I’m not the sort of person who naturally strikes up conversations with strangers. There are some parts of me which are more Nigerian than British, but this isn’t one of them.

But last summer, I was reminded what can happen when you step out of your comfort zone and talk to a stranger. I was out with a group from my church and I saw a young man sitting on a park bench. I sat down next to him and he was very happy to chat. The conversation flowed – he shared about his strained relationship with his mother.  I told him I was a Christian and I offered to pray for him, which he gladly accepted. He also prayed for me. The interaction left me feeling joyful.

The next day, as we went around the local neighbourhood, meeting people on their doorsteps, we met a lady who felt anxious about how far away she lived from her ageing parents. We weren’t able to share the gospel with this woman, but perhaps experiencing the loving concern of her local church will be just one step on a longer journey.

When door-to-door ministry becomes a regular feature of church life, it creates a wonderful Gospel Pathway which can have life-changing results. Five members of one family came to faith in Jesus after a simple knock at the door in Peckham last year! If you don’t believe me, watch the full story here.

So close, yet so far

Tragically, it’s possible to live, work, die in the UK without ever having the opportunity to respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s especially tragic when we consider the number of churches and Christians here. It’s like being surrounded by drinking water yet dying from thirst.

The people least likely to enter a church or have someone pray for them by name are often those on the margins of our society – experiencing homelessness or lonely isolation on our council estates.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We can create Gospel Pathways – opportunities to meet people we don’t already know, demonstrate God’s love for them, and share the good news.

Signposts along the journey

These pathways aren’t one-time interactions. God often uses lots of people at different points in our journey, to signpost us to him. I see this in my own journey to faith.

I benefitted from having Christian parents who embodied God’s love for me, took me to church, and prayed for me. Despite these advantages, I still needed people to create and journey with me along a Gospel Pathway so that I could go from being a proud, rule-keeping (mostly) teenager to someone who was trusting in the Lord Jesus, instead of myself, for relationship with God.

We see this pattern in Jesus’ ministry as well.

Finding gospel pathways

Thankfully, Gospel Pathways don’t have to be big events – we can create them by being more intentional about getting to know the people around us.

The pathway has to start somewhere of course. Knocking on someone’s door is a great way of making that first connection (So too is starting up a conversation on a park bench, as I found out)

Along the journey that follows, hospitality can play a big part – either inviting someone into your home, or a ‘third space’ such as a café – and accepting their hospitality to you.

We can also show Christlike care by helping someone meet their physical needs. This can often be a difficult area to navigate – to build genuine, equitable friendship whilst avoiding dependency. Looking for opportunities for them to use their gifts and experience to meet your needs can help.

Finally, doing all of the above in church community is vital.

Where to start? 

It can start today by doing something as simple as taking a walk, praying before you go, and being open to the connections you might make.

But there is also so much that God can do when a church family comes together to reach the people around them. At this year’s Winter Conference, on Saturday 25 January, we’ll explore how through door-to-door ministry, hospitality and meeting people’s needs, we can build authentic connections with people around us, and naturally share the hope we have in Jesus.

Find out more about the Winter Conference and book your tickets here.