

Instead, you intentionally create a place where people who don’t yet follow Jesus can spend relaxed time with Christians who are prepared to listen, ask questions, share something of their own relationship with Jesus, and respond when God opens a door.

That is what happened during the Grand Final. Dave didn’t invite everyone over so I could give a Bible talk. He simply created the setting. And in that setting, one person decided he wanted to talk about the Bible.

That changes the kinds of events we can imagine.

A barbecue can be an evangelistic event. So can a football party, a games night, a picnic, a Christmas gathering, or an afternoon decorating cookies.

The question isn’t, “How can I turn this into an evangelistic program?”

A better question might be:

“How can I create a relaxed setting where my friends who don’t know Jesus can naturally spend time with Christians who do?”

Then we trust God with the conversations that follow.

Walking together,

Bob