Overcoming the Top 10 Barriers of Evangelism
Why We Don’t Evangelise (and How to Change That)
A Fun Weekend
I don’t know about you, but talking to people about Jesus is one of my favourite things to do.
When Sarah and I were dating we used to meet up with some friends every Friday night for a few hours of prayer, followed by a few more hours of evangelism on the streets of Melbourne! We’d often get home in the early hours of the morning after being out all night long.
For us, prayer and evangelism was a fun way to spend the weekend!
However, I am fully aware that this is not the case for many Christians.
In the 2006 National Church Life Survey (NCLS) about 16% of respondents reported that they actively sought opportunities to talk about their faith. That leaves 84% of believers either not looking for opportunities, or running away from them!
This made me think, what are the most common reasons people do not evangelise? I asked ChatGPT who gave me a list, and today I’ll briefly answer each objection. (ChatGPT in italics, my answer following…)
1. Fear and Intimidation
A leading reason: fear of rejection, ridicule, awkwardness, or even conflict and embarrassment. withallwisdom.orgoutreachmagazine.com
Fear and faith are both ways we can look at the future. Fear looks at the future with negativity, and faith looks at the future with positivity. If fear is holding you back, try reframing your thoughts from the negative “what if…” scenarios and dream on the positive “what ifs..” It gets very exciting when you start seeing faith in action!
2. Not Knowing What to Say / Lack of Gospel Fluency
Many feel ill-equipped to clearly and confidently articulate the gospel message.
9marks.orgDare 2 Shareoutreachmagazine.com
I get this. I’ve blogged about people not sharing the gospel because they don’t actually believe the narrative they’ve been given. If this is you, then keep it simple. I use From/Through/To to explain it. Jesus has rescued us FROM the kingdom of darkness, and brought us inTO the Kingdom of God! (Colossians 1:13) This formula is big and broad and allows you to tail the message to the people you’re speaking to.
3. Belief That It's Someone Else’s Job
Some assume pastors or trained evangelists alone are responsible, not realizing it's a shared calling. ChuckLawless.comCourageous Christian FatherDare 2 Share
If you are in any doubt whether you should share the gospel or not… Just look at what Jesus says here: Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-20, 1 Peter 3:15. Making disciples and sharing the good news is a basic part of being a disciple of Jesus.
4. Lack of Relationships with Non-Believers
When believers' social circles are mostly other Christians, opportunities to share faith diminish. ChuckLawless.comnetwork.crcna.orghealthyleaders.com
As a Pastor, I spent many years with very little meaningful contact with those who don’t follow Jesus. It requires intention to fix it. For me, it meant spending extra time at the triathlon club or the gym so I could talk to people. Decide where you will spend extra time, then commit.
5. Lack of Evangelistic Training or Role Models
Without mentorship or modeling, believers can struggle to know how to evangelize effectively. Christian Postnetwork.crcna.orghealthyleaders.com
When I was young and passionate I looked all over the place for an evangelism mentor and couldn’t find one so I know how this feels. I looked to youtube and found some great role models to look up to. I also read every book I could find on evangelism, and enrolled in courses to get up to speed. Don’t allow this to be a barrier, instead, keep looking. (Email me if you want to talk to me more about this too! james@theholygo.com)
6. Comfort, Priorities, and Busyness
Life’s demands, comfort zones, and competing priorities often push evangelism to the backburner. RELEVANT+1Reddit
This one can happen to any of us! Life gets busy and or comfortable and before you know it we’ve got mission drift. My suggestion to deal with this is to set timers on your watch or phone to go off throughout the day reminding you to pray. I set mine for 3:16pm which reminds me of John 3:16. Praying will give you a heart for the lost, and open up opportunities to share the gospel.
7. Theological or Motivational Barriers
Beliefs such as “God’s sovereignty means I don’t need to evangelize” or assuming one lacks an evangelical “gift” can hinder action. RELEVANTChurchPlants
We’ve dealt with the gift barrier above, but to those with this theological barrier… Firstly, I think you need to re-read scripture to passages that show how Jesus has included all humanity in His atoning work. (John 3:16, Matthew 18:14, 1 Timothy 2:4, 1 John 2:2, Romans 5:18-19, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 1 Timothy 4:10) God wants all to be saved, so let’s go reach them all!
And if that doesn’t do it for you, at least listen to John Calvin on evangelism,
“The gospel is preached to the whole world, but the elect alone are they who believe it. … Nevertheless, since we do not know who they are, we must labor to bring all men to salvation, and leave the success to God.”
8. Spiritual Apathy or Weak Faith
When spiritual zeal wears thin—either through routine, lack of conviction, or worldliness—motivation to evangelize often fades. Austin's Bloghealthyleaders.com
Jesus said in John 15, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” If we want to bear fruit we need a living relationship with God. If you need a good place to start, I suggest repentance, belief, and worship/surrender.
9. Fear of Being "Preachy," “Impersonal,” or "Intolerant"
Concern about how evangelism may come across—as pushy, judgmental, or culturally tone-deaf—can be a deterrent. Zondervan Academic
I get where this is coming from and it sounds good on the outside… However, if you don’t want to sound judgmental don’t be judgmental! If your version of the good news is bad news, you’re doing it wrong. Check out this blog here for a better understanding of how to open peoples eyes to the goodness of God without feeling like you are trying to twist their arm.
10. Perceived Irrelevance or Reductionist Methods
Evangelism methods that feel formulaic, trite, or insincere (like canned “are you going to heaven?” approaches) turn people off.
I agree. Sometimes sharing the gospel can feel a bit formulaic and therefore fake and inauthentic. To combat this I suggest just being real. Share your story of how God has rescued you. Share stories of the goodness of God. I like to say that LOVE is our motivation, message, and method. Keep it on love and you can’t go wrong.
Conclusion
When you start evangelising and seeing people respond to Jesus it gets addictive. Sharing the good news is an amazing privilege and well worth overcoming any barrier that would prevent us from engaging in it.
So I encourage you to make the effort and go for it!
And if you have other barriers to sharing the good news, let me know and I’ll happily share some tips for overcoming them.
Let’s Go!
James
Wow, brother, that was such a powerful and practical write-up brother 🙌 You’ve touched on so many real barriers that believers face, but also given such hopeful and faith-filled responses It really reminded me of Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes Sometimes we overthink it, but at the heart, it’s God’s power working through us Also, what you said about staying close to Jesus and remaining in Him connects perfectly with John 15:5 I am the vine you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit The more we abide, the more natural evangelism becomes And of course, the Great Commission itself in Matthew 28:19–20 is such a good reminder Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age Your encouragement makes it clear evangelism isn’t a heavy burden it’s a joyful privilege done with Jesus right beside us ✨ Let’s go indeed!