If you’re always thinking about evangelism like me, then it won’t take you long before you stumble across affinity evangelism. It’s been around a long time. A fellow evangelist wrote a pretty concise definition of it here. In short, affinity evangelism is when you use a like people group to reach out to a network of people within that circle of community. Some of the most common examples of affinity evangelism are:

• Missions – you are reaching out to people who share the same culture & language
• Your Friends – Friendship evangelism is powerful because your relationship is the affinity
• This is also true when you share with your family. (the affinity is even closer — DNA!)
• The Needy – A common way to share Christ is to meet a physical need of someone else and thus, those who have clear needs are an easy target to reach and share the gift of eternal life

Did I oversimplify it? Sorry if I did. I think it is important to realize that affinity evangelism is the strongest form of evangelism because it looks at the most natural things you have in common with those who don’t know Jesus Christ as the greatest potential of reaching someone else with the gospel!

That being said, it is important to note that f2fmi exclusively promotes, executes and trains others to use affinity evangelism in reaching their communities for Jesus Christ. We primarily focus on one affinity: students. However, in understanding our mission, we can affect other affinities as an extension of students by understanding our scope of impact. Other potential affinities we are interested in are: parents, grandparents, teachers, little brothers and sisters, bus drivers, et al. In other words, we are excited to share the gospel with the whole world… as longs as it stems from primarily impacting students first.

Affinity evangelism is extremely Biblical. We see Jesus spending the majority of his time working with his own people group, the Jews during his time on earth. When Jesus ascends to heaven, he predicts that the gospel will go forth from affinity to affinity when he tells his disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).” We see the apostle Paul striking up an affinity with the folks on Mars hill by talking to them about the unknown God (Acts 17:16-34). There are more examples in Scripture but I am not looking to do an exhaustive study here.

If you are looking to make an impact in your community, start with identifying what affinities you have as a church, Bible study group, family, or if you are flying solo, your friends. Taking the time to be strategic really pays off as you pray to the Lord to open the door of the souls of others and careful planning shows your care for them and the importance of your message. I remember when I proposed to Amy. Like many of you guys out there, I purchased a ring and prepared myself for a big ask. I planned a trip to Paris with surprises along the way. I went over what I wanted to say over and over in my mind. Presenting Christ to others take the same amount of care and emotional output. It’s a very important proposal.

Finally, being genuine and honest about your concern for the soul of another human being is paramount. People can see right through a contrived effort or a one way ad campaign for your cause. People are bombarded with messages every day. The messages that get through are ones that have genuine care attached. They are delivered gently and thoughtfully. If that concern and love is felt, even if the one you are sharing with rejects your message, they sure do appreciate your sentiment.