When it comes to Evangelization, I have seen that personal stories are far and away the best method.  People today are more willing to trust those who speak out of their own experience and we need to use this trust as an entry way for evangelization.  I’ve seen the power of this first hand since I was in high school and attended retreats such as Kairos and Christ Renews His Parish; when people share personal and (sometimes too often) emotional stories of their faith, it strikes everyones heart and we can either relate or desire such feelings.  This is the power of the witness.

    All over scripture, especially the New Testament, we have people explaining their personal experience with the Divine.  In the Old Testament, Moses speaks of his time in the tent and on the mountain looking at God, David dances before the Lord, the prophets explain their various call stories and the like.  In the New Testament, we see people share their experience with Jesus and we see first hand how starring that experience converts people, or at the minimum, gets them talking about Jesus (even in a negative way).  None the less, starring our experiences with the Divine always ends with leaving the door open for someone to ask more questions or allow God to come into their hearts.

    What I tell my parishioners about evangelization, especially to their kids, is not to start with the laundry list of things they need to do: go to Mass because you have to, get your kid baptized because you have to, stop living together because you have to, start praying because you need to, etc.  Rather, I tell them, share with your children and whoever else how your faith has impacted your life and caused you to change into a better person who is more like Jesus.  Tell people where, and in whom, you have experienced the risen Jesus.  Now, it goes without saying that we are able to have, and reflect on, these experiences because we go to Church, receive the Sacraments, and pray.  Start with the joys of your life and show how that joy comes from living the Gospel.  

    This is the most effective form of evangelization and it’s what all lay people need to start doing within their families.  Stop making the Church look like a bureaucracy with a million rules.  Start showing how the Church is a beautiful communion of people who have the joy of experiencing and becoming the risen Jesus every day.  Explain how your relationship with Jesus and firm foundation in the Church has helped your long marriage through all the ups and downs, how the love of God has penetrated your heart and made you a better person, and how you wish everyone to have the same joy and experience of God’s love as you have had.  That is how we are going to convert hearts.  Tell your own story of how, when, and where you have experienced the risen Jesus.  This is the power of the witness.