Finding Your Pitch

A few weeks ago my pastor friends and I were at a restaurant before our conference.  We were talking about all kinds of things, when this guy next to us chimed in.  I was the more extroverted of the group so I began to engage this guy. Our conversations were all about guy things, and so I brought up food.  I know you are shocked.  This guy told us he was vegan, and I was shocked.  Not to judge someone on being vegan, but most vegans are thin, and clean cut.  I know I just stereotyped, but hang on; I have a point.  This guy was bigger, with a huge beard, and tattooed all up.  I remind you I have a brother who has over 20 tattoos, so no judgment, just curiosity.  I asked him why he was vegan.  He pulled out this answer I never expected.  He was fighting for a cause.  He asked me, “Do you know how much land it takes to raise cows, chickens, and animals for us to eat?”  I said, “No, not really.”  He informed me, “If we took all the land it took to raise these animals we could feed most of the world, if not all of it.”  It was then that I saw his passion for a cause.  (Many of our younger generations have this kind of passion for something. ) The guy went on for 20 minutes.  I always expect this.  When that passion comes out you sell it.  I knew this was my opening from the minute he started talking.  I was listening, but formulating in my head how to ask it.  He finished and I asked, “So what do you think about religion?”  He dodged the question with some mumbo jumbo, and I jumped back in with “What do you think of Christianity?”  He described how he grew up in the Church and that his dad is still active, but in a church he doesn’t like.  He has seen too many church people not truly believing what they are saying.  This is the reality of young adults.  They want people to fight for a cause the way they do; if they believe in Jesus then fight for it.  At this point I revealed that he was talking to three pastors, and I showed my hand.  I told him, “We need people like you in our church who are passionately sharing their beliefs with people.”  I gave him my card.  At this point, we transitioned into normal conversation as he shared his love for pro wrestling and pinball machines.  I resisted the urge to share my disgust for pro wrestling, and talked little about pinball machines.  I don’t know if he will ever step foot in our church, but I know this:  I was faithful to listen to the voice of the Spirit.         If any of you are thinking, You are a pastor--of course you do this.  Trust me-- this is practiced.  In seminary I used to move quickly out of conversations like this.  I was worried that my friends who were hanging out with me would feel like our time was taken away by my talking to someone else.  This is absolutely the Holy Spirit who opens the opportunities.  I just pray that I recognize them.

            I could tell you that I have had a passion for evangelism my whole life.  Sure I could impress you with stories of telling a kid about God when I was five.  But the honest truth is that I did not share that message with many of my friends.  Sure my actions may have given evidence of the depth of my faith, but when it came time to pull the trigger I was scared of being cast off like most people in faith.  I was fearful of how they would view me after I shared my faith.  So, I did what any good future pastor would do.  I pretended it was someone else’s job.  I wanted people to know about Jesus, but I was just afraid they would throw away our friendship if I did.

As we begin a new series on evangelism, this is the key to understanding this. I often think that people of faith just assume this will just come to them naturally. But as the saying goes, Don’t pray for patience--God will give it to you by helping you train for it by letting you wait for something.  The same thing is true of evangelism; the only way to get better is to know yourself and the gifts God has given you.  Read His Word so you are ready, take the opportunity, and trust that He will bless it.  Simple, right?

            This is Red Bird Evangelism.   My passion for the Cardinals has increased the longer I stay in St. Louis.  And you’d better believe I will argue why they are the best team in baseball to any Cubs’ fan who wants to take me on.  And to my family who labels me a traitor because I grew up in Kansas City, I tell them I want my boys to support a team they can watch.  I still support the farm team of the Major Leagues; that is why I have a Beltran jersey.  Thanks to the Royals his RBIs keep us in first place.  Once you begin the practice of being a Cardinal fan, you can’t help but fall in love with them, and tell people about it.  In St. Louis that translates to Red Bird Evangelism, and the Cardinals can be a good analogy of how to prepare to share the Word of God.

           

                                                Finding your Pitch

                                                Learning the Game

                                                Hitting the Ball

                                                Trusting your Manager