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The Young Adult Initiative held its spring gathering for partner parishes on May 2-4, where we focused our attention on evangelization in our parishes. Our facilitator for the weekend was our director, Cassie Schutzer. Below you will find PDF copies of presentations, parish resources, and insights from the weekend. 

1. Evangelization is the proclamation of Christ through word and testimony of life (CCC 905), which invites a response from the hearer.

The heart of evangelization is sharing the story of Christ – who he is, what he has done, what he invites us into as his disciples. We evangelize through a proclamation of the Gospel and through our testimony of life – the way we live in accordance with the Gospel message. Think of every moment, big and small, as an opportunity to witness to God’s work in the world.

It's also important to remember that evangelization always comes with an invitation. To merely share the Gospel is incomplete; we must also invite the recipient to respond to what they’ve heard. 

2. All baptized Christians are called to be evangelists (CCC 871).

By virtue of our baptism, each one of us is called to be disciples who evangelize the world. “Go and make disciples of all nations,” the Lord tells us, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Through our own unique gifts and charisms, rooted in our own context and community, the Lord calls us into service through evangelization.

3. We evangelize in order to advance the Kingdom of God.

Good evangelists have a “why,” or really, a “Who.” Put another way, we need to know why we are called to evangelize if we want to do so lovingly and effectively.

We evangelize because we are called to participate in God’s work of salvation in the world. Evangelization is meant to lead to conversion of heart, conversion of heart to transformation of life, transformation of life to salvation – the Kingdom of God. Evangelization is all about the Kingdom. We can’t lose sight of this truth because then we risk turning people into projects, human souls into commodities that we either “win” or “lose.”

That is not what we are about.

We are about God’s work, preaching the truth in love for the good of the other. Our ultimate destiny is to be in communion with God, one another, and all of creation – forever. Evangelization is how we participate in making present and advancing that Kingdom.

4. The Holy Spirit is the primary actor in evangelization.

If our mission is to advance the Kingdom of God, then already we know the work is beyond our capabilities. We must rely on the Spirit to do the heavy lifting!

When Jesus gives the Great Commission at the end of Matthew’s gospel (see #2 above), the final words he speaks to his apostles are, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) That is the Spirit, united with the Father and the Son, at work in the world, sanctifying and unifying all of creation until the end of the age. We have to trust in the presence of the Spirit and rely on his power, not our own, if we are to participate in the work of salvation.

5. Discipleship is a process that cannot be rushed.

It’s important to know where people are in their journey so we can (1) meet their needs and (2) invite them deeper in the process. Effective evangelization happens in the context of a relationship. And the best evangelization moves at the pace of a relationship. We have to discover where people are in their journey of faith to point out where God is at work in their lives. We first meet their current, real needs before inviting them to take the next step in faith.

Resources: 

· PPT 1

· PPT 2

· Evangelization plan for parish