A Strategy for Reaching The Lost
What the Statistics Really Tell Us About Evangelism
How research and real ministry experience reveal the most effective approaches to sharing faith
The Surprising Statistics of Salvation
When Jesus called Simon and Andrew to become "fishers of men" in Mark 1:16-17, he was commissioning them into the most important work on earth. But after decades of ministry and looking at evangelism research, I've discovered that how people actually come to faith might surprise you.
The statistics paint a clear picture of what really works in evangelism today:
Less than 5% of people come to faith through random encounters (street evangelism, door-to-door witnessing, chance meetings)
5-10% through media (Christian TV, YouTube, podcasts, social media)
10-15% through home Bible studies or small groups
30-40% through personal evangelism (long-term relationship building)
40-50% in church services
But here's the most striking finding: 75% of all born-again believers can trace their decision back to a personal relationship that influenced them, even if they were ultimately saved through media, a random encounter, or a church service.
This means relationships are typically the catalyst for someone giving their life to Christ. If you are born again, the people who you spend time around are the most likely people on this earth to get saved.
The Great Commission Is About Making Disciples
Before diving into strategy, we need to remember what we're actually called to do. Matthew 28:19 says:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
We're not just called to evangelize - we're called to make disciples. Discipleship is a process that starts before someone is saved and continues long after. This means no one person has to carry the burden of sealing every deal. We all get to participate in the process.
Two Types of Relationships: Family and Everyone Else
When it comes to evangelistic relationships, I've found it helpful to think in terms of two categories: family and everyone else. Winning family members to the Lord is often the most important yet most difficult evangelism we'll ever attempt.
Four Keys to Reaching Lost Family Members
1. Prioritize the Secret Place Consistent prayer and Scripture reading creates both spiritual power and authentic testimony. While family members might question public displays of faith, they respect what they observe in your private spiritual disciplines. When they see you in the secret place, you're not trying to impress anyone - and that authenticates your faith in a way nothing else can.
2. Stay Faithful Keep showing up for family events, holidays, and church. Maintain both schedule consistency and moral standards. Set loving boundaries when necessary. Boundaries are caring, and people respect them even when they claim not to.
3. Be Patient You cannot teach, preach, or shame your adult children out of bad decisions. Sometimes people need to hit rock bottom before they're ready for change. As 1 Corinthians 5:5 suggests, there's a grace and mercy of the Holy Spirit that meets people at their lowest point.
4. Be Flexible If adjustments on your part build trust, improve relationships, or directly impact someone's decision for the gospel, make them. I've even told my congregation: if you have an adult child ready to accept Christ but unwilling to come to our church, and they're willing to go elsewhere - go. There is nothing in any church building worth more than someone's salvation.
Reaching Everyone Else: A Simple Formula
For non-family relationships at work, in your community, or social circles, the approach is simpler:
Don't be obscure about your faith - Be open about being a Christian without hiding it Don't be obnoxious about your faith - Avoid making every conversation spiritual Don't overestimate spirituality, but don't underestimate normalcy - Being genuinely likeable often matters more than dramatic spiritual displays
The Power of Simple Invitations
I often compare personal evangelism to call center sales, where different people handle different parts of the process. The person who makes the initial call doesn't close the deal - they just determine interest and pass you to someone with more expertise.
The same principle applies to evangelism. You don't have to do everything. You can build a relationship and extend a simple invitation: "Come to church with me. You can sit with me." That's often all it takes to start the process.
This is especially important for new converts. Too often we expect people who've been saved for three weeks to go win their entire school or workplace. That's not realistic or fair. The first step in personal evangelism is simply inviting people to church.
Why Church Is Where the Magic Happens
I bet big on the local church. There's something unique about corporate worship that moves people toward decision points in ways that don't happen in living rooms or restaurants. It's not as spectacular or mystical as some other approaches, but it's effective.
Church growth research identifies seven elements crucial for winning communities:
1. Preaching matters most - Research consistently shows biblical preaching as the top driver for retention and spiritual formation
2. Quality worship is non-negotiable - 92% of church adults say worship is very important to them
3. Kids ministry builds church health and growth - 62% of parents cite children's ministry as a key factor in choosing a church
4. Hospitality makes it personal - People decide whether they'll return based on how they're treated in the first seven minutes
5. Media and online engagement - Churches with both online and in-person options are growing 4.5% compared to 15% decline in in-person-only churches
6. Landscaping and signage - These serve as either barriers or bridges in those crucial first seven minutes
7. Discipleship processes - Intentional pathways for spiritual growth and maturity
The local church is always involved in the salvation process because it's either the point of origin or the destination. People either get saved at church or get saved and come to church.
Discipleship: Both Intentional and By Proximity
Discipleship happens both on purpose and by proximity. While we need intentional processes to help people grow from the moment they're saved to spiritual maturity, much discipleship also happens simply by being around mature believers.
The majority of discipleship in a church actually happens in the pulpit through consistent biblical preaching, not in separate classroom settings. When people get exposed to the Word of God regularly, it washes over them and transforms them (Ephesians 5:26).
Challenging Our Assumptions
One of the biggest challenges facing the church today is our tendency to focus on the least effective evangelism methods. Random encounters make for compelling testimonies, but they represent less than 5% of actual conversions. Meanwhile, church services account for nearly half of all salvation decisions.
The enemy's primary strategy is getting us distracted with well-meaning activities that produce minimal results. Jesus gave us a clear metric for evaluating ministry effectiveness: "You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16). What matters isn't how spiritual something sounds or how good it looks - what matters is what it produces.
A Simple Three-Step Strategy
The most effective evangelism strategy isn't complex or mysterious. It doesn't require special training or dramatic spiritual gifts. It simply requires three things:
Build genuine relationships - Don't be weird, don't hide your faith, but don't hype it either
Invite people to church - Keep it simple and personal
Participate actively in a local church - Support a congregation that takes both spiritual and practical excellence seriously
If you'll focus on these three elements consistently, you'll see people around you begin to come to know the Lord. It's not as flashy as some other approaches, but it's what actually works.
The strategy isn't about complicated programs or elaborate outreach events. It's about relationships, simple invitations, and local churches that create environments where people genuinely encounter God. In a world full of complexity, sometimes the most powerful approach is also the most straightforward.
