God is Working!
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Dear Pastors
God is Working!
It’s Easter time again and therefore it is the time of the year that more people will hear a reference to ‘Jesus’ or ‘God’ in the correct way and in the right context. And that seems only appropriate because after all Easter is ours. That is to say it is a Christian remembrance and celebration….fair and square. It belongs to no one else……not the philosophers, not the secularists, not the corporates, not the marketers and certainly not the State. It’s ours!
As I was thinking about that early this morning I felt the Lord remind me that “I am at work”. My thoughts immediately went to the Engel Scale which I have found hugely helpful over the years. So today I have ‘re-published’ it in the hope you might print it off and ponder on it over your Easter break. You might even like to share it with your leadership team and facilitate a discussion around it and answer the question, “How will this inform what we do as a local church?”
Easter belongs to no one else……not the philosophers, not the secularists, not the corporates, not the marketers and certainly not the State. It’s ours!
What is the Engel scale?
The Engel Scale originates with James F Engel, in his book What’s gone wrong with the Harvest? published by Zondervan in 1975. The insight into evangelism that is generally drawn from the Engel scale is that all people go on a journey or process on their way to conversion and then on into discipleship.
There are multiple different phrases people have used over the years to describe each stage in the process but in general, they follow this basic pattern.
A strength of the Engel scale is that it helps us to realise that our approach to evangelism can be informed by and adapted to how much understanding or interest a person has in the Christian faith. Consequently, if we can try to gauge where a person is on the scale it becomes possible to contextualise our conversation or message in a way that will hopefully be more effective. Key to this of course is how well we train our people to 1) understand the Gospel thoroughly, and 2) ask the right questions………perceptive questions so ‘the communicator/witness’ can ascertain whereabouts a person might be in their spiritual journey, because they will be somewhere on the Engel scale unless (perhaps) they are a strident self-confessing atheist.
Blessings This Easter Time Friends
Alan
Mark This Date
‘Catch The Kids’ is a half day children’s Ministry training day in Hamilton on Saturday 19th June, 9.00am – 1.00pm. Keynote speaker is Lois Rodler from Pirimai Baptist Church in Napier. Mark Holmen from Faith at Home will also Zoom in.
