Re‐experiencing Evangelism in the City

The paper reflects on some of the exposure visits/city walks that were organized as part of the recent workshop on life‐giving evangelism in the city, held in Sydney, Australia. These exposure visits were designed to engage participants in reflection on evangelism and stimulate their own expressions of contextually relevant evangelistic practice. I suggest that the visits remind us of at least five key themes in evangelism – invitation, invaded space, serving the least and lost, the importance of the local, and the need for celebration in the midst of our multicultural world. In the second part of the paper, I reflect on the discussion that took place with my class at United Theological College, Sydney, on the theme of evangelism, particularly from the perspective of the three recent global statements on mission. Finally, I join in the call for joy to be the hallmark of our engagement in evangelism. We are to “glow with fervour” as people who have first received the joy of Christ.