A Homosexual and Evangelism

One man had visited a few outreach events and started attending Saturday night meetings. He realized he was trapped in a homosexual lifestyle and was looking for a way out, but he feared he would be rejected by the church. One day he came up to me after a service and said, “I’m a homosexual. I’ve been attending for several months and been watching your demeanor. I’m persuaded this is a pretty safe place. I want to commit my life to Christ.”

We prayed, and afterward I introduced him to the leaders of our ministry to homosexuals. He joined the program, and three months later he handed me a letter. “The deciding moment in my life for overcoming homosexual desires,” he wrote, “was when I came up to you and told you where I was. After sitting in services for several months, I guessed I would be accepted. When I introduced myself to you, the look in your eye told me I was accepted. I knew you saw a person rather than a gay person. At that moment I knew I was free.”

The unchurched will come back to a church that feels safe. For them, this is the most important ingredient. If they don’t feel safe with you, they will not stay around long enough to hear the truth.

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Growing Your Church Through Evangelism and Outreach. 1st ed. Nashville. Tenn. : Moorings, 1996 (Library of Christian Leadership), S. 8