Outgoing Chichester Diocesan Mission & Renewal Adviser, John Twisleton writes:

I am a fundamentalist because to be clear about fundamentals is an essential for mission. The fundamentalism we condemn as thoroughly un-Anglican and un-English is one that is blind to reason. God has given us minds as well as hearts so that both reason and faith bring people to him. Who can but fear the two extremes of sceptical, rationalistic, heartless Christianity, liberal in the worst sense, and it's polar opposite a Christian fundamentalism blind to reason?

You can't win hearts without minds. Why should we fear that truth of any kind might endanger the ultimate truth that is in Jesus?

At the same time how can Christians who've encountered Truth's quest for us in Jesus  fail to see the quest for truth as a two way thing involving both God's gift and human longing, in other words heart as well as mind.

With that thought I want to invite you to work through a checklist of five essential staging posts to full Christian commitment that our churches need to mark out and resource if they are to win more hearts and minds for Jesus Christ.

1 We need dialogue - literally: conversation (Greek: dialogos) which has come to mean not just verbal dialogue i.e. argument with respect motivated by mutual concern for truth, but  dialogue of life i.e. people living alongside one another, working together, being open to one another's spiritual motivation. How else can we hope to see new Christians other than through the effect of Christians acting a 'salt' and 'light' in the rich dialogue of life? Churches that fill their members' diaries beware! Besides building bridges to Christianity dialogue helps Christians learn anew the truth commended to them as they engage respectfully with those committed to different world views. It is a real distortion to imply that exposure to rival world views risks compromise.

2 We need apologetics - literally: reasoned defence (Greek: apologia). Christians are called to this in 1 Peter 3v15: Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you. Apologetics links to dialogue through opportunities that occur incidentally to answer reasonable questions about Christian faith. Did Jesus have a baby with Mary Magdalene as you read in Dan Brown’s book Da Vinci Code? Is the divinity of Christ the invention of the fourth century Emperor Constantine as Brown suggests? How can Jesus be the only way to God when there are so many religions? These are questions people want answering so church members need training. This was one purpose of creating the Speaking up for Jesus diocesan audio resource sent out to parishes last autumn.

3 We need pre-evangelism  Inasmuch as evangelism involves inviting a calculated leap of faith pre-evangelism is about preparing the ground for such a jump intellectually through dialogue and apologetics and relationally by building trust in those who are to persuade through the 'dialogue of life'. It has sometimes been said that the Alpha Course starts too far on for people in that it assumes the existence of God and of belief in objective truth. Nowadays people are living in a so-called post-modern culture where there is 'your truth' and 'my truth' alone. Much traditional evangelism falls flat without prior building up through sympathetic, trustful relationships an openness to the reality of God over and beyond us all. Pre-evangelism is also the name given to a specific process whereby not-yet Christian contacts are invited to a social event hosted by Christians with a view to building relationships in preparation for a future invitation to give ear to the claims of Christianity. Has your church got such networks eg. parenting courses, play groups, pensioners' lunch clubs?

4 We need evangelism - literally: bringing of (the Christian) good news (Greek: evangel). The term has come to imply persuasion. Evangelism is seen as complete when those ignorant of it welcome the good news. In the New Testament evangelism is seen as a natural overflow of the experienced joyful goodness of Jesus Christ from people who encounter him after his death and resurrection We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard Acts 4v20. Evangelism is also seen as being not just a verbal announcement but linked to supernatural experience of empowerment and healing from the Holy Spirit eg. Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (literally: much confident overflow) 1 Thess 1v5.
How often is there a simple, clear presentation of the good news of Jesus Christ in your church? How confident are its members about sharing their faith? Does your church run an occasional Christian enquirers' course?

5 We need catechesis - literally: education in the faith (Greek: catechesis - making heard). Christian catechesis is about the systematic teaching of the faith to help form Christian life, especially in association with baptism, confirmation and entry to the eucharist. Compared with apologetics where non-Christians set the questions to be answered, in catechesis the church poses elementary questions relating to creed, sacraments, commandments and prayer to those seeking to be formed as Christians (catechumens) and commends answers defined by the faith of the church through the ages for their deep acceptance. It is said that there is nothing new in Christianity, only the ongoing appropriation of the age old truths of our creed through which we experience the unfailing newness of Jesus Christ.

You can see that the whole process of making Christians is a movement from the world into the church, from information into formation - but this is just one way of looking at things. The formation the catechism gives is given to move us both upwards to God through Christ and outwards into loving dialogue again through, with and in Jesus Christ.

This pattern is something of a correction to what mission has become in our church culture.

How true is it to your own experience? 

Look back upon your own life journey. Can you recognise the process I have described - dialogue, apologetics, pre-evangelism, evangelism - maybe healing - and catechesis.

Can you see yourself moving through the stages defined and rejoice at some important markers on that journey that opened the eyes of your faith a little more? Are you prepared to work and pray for others to be drawn as you have been in repentance and faith from the power of darkness and transferred in to the kingdom of God's beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins Colossians 1v13-14?