Dr. Don Everts, partnered with the Barna Group and the Lutheran Hour Ministries to research how practicing Christians talk about their faith which resulted in The Spiritual Conversation Curve designed to help Christians start spiritual conversations. He notes the Christians’ approach to sharing their faith has changed in 25 years. “Technology and rapid cultural shifts, including the impact of social media, have redefined the ways we communicate. This shifting definition of evangelism and the perceptions of faith sharing from both sides of the conversation: the sharer and the hearer.”
In the research, the fear of giving offense or being rejected is one of the primary barriers for many Christians in talking about Jesus. That is why most of us are quiet. The research reports on the state of our witness. Nearly three-fourths of practicing Christians are afraid to speak up about their faith.
The research findings:
1. We have fewer spiritual conversations.
2. We are uncomfortable with spiritual conversations.
3. Our conversations mention Jesus and the Bible less.
4. Our approach to spiritual conversations mirrors our surrounding culture.
5. We know spiritual conversations need to be initiated.
6. Our spiritual conversations increasingly have a digital element.
The project led to the creation of The Spiritual Conversation Curve which helps frame how one can start spiritual conversations knowing people have different postures toward the Gospel: unreceptive, receptive, and seeking, and reveals six types of conversations based on their posture: either in gaining a hearing, giving good news, or guiding toward faith.
In my last blog, “Start to Finish” I explained there are three discernable patterns in a given academic year. Mobilization was the third, predictable pattern that arrives after the new calendar year begins and with Spring. As the warm weather arrives and in many places snow melts, buds come out on the trees, and the sun shines, students head for the outdoors.
It is an ideal time to step up witness with outdoor activities like lawn talks, contact tables, personal evangelism, and social events, but they focus on the point of this chart and research on spiritual conversations.
Don admits for him the difficulty of witnessing was “apathy, shyness and basic fear.” He believed spiritual conversations were “pesky, painful, awkward things.” The research shows that most of us in the U.S. are reluctant conversationalists, which he named his book on the research (see Resource). The question asked was, “How often have you had a conversation about faith (or lack of faith) with anyone last year?”
The Spiritual Conversation Curve can help us be aware and sensitive to where people are (or not) in their understanding or experience of faith. Learning to have natural conversations with students you get to know (chatting, relating, sharing) can lead people toward faith—clarifying the costs and rewards of following Jesus. Don has written a 10-page booklet, “How to Talk About Your Faith,” that you can download for free at www.lhm.org/curve/.
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Don Everts is the senior pastor of First & Calvary Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Missouri, and is a writer for Lutheran Hour Ministries (lhm.org) and the Hopeful Neighborhood Project. He served with IVCF for 18 years. Don has spent almost three decades helping people on college campuses and in the local church become good stewards of their God-given gifts. His latest book is The Reluctant Witness. Some might remember his first 1999 IVP book, Jesus with Dirty Feet.
Like most campus ministers, I have read and studied many books on discipleship, being a disciple and a disciple-maker (see Resource) that flow out of the passages in Matthew 28.19 “Go and make disciples” and 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Disciple-making is at the heart of Chi Alpha’s ministry, and the byproduct is transformation and multiplication with increasing numbers of students coming to faith and maturity as Christ-followers. Groups that understand what it means to be a disciple and disciple-maker, whether they lead a weekly discipleship training course or conduct discipleship small groups, recognize discipleship is counter-cultural and requires priority and time investment, commitment, and sacrifice.
I came across an insightful blog by Ken Schakleford where he asks, “Can Disciple Making Movements Happen in Our Western Christian Culture?” His concern is that, here in America, Christianity seems to be sliding into cultural ineffectiveness and irrelevance. “We have church buildings in almost every neighborhood and yet there seems to be little transformative impact on the communities around them.” He states, “what we read in the Acts is happening now, in real-time, in some very unexpected places around the world.” [True disciple-making is occurring among Chi Alpha groups nationwide too.]
Schakleford does a great job of laying out seven principles that are common among viable disciple-making movements around the world. I am motivated to share his blog even though in Chi Alpha we have a working knowledge of discipleship and are committed to disciple-making. His blog captures what it means to follow Christ in a way that I have not seen elaborated and explains why applying these principles leads to similar results among discipling movements globally.
Disciple-making Movements Globally Share Seven Common Principles.
Time and Money-
Discipleship takes time, real sacrifice. With our hyper-busy schedules, we must give up significant items to be a disciple-maker.
Prayer and fasting-
Prayer and fasting are essential—a normal part of our sacred rhythms; fasting drives us into even more intense times of prayer and worship; we must alter our life and lifestyle around it; connecting us to the spirit of Christ.
Valuing obedience over just knowledge-
Understanding subjects like taking up their cross, the cost of discipleship, and the commands of Jesus to make disciples and proclaim the kingdom of God is crucial. Disciples get into God’s word regularly and purposely. They are hungry for truth because they are active in sharing the truth. Their Bible study, usually done communally, takes all newly discovered knowledge and immediately expects practical obedience to be born out of that understanding. God’s Spirit teaches them what they need to be doing from what they are learning. We must change how we approach scripture and Bible study.
Valuing community and relationships over individualism-
Discipleship is done through deep relationships and relationships are messy and, again, they take time. We will have to overcome our individualistic tendencies. Small (life, discipleship, core, family) groups are good, but they need to be purposeful and go much deeper than we might be comfortable with.
Valuing transparency and accountability over privacy-
Accountability is only as effective as our transparency is. Living your life as an open book makes you vulnerable, and vulnerability is difficult. We live in a culture that values privacy and security on an extreme level. This allows us to keep our weaknesses and sin in the dark, which is the realm of our enemy. God has designed faith communities to hold things up into the light, where He brings forgiveness, healing, and growth to them.
Humility and supernatural faith-
The mission Christ has given us cannot be done in the strength of our own knowledge and abilities.—Jesus sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, heal the sick including cleansing the lepers; deliver the demon-possessed, raise the dead, discern who God is working on and disciple them; and be vigilant and alert because the enemy is targeting them (we are lambs among wolves). These expectations far exceeded their natural abilities. The great co-mission handed down to us is just as impossible in our own strength and wisdom. We must view it as a supernatural work of God and humbly depend on His Spirit.
7.Perseverance and sacrifice-
Disciple-making is not glamorous. It is challenging on a gut-wrenching level. Perseverance is key. We too often want quick and clean microwavable solutions. A movement does not start in a day or a few weeks or even months. (exponential growth takes time). Following Jesus is costly. We must entrust our jobs, school, reputations, ability to provide for our family, our freedom, our lives. The life of a disciple-making disciple is not safe or secure from a worldly perspective, but it is good, rich and purposeful, passion-filled, and worth the cost.
This is a condensed version of the full blog.https://discipleship.org/blog/disciple-making-movements-why-not-here/
It may not be a trend, but certainly, more XA females are getting ordained, and that is exciting and important in reaching our collegiate mission field with female enrollment in college at an all-time high. Since 2010, the number of female career campus missionaries and missionary associates in XA continued to increase each academic year, and in 2021, female leadership in XA surpassed males. XA has always embraced women in ministry and leadership. I asked several XA females what led them to get ordination, and how does XA ministry work for them. I talked to so many, and they were all so kind to respond, but there’s only room for 5 vignettes this time. Watch for more females telling their stories next time.
Katie Moran – James Madison University
The Potomac Network AG ordained Katie May 2020. She completed a CMIT in 2008-09, and served at the University of Virginia for 11 years. In 2019, she and her husband, Josh, moved to Harrisonburg, VA. to pioneer XA at James Madison University and they continue there today. Katie had been credentialed at the certified level for 10 years when the network superintendent at the time spoke at a credentialed women’s breakfast she was attending. He cast vision for continuing our education, our commitment to the movement, and strengthening our endorsement by the AG, by pursuing ordination. This was extremely influential for me. I decided then to pursue licensing and ordination as soon as possible and have been an advocate for others to do the same. Along with her husband, she is XA co-director at JMU, serving primarily by discipling the staff team, student leaders, and students. She preaches regularly at the large group meetings, teaches at student leadership meetings, and trains CMITs in classes XA offers. Katie reveals, “Chi Alpha has been a place of transformative relationships for me: from my early days as a student being discipled for the first time, through transitions such as the internship, staff team, pioneering to more personal ones such as marriage and parenthood. Chi Alpha is a great place to see the Kingdom of God at work; transforming individuals within the context of community. . . . God continuously transforms us to reflect God’s image and do the work we were created for in this place where Heaven and Earth come together by God. “
Melissa Nguyen – Central Washington University
The Northwest Network AG ordained Melissa in 2021. She has served for 11 years on staff at Central Washington University, Ellensburg. She completed a CMIT at Western Washington University in Bellingham as preparation for campus ministry. She and her husband, Tony, watched their first ordination service at the NW Network Conference many years ago and decided it would be so cool to do that service together. “Between pressing ministry seasons and having kids and full plates it took us a few more years than we intended to complete all the steps for ordination, but we were happy to complete it together and get to walk together in ordination in April 2021.” Melissa explained, “Our main reasons for pursuing ordination (and doing so together) seemed like a meaningful step to show our lifelong commitment to ministry and to serving as AG ministers. We enjoyed the educational requirements and thought it was a nice step to show our network that we’re committed for the long haul.” Melissa preaches regularly in the large group services. She leads a core group, mentors small group leaders, and pre-engagements couples, mobilizes students for missions, assists with the CMIT program along with administrative roles. She reminds us, and identifies with other spouses and parents in saying, “Besides my full-time ministry, she and her husband are raising two preschoolers – XA missionary kids.”
Alicia Youngblood – Texas Christian University
The North Texas District AG ordained Alicia in 2021. She has served as co-director of XA with her husband, Andrew, at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, for 9 years. Alicia candidly said, “I initially pursued certification to get a better paycheck as I came on staff full time and quit my job. Then, I pursued licensing as we went through national appointment in 2016. In the last few years, my convictions around women in ministry and the need for women representation has grown, so I decided to go ahead and get ordained since I was in a denomination that valued women and allowed me to do so.” Serving as a campus minister at TCU allows her to disciple female leaders, help her husband manage the leadership team, teach leadership classes, preach to the entire campus group several times per year, and handle the administrative side of campus ministries. Alicia says she loves being a part of XA. “It has empowered me to be a woman in leadership and it is the only paradigm I have for ministry. Because of working side by side with my husband, I have been given awesome opportunities to lead, to minister, and to be a part of God’s plan to reach young adults with the message of Jesus.”
Rachel Yokers – University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
The Wisconsin/Northern Michigan AG Network ordained Rachel in 2021. She started off her journey with XA at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as a freshman in 2008; the very year that XA launched on campus. She completed a CMIT at Western Washington University from 2013-2014, and was invited to serve on staff at UWO in 2014 with the campus minister, Josh Ernst. When Josh assumed the position as district director of W/NM in 2016, Rachel became the director of XA at UWO. Rachel says her reason for pursuing ordination. “I pursued ordination because of the example it sets to my female students and the leadership is shows to my male students; to boldly proclaim that God can call anyone into vocational ministry and leadership. It also felt like the next right thing Jesus was asking me to do for myself and for Him.” Her ministry at XA at UWO includes preaching at services, leading a small group, mentoring students and staff, and working with “Give-a-Year” students, and occasionally speaks at women’s conferences. She also has the unique responsibility serving as a chaplain with the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department. Rachel says, “XA was the place where Jesus took hold of my heart and transformed my life. There’s no other way to put it; the Lord used Chi Alpha to raise me, disciple me, to train me to be the woman I am today. And I am forever grateful.”
Crystal Burkhart – University of Alaska Fairbanks
The Alaska Ministry Network AG ordained Crystal in 2020. She serves at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She and her husband, Paul, have been there 8 years. She felt compelled by God to pursue ordination. She teaches, preaches, and leads small groups, and directs the marketplace missions internship. She also serves on the national XA Guiding Coalition, and as presbyter for the Alaska Ministry Network. She explains, “After serving as world missionaries for almost a decade in Southeast Asia, God called my husband and I at a World Missions Summit to transition from overseas to serve and pioneer XA at the UA Fairbanks.” She and her husband completed an internship at Sam Houston State University XA and then took a team of 8 missionaries to pioneer in Fairbanks. “Every step of the way we have felt encouraged, welcomed, and supported by the XA nation and feel grateful to serve in this movement.”
