Growing in Gospel Fluency

I recently had the joy of leading an in-person Gospel Fluency workshop with members of the Nunawading and Waverley Lutheran Church. The workshop was well attended with enthusiastic participants, and appreciation expressed for the course content. It ran from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm with a lunch break in the middle.

Please contact me if you would like an in-person workshop at your congregation. This is the second one run in the district this year and more are planned next year. It’s even possible for congregations to ‘self-run’ the course using the course materials provided!

You can find out more about the workshop, which has been developed by our own Pastor Nathan Hedt with assistance from Jo Chamberlain – here: https://www.lca.org.au/gospel-fluency

One of the great strengths of this workshop is the way it helps us move past the fear that is often associated with “traditional” evangelism.

Gospel Fluency is not about techniques, pressure, or “imported” programmatic approaches that feel artificial. Instead, it focuses on helping everyday Christians learn to speak the good news of Jesus naturally – within the relationships and rhythms that we already have.

The website introduces the workshop with a set of honest and disarming questions:

Do you ever feel awkward, ill-equipped, unqualified or unprepared to share the gospel?
Do you know someone who is curious about Jesus or the Christian faith, but you’re not sure what to do next?
Do you wish you could share the gospel more freely and naturally with family, friends, workmates, or neighbours?

If you answered yes, then Gospel Fluency is for you. The key idea is right there in the name: fluency. Like learning any new language, fluency requires vocabulary, context, and practice. You try new words. You learn by “having a go”. You give yourself permission to make mistakes, because that is how people actually learn.

We also explored practical tools to help us think through the why, who, what, and when in relation to sharing the gospel in more detail.

Throughout the morning there was a strong sense of:

• encouragement, rather than pressure,
• discovery, rather than performance,
• participation, rather than passivity,
• and, above all, trust in the Holy Spirit’s work.

And that’s good news for us as Lutherans. The mission is God’s mission. We are joining the work that God is already doing. Our part is to stay prayerful, attentive, and ready to “give the reason for the hope that we have” – with gentleness and respect.

You don’t need to go far to put gospel fluency into practice. God has already placed you among people who trust you. Start there. Pray for opportunities. Listen well. And as God opens the way, speak the good news of Jesus – simply, naturally, and confidently.