Evangelism in the URC

On this page you can find the many ways we, at the URC, share our faith, and you’ll also find resources to help share yours.

Advent and Christmas Resource

We hope you enjoy this list of wonderful ideas for sharing the excitement of Christmas and find it helpful as you plan local activities.

FaithTalk at Christmas – ideas and resources (PDF | 4mb)

Evangelism and the URC

Evangelism is one of those words that for many in the URC comes with a degree of pre-conception. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is simply “a message of spiritual good news; specifically the teaching or revelation of Christ…” and “the action or work of spreading the Christian gospel by public preaching or by giving personal testimony…”. Literally it means ‘good-newsing’. How we deliver that good news and give that testimony matters, because the most important thing is that it is authentic. Some will do it through words, others through actions, others by the way they carry themselves through life. Most of us will use a combination of the three, but have much less confidence in our spoken message.

In practice, it doesn’t always feel as simple as it sounds…

We have so many different ways of sharing our faith in the URC, including sharing testimony in the public space, door-knocking and leafleting, holding special events and serving those on the margins, and all are witnessing to God’s grace, with some planting new Christian communities in the process. Following resolutions passed at General Assembly 2024, the URC will create 13 new pioneering ministry posts and a Church Life working group is developing plans to resource and establish new Christian communities of worship and discipleship. These plans represent a whole-Church commitment to sharing our faith, developing relationships and transforming communities. These posts and projects will of course look very different according to where they are and who is involved.

Many of our churches hold outreach events, such as Carol services or Pentecost parties, which explicitly include sharing beliefs and witnessing to our faith.

Still more witness in a practical way with a rich variety of community activities. These include Foodbanks, Warm Hubs and cafes, involving sacrificial love. Members witness by giving time and money and a listening ear to those they come alongside. They often wait until asked before sharing why they do this. The URC has a long-established commitment to the ministry of church related community workers who have enabled a rich variety of such engagement in local communities.

Evangelism is an inevitable part of our membership of Christ’s church, however we express it. Yet, many of us lack confidence in articulating what our faith means to us, imitating the proverbial rabbit in the headlights when anyone does actually ask.

Hesitation is human and very understandable. We might not feel like we have enough theological knowledge or understanding. There are many factors at play: fear of being mocked or laughed at or judged; awareness of the spiritual harm that has been caused by some areas of the Church, historically, globally, and in the UK currently; not wanting to be associated with parts of the Church that may appear to judge or exclude certain groups.

How would it be if we developed a habit, and exercised it, so that we could not just have a confident response to a question, but -where appropriate- could also initiate the conversation?

Evangelism can be… telling our stories, offering an invitation, showing radical hospitality, being direct and personal, taking an opportunity to be vulnerable, making space, advocating for justice, showing mercy, challenging empire, sharing your story… what does it mean to you?

Resources

FaithTalk Webinars: Everday evangelism for the URC

An occasional relaxed, open conversation online to explore how we share our faith. You can hear what one person who attended the first session thought in the video.

Upcoming Webinars

The next FaithTalk webinar is scheduled for January 28 2025 with the theme ‘preparing for Easter’.

The URC’s Daily Devotions

In April and May 2024 the URC’s Daily Devotions were devoted to mission, starting with two weeks on evangelism, written by Thames North Synod’s Discipleship Enabler Eddie Boon. Revd Andy Braunston has created a booklet of these that can be used by small groups or individuals.

There followed five weeks on the five Marks of Mission (as reimagined by Graham Adams). The fifth of these weeks was focused on sharing the good news, and the six reflections that week were written by a range of URC and ecumenical friends. You can find these reflections in the Daily Devotions archive.

Stepwise

One way to increase your confidence is to join a Stepwise group. URC Stepwise programme

Faith-filled Conversations, a brand-new stream in the Stepwise programme. This stream is for anyone who wants to explore how their faith story shapes their everyday conversations, and how those conversations can become life-giving moments of connection, challenge, and hope.

Contact your Synod mission enabler or visit the Stepwise webpage to find out more.

GEAR

The United Reformed Church’s Group for Evangelism and Renewal (GEAR) organise prayer guides, events and retreats. They also produce a regular newsletter. You can find more information at GEAR.

Churches Together in England

The Churches Together in England website has an informative page listing many varied resources for supporting churches and individuals in evangelism, many of which have been tried and tested by URC churches.

Small group resources / courses for churches:

tested by the URC Mission Enablers’ Network

LICC Faithfulness on the Frontline: (watch the Youtube video): Developing faith conversations in our normal, everyday lives.

Talking Jesus: A very useable, confidence-boosting course developed from two lots of fascinating research into what people believe about God.

Surprise the World: A five-step process for engaging the people around us.

Holy Habits Making more Disciples: A useful resource including prayers, bible reflections, service outlines and discussion.

Table Talk: A pack of cards with conversation-starter questions, great for coffee mornings / café church / messy church / fellowship groups etc.

Leading Your Church Into Growth (LYCIG): The 3rd step (of 7) in this church growth strategy framework is about fruitful evangelism.

Progressive Evangelism-Student Christian Movement: ‘Progressive Evangelism’ is the second in a series of resources published as part of SCM’s Affirming Christianity project.

Alive! is a highly recommended post-Easter course, to pick up on the momentum from Easter outreach.: The Alive Series

Opportunities for evangelism in your community

All Are Welcome is a resource which helps congregations to consider how to ensure that everyone knows they are welcome in God’s kingdom: .

How do we ensure that people don’t simply fit in, but truly know that they belong and are valued, just as they are, both within our church communities and within God’s family?
Who are the people on the margins whom we might wish to assure of a true and sincere welcome?
How might we take the message of welcome into our wider local community?

Find out more

Mission enabling fund

If you have a missional outreach/evangelism idea, but don’t have a budget, don’t forget the Mission Enabling fund

Synod Mission Enablers’ Network

Ask your Synod ‘mission enabler’ (details below) or contact [email protected] for more information about these, or other ways you and your church can explore how to share the good news of the story of Jesus.