I recently came across a lecture called Discipling the non-Christian. The Speaker, Dr. Joseph Kim examines evangelism in 4 stages and then makes the a case that discipleship, watering the seeds of faith in Jesus, can begin at initial contact with someone (stage 1) or as they show an interest in God (stage 2).
- Initial contact
- Interest in God, the church, or Christians
- Working towards belief
- Make the commitment to Christ
He states that traditional forms of evangelism are only concerned with the conversion event, the moment someone makes a commitment to Christ (stage 4), instead of the process itself of making a commitment to Christ that starts much sooner.
I am thankful for Christian Bible Seminary in Japan for making this content available. Dr. Kim also shares good insight with ministry in a Japanese context, I recommend it to anyone who has a heart for the gospel in Japan and with Japanese people. The lecture is given in English with simultaneous Japanese translation and is only about 35 minutes all together.
