A new survey revealed that most Christians in America are unfamiliar with "methods for telling others about Jesus."
While most American Christians would like to share their faith with others, only a minority have actually done so in the last six months. These are the findings of a new survey released by Lifeway Research, which reveals that more than six out of 10 Christians in America do not know any methods for telling others about Jesus Christ.
In a survey titled "Evangelism Explosion Study of American Christians' Openness to Talking about Faith," Lifeway Research found that 54% of respondents said they were either "willing" or "eager" when asked about what they thought about "telling others about Jesus Christ." The survey was conducted between April 12 to 23 on 1,011 American Christians.
Majority of American Christians Believe That Pastors are in Charge of Spreading the Gospel
The Lifeway Research survey also found that more than half or 66% of Christians in America are not familiar with any "methods for telling others about Jesus." Moreover, 52% of respondents who identify as Christian believe that it is "offensive and disrespectful" to encourage other people to change their religious beliefs.
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According to the Christian Post, researchers found that a majority or 68$ of respondents believe that pastors are responsible for "[equipping] the congregation to share the Gospel," while 69% said that Christians are responsible for "[encouraging] non-Christians to trust Christ as their savior." Despite these findings however, the survey also revealed that up to 70% of Christians in the last six months have not in fact shared with a stranger how to become a Christian.
Christians Have Varied Opinions on Having a Conversation About Faith
When it comes to attitudes about telling others about their faith, 93% of respondents said that they are "at least somewhat open to having a conversation about faith with a friend" while only 52% said that they "shared a story in the last six months about what God has done in their life with a friend or family member who was not a Christian."
The survey has also found that 57% of respondents said they haven't "invited an unchurched friend or family member to attend a church service or some other program at church in the past six months." Another 62% said they haven't "shared with a friend or family member how to become a Christian in the past six months."
Lifeway Research director Scott McConnell explained that some Christians prefer to avoid evangelizing because it may be viewed as unkind whereas they want to be viewed as loving. He remarked that for some Christians, "their love for others compels them to suggest this offensive thought," which then discourages them from speaking about their faith.
McConnell added that it would be "bold" for someone to suggest to another to make Jesus Christ the "center of their life." While many Christians appear to not be evangelizing to friends and family, 54% said they have prayed for the salvation of their friends and family within the last 30 days.
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