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Have you ever put yourself in the shoes of your unchurched neighbour or friend and listened to the ways Christians talk? In our attempts at evangelism, we can be guilty of using theological terms others don't understand. In order to communicate effectively, we must make sure our listener is truly hearing and understanding what we're trying to say.

Here is an activity that will help your small group members be wise about their choice of words when sharing the gospel.

1. List Christian terms we frequently use at church or in Bible studies. For example: forgiveness, Christ, sin, atonement, grace, born again, redemption, saved, faith.

2. Give group members a few minutes on their own to write a definition for each word in terms a child would understand.

3. Share the definitions, and discuss any difficulties you had completing the task. Discuss ways to explain the gospel more clearly.

Tip excerpted from the Small Group Archives of NavPress, © 2001, by The Navigators. All Rights Reserved.