2W2L is great but...

Walk-up evangelism can get pretty formulaic and phoney-sounding. How to do it, in a true, engaging and loving way? I'm keen to not always resort to 2W2L, as good as it is. Afterall, what's Bible college for?

I may answer "oh, no thanks" if someone said "We would like to talk to you about Je-sus"... and I'm a Christian! "Yes" is too committal, too eager for someone who's curious. So "no" is the only real option. Not a good opener.

How about, "We're Christians and we were wondering what people know about Jesus. What do you think of Jesus?"? It opens the conversation, builds relationship and is valuable for knowing where people come from. But I feel like this is sometimes a tactical move in order to know how to make our approach (or to establish which 2W2L box people are in!)

Should you lead with grace / forgiveness first or do you talk about judgment / sin first? The former gives God's priority (God's message is essentially about Grace and not condemnation), but the latter gives the logical sequence (it makes sense to name the offense before saying God offers a pardon). People can tune out of either. The former sounds like some fairy-tale ~ *yawn*. The latter can feel like a slap across the face (and they don't stay to listen for the grace bit).

Maybe a parable? Today, a friend said he tells older people the parable of the eleventh hour (which has nothing to do with elephants). Parables immediately draw people into an accessible context (e.g. families, farmers). God often makes the invitation in that form. Then perhaps we can ask what people think...?

Michael Moore (who ran the music conference, quoting Carson) said that Christian music is often evangelistic. It carries the message and the affectional impact of the gospel (Christ died and rose again ~ we are so moved that we sing about it!). Perhaps we should go around Unis offering to sing to people!