Evangelism in general has its challenges. When you are a seasoned and older Christian, evangelism to young people can be a challenge as well. After Hurricane Maria on September 20, 2017 [https://tinyurl.com/mrxctuvs], a quarter million Puerto Ricans moved into Central Florida to find work. The Hurricane had been devastating to the tiny Island. Here are some statistics;
- Strongest hurricane in 85 years
- 2975 deaths
- 90 billion in damage
- 100% of the power gridout for many months.
Given these statistics, you can understand why young, strong, able bodied Puerto Ricans would move to Central Florida to find work. Safe passage to the United States from this devastation is relatively easy for many because Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, travel between the island and the 50 states is considered domestic travel. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth, granted by the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 [https://tinyurl.com/tpj36af8]
Months after the hurricane hit Puerto Rico it became clear, while working side by side with many new faces of eager young men that had only minor difficulty with the English language, evangelism to these new citizens in my town was going to be a gigantic problem. The chief reason is because the Roman Catholic church has a strong foothold in Puerto Rico. A 2010 Pew Research poll revealed that Puerto Ricans are 70% Roman Catholic [Source: https://tinyurl.com/35e9hexw].
As an Anglican, evangelism is not exactly encouraged very much in church between the Homily and The Peace. Outreach is left to other denominations from the point of view of the Anglican tradition. Quite frankly, we are not very good at it to be honest. Our service is steeped in tradition and more often than not, regular parishioners are born into the tradition of liturgical worship. Here are some reasons why Anglican evangelism can be a challenge to a local parish.
- Association with Fundamentalism: Many Anglicans fear being linked to the “heavy-handed tactics” or aggressive street-preaching styles associated with stereotypical evangelicalism, leading to a defensive stance against the term itself.
- Establishmentarian Ethos: Historically rooted in state-established churches, Anglicanism has inherited a culture where the liturgy, music, and building are seen as sufficient invitations, making active verbal proclamation feel undignified or unnecessary.
- Introverted Temperament: Anglicans often identify as introverted and prefer evangelism through good Christian example, service, and living out the faith in existing relationships rather than engaging strangers.
- Fear of Imposition: There is a widespread worry about imposing religious views on others, often compounded by a desire to respect diversity and avoid the “us vs. them” mentality perceived in other denominations.
- Spiritual Passivity: Some members are “habitual Christians” who attend regularly but lack personal spiritual transformation, leaving them feeling ill-equipped or unqualified to share their faith authentically.
My mission was clear. After much research and reading about what the Southern Baptists call “Soul Winning”, I embarked on trying to share the gospel with young Puerto Ricans that are generally “alpha males” due to my industry at work. A challenge to say the least.
My first research topic was learning Roman Catholic dogma. I got a Catechism made lists of differences in the Protestant tradition. I studied the 2nd Vatican Council, Sedevacantism, the magisterium and various topics related to Catholicism. This part was easy. Catholic’s don’t believe in Sola Scriptura [https://tinyurl.com/32t6zyh8]. They believe that the magisterium has equal weight and the pope is the overseer of all that Catholics “need” to believe and do for Salvation.
BIBLE TRACTS AND TRANSLATIONS
My next challenge was tracts and materials to hand out, specifically bibles. As many of you know, YouTube is repleat with videos that trash one translation over another. It’s maddening and only creates infighting in my opinion. I personally read the bible cover to cover every year with a different translation. This year I have been reading the RSV and the ESV. Enjoy these two very much. Here is my general philosophy on the various bible translations.
- First and most importantly, I don’t think the King James Bible has a place in Christendom today. The use case that I find useful is reading the Psalms while praying the Daily Office [https://www.dailyoffice2019.com]. The beauty of the literature and the familiarity of verses is quite comforting in my prayer life. The Psalms in modern translations are clunky, quite frankly and disrupt my flow while praying the office.
- In general, there are very few differences between the modern translations. The modern translations I feel are relevant are the NIV, RSV, ESV, NASB95, NKJV and the NLT (discussed later in this article)
- There are zero translations that present a challenge in terms of doctrine. Including the partial omission of 1 John 5:7 which is the trinitarian formula. Sufficient evidence exists that this verse begins to show up in manuscripts in the 16th century just prior to the King James bible publishing in 1611.
MY METHOD OF EVANGELISM
Young men from Puerto Rico are generally a very proud people. In the south you would say that they are full of “pi$$ and vinegar”. Note: I don’t work with many women due to the nature of my job. Having worked with and trained hundreds of people of this community I have learned the best approach to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an effective way.
Here are my steps to effective evangelism with people that you don’t share much in common otherwise. I realize that many of these approaches will be controversial. My situation is quite unique and over time I have developed a system that works for me, based on feedback from new converts.
- You must set an example. In my industry, profanity is common place and simply a form of communicating. It’s unfortunate but it is the way it is. As a believer than hasn’t always walked with the Lord, this is an area that I focus on and make attempts to keep to a minimum. I tend to use synonyms for profanity and that tends to stick out and others take notice. Words like “durn”, “fudge”, “crud” can be similarly effective language whilst still fitting in with a group of younger folks. https://tinyurl.com/mt8hy673
- Determine who your audience is. There are some that just don’t want to hear about God. It’s sad and unfortunate but it is a fact. I believe you can be much more effective with people that will listen to a short introduction rather than somebody that recoils and never speaks to you a gain.
- Know and understand the Gospel with perfection. It is stunning to me how many people that profess to be a Christian and don’t understand the Gospel at all. One factor, among several, why I left the Episcopal Church USA was due to NEVER hearing the gospel in church. I have not once heard the gospel in any Homily (Episcopal version of a Sermon) that was presented on Sunday. I credit Pastor John MacArthur for pointing this out to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHx5Bctu9X0. Here is an article I wrote about explaining the Gospel: https://tinyurl.com/3694hs2u
- Establish friendships first. Too often we tend to preach the word to people that we haven’t established a bond with. There are people that can be very effective with street preaching. Ray Comfort at Living Waters Ministries comes to mind as does Jeff Durbin at Apologia Church. I changed my position on abortion because of street evangelism from Jeff Durbin. A profound sea change in my previous “libertarian” life.
- Learn Roman’s Road. A very effective bible tract to read along with a seeker is the Roman Road. The tract, which comes in various forms, uses a specific sequence of verses from the New Testament book of Romans to explain the biblical plan of salvation. It outlines the human need for salvation, God’s provision through Jesus Christ, and the response of faith required to receive eternal life. It has been my experience that this is the “talk” that seems to resonate with others. Here is a link to an article that I wrote about the Roman Road: https://tinyurl.com/2utx9fs4. Here is a download in Word Format to an excellent guide to Romans Road, something I put together for a new seeker one day… https://tinyurl.com/3tt8dawp. This particular seeker wished to have biblical references that support each point. This document is exhaustive in this regard.
- Leave a seeker with something to take with them. Sometimes a new believer or seeker simply wants to figure things out for themselves. A simple, short conversation is the seed but self reflection at home can be quite effective to bringing a person to Christ. I believe I have found the perfect Study Bible to hand out that is cost effective, easy to read and understand and has the thoughts, notes and insights from one of the kingdoms most accomplished Pastors, Greg Laurie. Initially published in 1996, this unique bible has been updated, expanded and grown into an excellent evangelism tool, quite possibly the best, in my opinion. I buy multiple copies of the New Testament version from Amazon for $7 or so. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1496438256. I give these out for free to anybody that asks with only one requirement to read it.
THE NEW BELIEVER’S NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE
The New Believer’s Bible New Testament contains a number of special features to give you the biblical knowledge you need to grow as a Christian:
- “Cornerstones” notes cover the basics of Christian belief. Here you will learn about the Trinity, angels, Satan, Heaven, hell, forgiveness, peace, joy, love, and other essential teachings of the Bible.
- “First Steps” notes help you know God and his plan for you. Discover how to know you are saved, find the right church, study the Bible, resist temptation, talk with God, and much more.
- “Off & Running notes” show you how you can enjoy God’s blessings and direction in all areas of your life: career, marriage, family, finances, and relationships.
- “Big Questions” notes tackle those difficult issues you may be dealing with right now as a new believer.
- How You Can Know God: Discover how to be saved and how to be assured of your salvation.
- Glossary of Christian Terms: An explanation of key biblical and doctrinal terms in language you can easily understand.
- Topical Index: A resource that highlights key biblical information.
- Great Bible Stories: A brief summary, Scripture reference, and page number for the best-loved stories from the New Testament.
- Prophecies about Jesus: A list of Old Testament prophecies about Jesus and how they were fulfilled in the New Testament.
- Memory Verses: Effective steps for memorizing God’s Word; highlights nearly 100 important New Testament verses to commit to memory.
- How to Study the Bible: An easy-to-follow strategy for getting the most out of your Bible reading. It also includes two simple reading plans.
- Book Introductions: A concise overview of each book of the New Testament, including author, date, style, and summary of contents.
NOTES ON THIS POST
This article, published today, Wednesday; July 15, 2026 describes my evangelism approach over the years of my work life. I officially retired in June of 2024 at the age of 56.
I was born, baptized and raised in the Episcopal Church. Like many I drifted and my walk with the Lord was weak and I put zero effort into it. After the ordination of a homosexual bishop named Gene Robinson, I felt the church had nothing for me anymore. I could not attend a service where my denomination exalted sin. See this article on who Gene Robinson was: https://www.britannica.com/biography/V-Gene-Robinson. A ‘dust up” with my former sister in law was the final blow when I realized that friends and family around me were changing their views on marriage and homosexuality. A change in society that would eventually rock the church and cause tremendous damage and schism. Look no further than the United Methodist Church, The Presbyterian Church USA and the Episcopal Church in North America for evidence of massive infighting.
Cut to 2022 when there was an event in my life that Calvinist’s refer to as Irresistible Grace, one of the 5 pillars of T.U.L.I.P. which describes God’s call to salvation that effectively overcomes human resistance, ensuring the elect respond in faith. October of 2022 I was quite happy with my life, my marriage and where I was with God. That all changed during the Thanksgiving season when the Holy Spirit came into my life, convicted me and thus began my path to deeper understanding of scripture, and a broken man was truly saved.
I am not a professional writer. My college experience was rooted in mathematics and computer science, specifically programming. My background afforded me the skills to publish a website since the 90’s (Many will remember the WISYWIG interface (What You See Is What You Get) of Microsoft FrontPage – Quite often I would simply hand code hypertext markup and publish what was then called a weblog. A digital diary of sorts. Not many saw my posts at all, but it was a ton of fun.
After an 8 year stint as a grocery store manager following college in the 80’s, I worked as a service technician for 30 years in two different industries beginning with the local phone company. I went back to college in 2014 and studied electrical and mechanical engineering and went to work in the commercial and industrial refrigeration business. My work as a service technician was extremely lucrative, however I paid a price. A month ago I underwent the first of two surgeries to replace both of my knees with artificial. Although I had been reading the bible cover to cover every year, I currently have the time to study, research and take classes in theology. Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) is literally 15 minutes from my house in Oviedo. Praise God. https://rts.edu/campuses/orlando/#.
My current fascination is Systematic Theology. I have Grudems 2nd Edition, Charles Ryrie’s Basic Theology, Finis Dake’s God’s Plan for Salvation, John Frame’s Systematic, Berkof’s Systematic, Charles Hodge’s Systematic and just yesterday Essentials from Beeke and Smalley. My interest in systematic theology was born out of my disdain for Christians that quote a single verse of the bible and build a theological argument from it. Systematics examine a topical doctrine and discuss what the entire bible says about the given topic. This approach affords the reader to support an argument from a pure apologetic point of view. I just love it. It is currently my most favorite way to study aside from reading the bible. Charles Ryrie’s work on Demons and Angels is particularly insightful – one of the first topics I explored.
This day, I still consider myself an Anglican. I believe in the 39 articles and the traditions and sacraments including the Daily Office which I read every day morning and evening. Click here for an article on how I created an Anglican reading plan and setup my 2019 Book of Common Prayer. If an astute person were to hear me speak about God, religion or theology – one would assume that I was 100% pure Dutch reformed Calvinist. A title that I would embrace whole heartedly. I’m not a dispensationalist, which means I believe God still has planes for Israel. I am a cessationist when it comes to the gifts of the spirit and I believe there is no rapture but a single second coming. I don’t believe in gay marriage or female pastors (although women skillfully perform all other skills in church).
I no longer attend a church as organized religion defines it. I previously attended a pretty good Anglican Church near my house until I discovered there are zero programs designed for my spiritual life. Area churches focus on children almost exclusively and you would be hard pressed to find a solid, reformed Wednesday night bible study for adult men. Like my Rector said recently, there simply isn’t any interest. Imagine that, no interest in bible study beyond the liturgical Sunday service. Heartbreaking. If the ACNA where to plant a church in Orlando I would certainly attend. Mega churches and non-denominational church’s are completely out of the question. Living in Florida, I am reminded daily of the scandal and abuse by church leaders and I don’t want to be a part of that kind of a gathering (something I am heavily criticized for, I get it.)
I no longer am able to evangelize to young people as in the past, simply because I am no longer in those social circles after retirement. What prompted this article was a phone call from a young person that I once worked with who called me. Honestly, I couldn’t remember who he was, which is not normally the case for me. He described our interactions together which were not many and in tears he gave me his witness and his conversion to a protestant understanding of Salvation from Catholicism. Although not a new believer, he did understand the gospel and realized Catholicism was wrong – something I preached on the daily to anybody that would listen. Praise the Lord!
What appears on this post today is the approach I took and currently use when I discover that a person in my life seeks the truth. It doesn’t always stick. It is quite often a seed planted. Sometimes its a life that is changed forever and that’s pretty cool.
I hope this information is helpful to anybody who needs it.
