Evangelism--a 4-step process

Today was the second day of school--not for the students, for the teachers.  As a Catholic school, it is important that we remember who we are and why we're here--why we're really here.

Our speaker, a priest from Jordan Ministries, spoke about our mission.  School is definitely a mission field.  I have always known that, but I admit that it is easy to lose sight of in the midst of the business of a year.  However, he made it very clear:  our purpose is to evangelize.  But what does that mean:  evangelize?

Evangelism is a four step process:  proclamation, witness, dialog, and liberation.  I had never heard it said quite like that before, and it makes good sense.  I can see it as my purpose in life.  I evangelize daily, not by crying out the need for a savior but by living my life out loud.

PROCLAMATION:
My students know from the beginning that I am a believer.  I don't go into great detail, but I do let them know that I believe in God and am here to serve him.  I pick prayers and readings and reflections that help them see this.  I proclaim that Lord to my students, not in a phony or arrogant way, but just by showing them how much I love him.

WITNESS
This was a new concept to me.  You witness with your life.  My students hear my talk, but do they see me live the life I talk about?  Do I treat them as I would have them treat me?  Do I listen to them with respect, and do I hold them accountable for their actions in love?  Do I apologize when I make a mistake or use bad judgement?  My life is a far more powerful tool than my words.  My life can make my words shine true or it can make my words ring hollow.

DIALOG
This, I admit, is the hardest thing for me to do in the classroom.  It's much easier in clubs or in after school activities.  But every time I can, I bring in conversation about various things:  God, yes, but life and honesty and respect and freedom and all the rest of it.  I try to always listen with an open ear and a ready heart.  I don't always succeed, but I try.

LIBERATION
This comes as a result of the preceding things.  My students understand that they don't need to fear me.  They know that they can trust me.  They know that I don't want to see them suffer just to make myself look good.  That in itself is very liberating.  And opportunities do arise to speak with them about life and about God.  But again, it's not my words that make the impact; it's my life itself.  I'm free to come to God and I hope that they can learn to be, too.

I have come to the understanding that most of my students don't "get" my message while they're in school.  It comes later.  But it does come.  I have had students write me and tell me that they didn't understand in school, but they do now, as adults.  I'm blessed by that.

If you are a teacher, I hope you have a great school year.  I hope that maybe you think about this post and see if you can make it work in your classroom.  God bless!