Evangelism is a loaded word. Some of us hear it and think of television preachers. Or people going door to door trying to convert the masses. Gospel tracts left under windshield wipers. You probably have other images that come to mind.

In fact, if we’ve conditioned ourselves to think of evangelism as an activity instead of a lifestyle, method begins to overshadow the message. Rather than focusing on the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we get caught up with looking at the techniques, packages, and delivery mechanisms we use to get that message to people. Are we being relevant enough? Are we being too relevant? Are people really listening? Do we look ridiculous? Are we making people uncomfortable?

Those can be stressful questions.

Many of us need to be more creative with the ways we do evangelism. By creative, I don’t mean simply coming up with new ways of sharing the gospel, although that's part of it. I'm referring to evangelism that comes from the depths of our imagination.

If Jesus has really captured your imagination, then one of your biggest evangelism hurdles is gone, because once the power of you imagination kicks in, you begin to realize how things can be when the kingdom of God comes into a life or situation.

The kingdom of God is addictive, exciting, and hard to shut up about!

The basic message of the gospel never changes. But circumstances, people, spiritual climates, and culture are changing minute by minute. Once we realize these two facts, we’re on our way to understanding why creative evangelism is so important.

Here are some points to consider:

• Mass evangelism is increasingly becoming the exception, not the rule. Narrowcasting, not broadcasting is the new norm. Consider the evolution of television. In two generations, we’ve gone from three TV networks to 40 cable channels to 500+ cable channels to thousands of movies and shows being available on demand through Netflix, Amazon, etc. It’s the same with music. And almost everything else. We’re not all on the same page anymore. In the 21st century, it’s quite possible that the ones who reach the least people at once (assuming there’s at least one person reached) are the most effective.
• There’s always going to be a place for both subtle and in-your-face evangelism. It’s about personal style and what’s best for the situation at hand. With evangelism, there are those who plant, those who water, and those who bring in the harvest. Every potential believer is not in the same place, and neither is every evangelist. One size doesn’t fit all. You don’t always have to “close the deal” right now. 
• Asking questions never goes out of style. This is one of my favorite evangelism methods, maybe because it comes so naturally to me. I even love asking questions that I don’t know the answers to! Nonchristians, from my experience, find it refreshing. By being willing to ask questions I can’t answer, I’m making myself vulnerable and that makes others feel like they can do the same with me. 
• The best evangelists share the gospel because they’re passionate about it, not because of a sense of duty. If the reason you’re sharing your faith is because you feel obligated to do it, it’s never going to feel natural. When I read a great book, or watch an awesome new movie or TV series, for example, I tell other people about it. It comes naturally. Something has captured my imagination and I want others to share the experience. If that’s true for such inconsequential things, shouldn’t it be even more true for a relationship with the omnipotent creator of everything?
• Jesus should always be central to evangelism. If we make him the main thing, a lot of the disagreements we have will look petty by comparison. I never understood the social gospel vs. evangelical gospel dichotomy. There’s only one gospel—its foundation is faith in Christ, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. And loving and serving others grows out of our love for Jesus. They are inseparable.The whole equation is important, but none of it works right without Jesus.
• You’ve got to be willing to go off script. Although packaged methods and presentations like Evangelism Explosion were effective decades ago, we live in a culture today that has grown increasingly impatient with canned talking points. Know your basics, but be ready to listen to others, and turn conversations on a dime if need be. The Holy Spirit is an evangelist’s best friend. He’ll help you figure out what’s going on beneath the surface and what the key to spiritual breakthrough is in a given situation. No presentation can teach you that.
• Pray for more effective evangelism encounters. Target individual people with your prayers. Pray specifically, and listen as much as you talk. No one knows the people you’re trying to reach for Christ better than God, and no one wants them to to come to a place of faith more than he does. And if there’s a key to reaching someone, God knows what that is. So doesn’t it make sense that you spend more time preparing yourself in the presence of the one who knows all this stuff?

Evangelism doesn’t have to be stressful and forced—it can be natural, fun, and exciting. But we can’t just make it another item on our Christian to-do list, or a mode we turn on and off. Good news has to become like a native language for us. It has to become so much a part of who we are that it permeates all our conversations and activities.

Evangelism that comes from vibrant faith isn’t tired or annoying, it’s infectious.