A Primer for Evangelism: The SEEDS Framework (Part 2)
Welcome back to Centre Church’s Evangelism Primer series!
As we continue preparing for our relaunch on Easter Sunday, April 20th, 2025, we want to all we can to help us share our faith. Of course, we know that a blog series is just a drop in the ocean as far as getting to grips with evangelism, but our prayer is that it would be be a useful starting point.
We’ve been exploring what we’ve called the SEEDS framework for evangelism:
Study your cultural context
Embrace your broader community
Extend Christlike love
Depend on the Holy Spirit
Share your faith (The outcome of the previous four)
In our first post, we explored the importance of Studying Our Cultural Context—understanding the values and beliefs of those around us to better share the gospel.
Today, our focus is on the second step in the SEEDS framework—Embracing Our Broader Community.
Why Community Matters for Evangelism
As Christians, we’re called to be salt and light to the world (Matt. 5:13-16). Salt both preserves goodness and enhances what it interacts with, while light illuminates darkness. But notice—salt and light only make an impact when they interact with their surroundings. In the same way, we’re called to influence our broader communities by building relationships and showing Christ’s love.
But here’s the thing: if we’re honest, it’s often easier to stick with people who think, act, and believe like us. While comfortable, this approach limits our ability to share the gospel with those who don’t yet know Jesus. Evangelism requires stepping outside our comfort zones and embracing those around us.
Salt and light are useless if hidden away. Salt stored in a jar doesn’t preserve anything, and light under a bowl doesn’t illuminate. We must go out and be present in our communities to fulfill our mission.
Practical Ways to Embrace Your Community
Engage in Local Events – Attend farmers’ markets, festivals, and neighborhood gatherings. Look for opportunities to build genuine connections.
Serve Others – Volunteer at shelters, food banks, or schools. Show love through acts of service.
Frequent Local Businesses – Get to know baristas, cashiers, and staff in your community. Build relationships by being a consistent presence.
Be a Good Neighbour – Host a barbecue, help with yard work, or simply be available for conversations.
Start Conversations – Ask people about their lives, challenges, and dreams. Listen well and let them know they are valued.
Beyond Events—Building Real Relationships
True community isn’t built on events alone—it’s cultivated through genuine relationships. People today are craving meaningful connection more than ever. Studies show rising levels of loneliness and relational dysfunction, but as sad as this is, it means that the Church has an incredible opportunity to step in and be a source of hope and love to those who need it most.
Here’s the challenge—many times, people need to know they’re loved before they’ll listen to the gospel. That means viewing relationships as more than conversion opportunities. Instead, we’re called to love people simply because they’re made in God’s image and therefore infinitely worthly of love.
Being Salt and Light in Practice
Salt Enhances and Preserves – Be a source of encouragement and positivity in your conversations. Promote peace, love, joy, and kindness.
Light Reveals Truth – Share hope and speak truth, but do it with gentleness and respect.
Don’t be too salty all at once! – Too much salt can overwhelm. Similarly, pushing the gospel without a relationship can turn people away (except for a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit). Be patient and let love lead your actions.
The Challenge
Find one new way to embrace your broader community this week:
Invite a neighbor for coffee.
Find somewhere you can volunteer.
Strike up a conversation with someone you regularly see at the gym, or the coffee shop, or the grocery store.
Remember, evangelism starts with relationship. Let’s step out of our bubbles and into our city with boldness and love.
Looking Ahead
Stay tuned for the next post, where we’ll explore the third step in our SEEDS framework—Extending Christlike Love—and dive deeper into what it means to share Jesus through acts of compassion.
Need Prayer or Have Questions?
We’d love to connect with you. Email us at info@wearecentrechurch.ca to learn more about our community and how we can support you on your faith journey!
