The Talking Jesus research was originally completed in 2015 and now, it has been re-launched in April 2022. It was commissioned by the Evangelical Alliance and a few other partners. The aim is to find out what people in the UK think of Jesus, Christians, and evangelism.
Please go to https://talkingjesus.org/ to read, download and engage with the research material. This includes access to training videos on how to share the Christian faith.
This blog aims to share excerpts from four published articles about the research findings.
Talking Jesus: Are “not-yet Christians” closer to trusting Jesus than we think?
The Talking Jesus research found that 45 percent of people in the UK think that Jesus rose again from the dead. Almost half the UK population believes in the resurrection!
The report also found that, when compared to the same study in 2015, more people are open to exploring faith than they were then.
According to Gavin Calver the CEO of the Evangelical Alliance:
- We should be encouraged that many of our friends are further down the road of faith than we often think.
- We should take the opportunities to live our lives, tell our stories and extend the invitation to those around us.
- We should note the difference: ‘belief is giving something your intellectual assent whilst trust is when you commit and act on that belief’. The research highlights the fact that while 45 percent of the population believes in the resurrection, just 6 percent are practicing Christians.
You can read the full article by Gavin at https://bit.ly/closertotrustingjesus
I believe the increased public interest in the spiritual in general has a lot to do with the situation we have found ourselves in. Most people have and are still going through a tough time due to the pandemic and the ongoing economic crises.
What people put their trust have failed e.g., governments, politicians, medical and scientific knowledge, money, and own ability. Therefore, unbelievers are looking for something different and perhaps more solid to hold on to.
In any case, it is good that more people are believing in Christ’s resurrection. According to the Bible, if Christ has not been resurrected, our preaching will be useless, and we will be found to be false witnesses about God (1 Corinthians 15:14-15).
Talking Jesus: How to love people who don’t love the church
The Talking Jesus report shows that although non-Christians say that the church can be hypocritical and narrow-minded. They also say that the Christians they know well are friendly, caring, good-humoured, and generous.
In the news, we constantly hear negative stories surrounding Christianity. From the fall of many Christian leaders to church leaders involved in various scams and scandals. But these perceptions are often not true when it comes to personal relationships.
This research points to the power of friendship, intentional relationship, and genuine interaction, and this gives opportunities for people at least to have a fair chance to receive the Gospel.
According to Rachael Heffer Head of Mission for Evangelical Alliance, there are 3 things the church can do:
- Be creative by using the opportunities of popular celebrations to gather and create community. This will then make it easier to invite people to Christian events like Easter or Christmas.
- Invite people to events and social occasions. Being warm and welcoming, so that people can feel genuinely accepted as part of the community. Then they will see Jesus.
- Go into people’s spaces of comfort such as boot camps, the side of football pitches where we meet people. These places open incredible opportunities for growing genuine but intentional relationships where conversations can often lead to sharing Jesus.
You can read the full article by Rachael at: https://bit.ly/howtolovepeoplewhodontlovethechurch
I also agree with Rachel’s view and that this calls for a change in the way Christians and particularly churches approach evangelism.
Church leaders need to clean up their reputations and Christians need to focus more on individual witnessing in all secular places. This means taking the Gospel and witnessing outside of the church building to wherever people need it.
Talking Jesus: Four things we can do to help more people become Christians
The Talking Jesus research provides a snapshot of how people are coming to faith across the nations.
Based on the findings, Phil Knox, the head of mission to young adults at the Evangelical Alliance, describes four things we can do to help more people on their journey of faith:
- Buy them a Bible – The research reveals that reading the Bible is the single biggest influence in someone becoming a Christian, after growing up in a family of faith.
- Invest in our friendships – 53 percent of people still know a practicing Christian. And the standout relationship is a friend.
- Share great online content – The place most not-yet-Christians go to find out about faith is online (26 percent). We should therefore share inspiring posts on all our social media platforms.
- Invite people to church – 22 percent of not-yet-Christians would explore the Christian faith by going to church. The church remains a common pathway to faith. However, Churches need to work on how to be more accessible and welcoming.
You can read the full article by Phil article at https://bit.ly/fourthingstohelp
Talking Jesus: The power of the church family in nurturing children
The biggest influence on people coming to faith is growing up in a Christian family (34 percent). Most practicing Christians say they came to faith before the age of 18. However, just 50 percent of children growing up in Christian families will keep their faith as adults.
These statistics show the importance of family life and how we need to be supporting the discipleship of children.
According to Anna Seevaratnam, Mission Assistant at the Evangelical Alliance, there are 3 things we can do as a church family to support and nurture children and young people in their faith:
- Give children the opportunity to ask questions and to talk about faith.
- Create spaces for children to participate in church life.
- Be missional with children. Various groups and activities for children can open doors to invite others outside the church.
The full article by Anna can be read at https://bit.ly/powerinnurturingchildren
What shall we conclude?
Dr. Rachel Jordan-Wolf Executive Director HOPE Together and Head of Mission at Evangelical Alliance wrote the conclusion and next steps of the Talking Jesus research.
Rachel’s conclusions remind us of the opportunities and encouragement for evangelism in the UK.
The Talking Jesus report shows that many Christians are already sharing the Gospel. But we can all do more by recommitting ourselves to the following:
- Praying for friends and family members to find faith
- Make some new friends
- Listen and talk with them to find those open to knowing more about Jesus
- Give them something to read to help start the conversation
- Offer to pray for them, offering an encounter with Jesus to those interested
- Invite them to your church, online or in person, to a service, an event, or a course
- Give them an accessible copy of the life events of Jesus Christ to read
- Use social media and online presence to share stories and personal testimonies
- Support, equip, and encourage faith development in families with young children
- Invest, support, and encourage both outreach and discipleship of young people
- Encourage, equip, and enable young adults (18–24-year olds)
- Consider hosting a mission in 2023/24 with other churches in your area
All credits for material used for this blog goes to the partners involved in the Talking Jesus report. Thank you, Alpha, the Evangelical Alliance, HOPE Together, Luis Palau Association, and Kingsgate Community Church for the great piece of work.
You can read our previous blog at Our Blog – Fishers of Men Ministry (fmministry.co.uk)
God bless you and let us keep talking and sharing Jesus Christ with the world.
Adesina
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