Over here in Australia, we have 'I'll fight' t-shirts. They have a big SA shield on the front, and the 'I'll fight' speech/poem on the back. Out of all the ministry tools and resources I've seen, these are probably the most surprising and effective (for me). I've had a number of people stop me on the street, either because they see the shield and class me as a 'safe' person (mostly older folk) or because they want to read the back of the shirt.
Anyway, these shirts have helped open my eyes to the possibilities of impromptu street ministry - striking up a conversation with a complete stranger, and slowly building a friendship through 'chance' meetings (are they pure chance? Don't know). Or maybe just having a short conversation that leaves the person with a slightly better opinion of christians than they had previously. I'm not just talking from theory here... since moving to our current neighbourhood, I've made a number of acquaintances and friends, most of whom I've talked at least (very) briefly about christianity, church and/or the salvation army.
I've been thinking about the requirements for someone to get involved in this sort of thing. Don't get the impression I've got it all down pat. I frequently have bad moods, feel tired, don't want to socialise, etc. So hopefully this will help me as much as it helps anyone else. I'll be asking for contributions, too!
So here's my list:
- An ability or willingness to (try to) see people as God sees them... as precious children whom he loves so much that he'd die for them. Even if they're old, stinky and look like they'd mug you if you looked at them wrong (or at all).
- The realisation that what you're currently doing is probably nowhere near as important as you think it is.
- An interest in and curiousity about the strangers all around.
- The confidence to meet people's gaze.
- Sufficient joy to smile at a stranger and mean it.
- A willingness to cut through standard stranger-to-stranger routines with a bit of honesty or real caring - like showing a quick amount of honest interest in a checkout staff person's response to "How are you?".
- An openness to God's leading when he says, "Go there" or "Say this". <--- I suspect that this, while being a very important thing to learn, is something that comes long after a person starts ministry. I don't think it's a prerequisite.
- An interest in hearing someone else's opinions and beliefs... and the ability to listen without immediately attempting to prove them wrong or tell them your own beliefs.
What do you think? What have I missed? What have I gotten wrong? What have you found useful?
