• Evangelism
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• Communication
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• Outreach
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• Gospel
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• Christian

Communicate your message effectively so others will own it
Simon Sinek offers a vital insight into effective communication in an 18-minute TED lecture. Why do some people communicate better or achieve more than others? This presentation deserves analysis and discussion by pastors, leadership teams, or mission advocates. It's not about 'selling products', though that is one illustration he uses. It's about communicating ideas from 'inside out', in such a way that people will own them.
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/4877

Optical illusion helps us understand how to communicate the gospel
We can frequently learn important lessons about life and communication from optical illusions. Here’s one. Which square is darker, A or B?
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/888

Communication so they keep listening. Keep your audience interested.
Few people can maintain concentration beyond 20 minutes, when listening to a one-way monologue talk, as Speaker Confessions explains. A recent BBC TV program on rhetoric claimed that Dr Billy Graham rarely spoke for more than 20 minutes, and always used jargon-free simple language. The long talk is not the way we teach kids. No more should it be for adults. One interesting educational development in recent years has been the formulation of adult learning principles. It’s not ‘we talk, you listen’ any more. And surprise surprise, we see here many elements of communication which are clearly demonstrated in the Bible, and also reflect biblical principles of behavior and respect, inter-personal relationships, and an understanding of the individual worth of any person.
http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/341

Christian failure: why Christians fail to communicate the Gospel or evangelize effectively
There are two major reasons why we so often fail to touch many non-Christians with the Gospel. Firstly, we frequently present the good news in language and from a viewpoint which does not actually engage with non-Christians and their real felt needs, or take into account the culture they live in. We can quickly forget how we used to feel and think, like someone who moves to a different country early in life, and forgets their heart language. There is therefore a huge mismatch between the actual needs of non-Christians and the production of Christian literature, webpages and other media.
http://internetevangelismday.com/losing-contact.php

Branding: using appropriate names to position Christian evangelism and outreach
What’s in a name? A lot. A single word can carry a whole lot of baggage. Even words with almost equivalent meanings carry different shades of meaning. Even such a word such as ‘postman’ in English, French, or German, projects a different image in the mind of hearers in each country. Other words carry much greater differences of image. If a health magazine article were to substitute directly-equivalent taboo slang words for body parts in place of the medical terms, many people would stop reading it. Yet the literal meaning would be identical.
http://internetevangelismday.com/name.php

Jargon - how insider jargon Christianese words spoil Christian communication and evangelism
In most sermons for Christians, or any Christian magazine, there are usually very many jargon words and phrases. We feel comfortable with them! Using them makes us feel that we belong! In prayer too, we love to use these ‘Christianese’ words, as humorist Jim Watkins demonstrates.
http://internetevangelismday.com/jargon.php

Postmodernism - how to communicate the Christian Gospel in a postmodern culture
‘Postmodernism’ is a word which simply sums up the way much of the world thinks today. It includes these viewpoints: * There is no objective absolute truth. ‘Truth’ is what you believe it to be. Something can be “true for you, but not true for me”. * ‘Choice’ is a big virtue in our consumer society. And choice extends to value systems, beliefs, and lifestyle choices. All are seen as equally valid. Choice of religous belief is by mix and match – whatever you feel comfortable with.
http://internetevangelismday.com/postmodern.php

Contextualization - we must contextualize to effectively communicate the Christian Gospel
Contextualization means, quite simply, communicating the gospel in understandable terms appropriate to the audience. All Christian communication should be contextualized. A Sunday School teacher using simple language and child-related illustrations, games, and activities, is contextualizing. A pastor sharing a message in a senior citizens’ home, with appropriate sermon illustrations and an understanding of the unique needs of old people, is using contextualization.
http://internetevangelismday.com/contextualization.php

Principles of evangelism: communicating the gospel to a secular postmodern culture & worldview
As secular culture has moved further and further away from Christianity, it has become increasingly necessary to change the traditional evangelistic approach in order to communicate the Gospel. On the whole, we can't earn an opportunity to be taken seriously when talking about Jesus or God until we have connected with people on issues they are already interested in. We have to earn the right to be heard.
http://internetevangelismday.com/secular.php

Relating to the culture: effective Christian communication must relate to surrounding culture
There are right and wrong ways of relating to the culture around us. “Draw three large boats in relation to the sea: the first a submarine under the sea, the second a hovercraft above the sea, and the third a ship cutting through the sea. Imagine the sea is the culture that surrounds us and that the three boats represent three relationships Christians can have with culture. There are those who are submerged in it, those who hover above it, and those that are in it but not of it. Which boat most represents your relationship to the culture that surrounds you?”
http://internetevangelismday.com/relating-culture.php