How long did it take the 12 Apostles to truly understand who Jesus was? When did they really decide to lay down their entire lives and give him everything? You probably know the answer - 3 years. So, why do we operate our parishes, ministries, and personal evangelization with the idea that it ought not take so long? I know I certainly can’t evangelize better than the Lord of the Universe!

Now look at the problems we face:

• 23% of adult Catholics say they attend Mass every week
• 40% of those attending Mass a few times a year or less believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist
• 67% of Catholics say the what is right or wrong “depend on the situation” (e.g., believe in moral relativism)
• 48% of Catholics believe abortion should be legal in most or all situations
• 57% of Catholics favor legalization of same-sex marriage

Honestly, we aren’t going to get better in any of these areas any time soon. The reality is that the Church is not just in decline, but has already driven over the demographic cliff (in the West). The real question is, will we continue to ignore the internal issues that have caused this decline or will we do something real and substantial in changing the ways we operate? I say we change. Let’s do things differently and let’s start with how we evangelize.

If you asked the average Catholic leader one of these questions, how would they (or you) respond?

• How can I help someone learn more about the Catholic Church?
• What is something I can do for a person who has questions about Jesus?
• If someone wants to grow in faith - how do we help them?

What I have found is the most common response is to hand someone a resource or point someone to a program / event / class at Church. While those aren’t bad things to do, they aren’t the best thing to do! The best thing to do is to use this as an opportunity to offer the other person the best thing have available to them to help answer these questions - YOU!

Think of the stories of non-Christians encountering Jesus in the Gospels. Zaccheus, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the rich young man, etc. Many of them had a lot of questions. All were sinners. They were all looking for something. They came with a lot of baggage.

Now, can you imagine Jesus handing them a book, telling them to watch a video, sending them to a class, or giving them a date of an event a month into away? I can’t either. Jesus knew that each encounter was an opportunity to enter into relationship with the other person. So, he took time to talk to them, ask them questions, invite them into something deeper. Some decided to follow him and turn their lives over to him. Others didn’t, but at least they were given the opportunity.

How about us? Do we take the time it requires to enter into relationship with others? Why not?

Some might say that the conversion of another person is out of your hands and you would be correct. Whether someone decides to follow Jesus is a decision they make, in response to a grace given by God. But, whether that person has the opportunity to hear the kerygma and enter into a relationship with a Catholic disciple, may be up to you!

INCARNATIONAL EVANGELIZATION
The thing about modern Catholic evangelization is that we rely too much on non-relational methodologies and practices. We do it online. We do it in safe programs at Church. We volunteer to lead a once-a-week group. But, we don’t enter into life with other people that builds trust -> vulnerability -> intimacy -> accountability.

Yet, that is how Jesus operated, so why do we think we can improve on his strategy? He had a public ministry of 3 years and spent the VAST majority of that time (based on the Biblical account) with 12 guys. That is his method - intentionally building relationships in-person that lead to conversion, holiness, and mission. It takes time. A LOT of time.

Let’s be honest, most of us balk at the sacrifice of investing so much time into the lives of others. We like the safe (and hands-off) approach to evangelization. Do it for an hour (or at most a few hours) a week and then check out and back into our normal lives.

Ultimately it boils down to this - loving others like Jesus wants us to is always inefficient.

So, are we willing to be inefficient, like Jesus, for the sake of the Gospel, salvation, heaven, growth, mission, and real evangelization? Because that may be the only way we will start to turn the tide back toward Catholicism and Jesus!