Pathways Press.com

Written by Mary Amendolia Gardner, a contemporary spiritual director. This is an excerpt from her work “Five Ways to Start Gospel Conversations.”

One of the most compelling gospel stories is your own story. How did you come to faith? What difference has it made in your life? Perhaps you have never reflected on this. It is worth taking the time to write out your testimony. Have a ten-minute version and consider a two-minute version, too. It doesn’t matter if your journey to faith was not dramatic; the point is that it is your story. Learning to tell the story of our faith journey takes practice. What we tell, and to whom, depends on the context, who is asking the question, and why they want to know. The book of Acts is full of examples of different approaches to evangelism. Our role as Jesus’s disciples is always to be prepared to share the hope that we have in us. And one of the best ways to do this may be to tell others about our journey of faith. The key is that we must do so in gentleness and respect, not being arrogant, forceful, or obnoxious. Sharing one’s story is not merely retelling facts. Storytelling is an art form. Part of telling one’s story of faith is listening to the other person. What sorts of questions are they asking? What is their background, their personal situation, their own history of encounters with religion or with Christianity? How might we listen well, and how might we ask them good questions? When I share my testimony, I don’t necessarily tell my entire testimony sequentially nor do I tell all parts of my story. Sometimes I just share one significant event in my faith journey. It all depends on context and the person with whom I am speaking. Discernment is necessary.

In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. [1 Peter 3:15-16]