I know plenty of Christians who would like to become better “evangelists” but feel ill-equipped or incapable of sharing their faith with others. Some of these Christians have isolated themselves from the outside world; they live in a Christian “bubble,” so to speak, and have very few (if any) non-Christian contacts. Others have plenty of  non-Christians in their lives but don’t know how to start conversations that allow them to preach the gospel. However, while the isolated Christian may be in a more extreme situation than the one who just doesn’t know how to bring up Jesus in conversation, I think both cases stem from a problem which is relational in nature.

What I mean by this is simple: both Christians who are sheltered from nonbelievers and Christians who simply don’t know what to say to the nonbelievers in their life lack sufficient relationships to effectively lead people to Christ. In the first case, this is obvious. In the second, it is less obvious but, in my mind, accurate; if you don’t know how to turn normal conversation into an opportunity to share your faith with a particular person, you probably don’t know that person very well. I’m not saying you should wait until you could write a biography of that person before you begin evangelizing. However, it is most helpful to build relational capital (which translates into credibility) with your non-Christian friends and get to know them in a way which allows you to effectively critique their personal idols and contextualize the gospel message in a way that they’re more likely to understand and marvel at.

I have found that gospel conversations happen rather naturally with people as I get to know them as close friends. On the other hand, I know plenty of non-Christians with whom I’m a little uncomfortable when it comes to talking about my faith; I’m not sure how to approach the situation or go about evangelizing those acquaintances of whom I know little. This doesn’t mean I avoid tough conversations, but it does mean that I would do well to get to know these people and form deeper, more meaningful relationships with them.  But how? What are some practical ways I can get to know the nonbelievers in my life?

First, building meaningful relationships with nonbelievers requires quite a bit of time. A cup of coffee (or, if you’re like me, beer) every month or so usually won’t cut it. If I am truly trying to get to know someone and build relational capital with them, I want to come as close to living everyday life with them as possible. This may mean sacrificing my time, energy, and even money at times, but unless I’m willing to give a person a ride to work (even if I’d rather be at home watching movies) or feed them a meal (even if it means making an extra run to the grocery)—unless I’m willing to inconvenience myself for the sake of others—it is quite difficult to expect to have any significant impact in their lives.

With that being said, starting the process of building relationships with non-Christians isn’t as tricky as one might think. It requires a great deal of intentionality, but it doesn’t mean quitting your job and leaving the church just so you can spend time with nonbelievers. Instead, we should try to live missionally in everyday life; as we go about our normal, often mundane routines, we should always be thinking about the spread of the gospel. There are many practical things Christians can do to structure their lives in order to become more missional; with most of us, a few minor tweaks could make a world of difference. Therefore, without further ado, I’ve come up with a list of simple ways Christians can “tweak” their everyday lives to be more missional and build meaningful relationships with the non-Christians around them. If each of us did just one or two of these things, I think we’d be in much better shape when it comes to evangelism and mission.

Seven Ways to Live Missionally in Everyday Life

1. Find a coffee shop close to your home (preferably within walking distance, if possible) and frequent it on a regular basis (at least weekly, if not daily or almost every day). Get to know the staff and other regular customers; sit down with your coffee and read the paper there rather than getting it “to go” if at all possible.
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2. Join a club of some sort. It could be a gym, a parenting group, or an art class. Find something you love and you’ll meet plenty of non-Christians who share some of the same passions. Shared affinities go a long way in developing relationships.
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3. When you have to run errands, invite people along. You’d be surprised what people are willing to do when they’re bored! Try shopping with a non-Christian friend as you get to know him/her; it may even turn into a regular event. Or, if you’re having a cleaning day at your home, ask a friend if they’d like to come over to help. You can have quality time with other people even if you don’t see room for it in your schedule!
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4. Eat regularly at a certain restaurant or restaurants in your area; be consistent and do your best to go on the same night at about the same time if you can, trying to get the same server each time (and tip well, for God’s sake!).
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5. Get outside; go to parks, go on walks, or spend time in the yard. If you live in the city, try to walk to nearby places as much as possible. You’ll be amazed at how quickly faces become familiar. People who are outdoors are often very sociable and friendly.
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6. Attend neighborhood events and block parties whenever possible, even if you don’t know anyone else who’s going. If there aren’t any in your area, consider starting one.
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7. Have your neighbors over for dinner. Sure, it will be awkward at first if you don’t know them very well, but it can be a great way to open the door to otherwise hard-to-reach people. There are plenty of folks you may not see out and about but could become good friends once you break the ice and get them to come out of their shell. Inviting people into your home and showing them hospitality is a great demonstration of the gospel, as well.

For introverts like me, getting to know strangers isn’t always easy, and I know that many of us have complicated lives with families and rigid schedules that only add to our difficulty. However, if we live with intention, to the extent which our lives allow, I think much hardship can be averted. I fear that sometimes we’re so obsessed with figuring out how we can turn a conversation into an opportunity to preach that we often forget the importance of meaningful relationships and neglect to invest in building them. However, if we were only better at making friends, perhaps we wouldn’t have to worry so much about coming up with sneaky transitions into evangelism. We need to lay off the bait and switch, knock it off with the marketing, and stop making excuses for our laziness when it comes to programming mission into our daily lives. I, foremost of all, have fallen far short in this respect and can do nothing but pray for the Lord to change my heart and resolve to commit myself more fully to the mission of God, only by his wondrous grace.