We’ve all seen those crime series in which a private investigator is hired to tail someone and figure out their daily routines. Which café they go to for their morning coffee, the route they take to work, the people they speak to and the school they fetch their kids from.
Now, ignoring the potentially sinister nature of that kind of profiling, it does raise a point – we all have a routine! We all have patterns and rhythms in our lives where we will use the same routes, and go to the same stores, car-parks etc. If we pay just a little attention, we will notice that we regularly cross paths with the same people as we go. This creates a great opportunity to slowly begin to build relationships, move from surface level conversations to deeper ones, offer friendship and ultimately share our faith.
Someone once spoke of the ‘ministry of dog walking’ – they recognised the great opportunity that dog walking presented as a way to meet new people, slowly build relationships, and get to a place where they could share their faith in conversation with people (see here and here for some tips on how to do that naturally).
So, thinking like a private investigator for just a moment, do a little assessment of the regular patterns of your life. What trends do you see? What places are you regularly visiting? Can you see the faces of some of the people you regularly pass along the way? Is it the guy in the yellow reflector vest walking his Alsatian along the same path, or perhaps the lady with the long pink hair walking her little ones to the same school that you walk your children to?
What might start with a courteous nod, can progress to a ‘hiya’, to ‘hey, how’s your week been?’. The great thing about this approach is that there is time to build a relationship slowly and meaningfully. We don’t know the stories of all the people we pass – but we know their need for a Saviour, the need we all have.
Pray: ‘Lord, please help me to see the patterns and rhythms in my life where there is opportunity build relationships and share your love and grace. Make me bold as I look to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those people you bring into my life’
Previously: Launch Pad #14 Create a Welcoming Impression of Church
Next: Launch Pad #16 Put the “E” into Evangelism
