Evangelism Begins With You by Branden Dupree
Nov 03, 2025
Branden Dupree speaking at the 2025 Bishop's Retreat. Photo by Bishop Foster
Evangelism is not a program to check off a list: it is a way of being. It’s not a flyer drop or a one-time event. It’s the conversation after worship, the prayers shared in hospital rooms, the invitation to a community meal. It begins with presence – listening, sharing, and extending God’s invitation to a world that is longing for transformation. In every congregation and every neighborhood, there are seeds of the gospel waiting to be nurtured and shared.
As we live into this calling, we are invited to strengthen our existing congregations and grow alongside communities shaped by a wide range of economic realities. This includes our neighbors impacted by underemployment, housing instability, or limited access to public resources, as well as working-class families, and those with economic stability. We are also called to stand with our LGBTQIA siblings, recognizing that welcome has not always been extended and committing ourselves anew to a movement toward justice, healing, and shared community Evangelism is not about replicating what once was; It is about cultivating communities that reflect the fullness of God’s kin-dom, where all are welcomed, all are seen, and all are celebrated.
To do this, we ask two simple questions:
- What do I have to offer for evangelizing? The gifts you already carry, offered freely and relationally - your story, presence and the everyday ways that you reflect God’s grace.
- What do I need for evangelizing? Spiritual, relational and practical supports, such as the courage to speak, language that feels authentic, or companions to walk alongside you.
Your faith experiences are a treasure. Sharing the times you encountered grace, the moments you saw God at work in unexpected places — these are gifts to the church and to the world. Evangelism begins with the courage to speak from the heart, to name where God has met you, and to offer that story as a bridge to someone else’s journey. What do you want to share with the world? Who in your community most needs to hear it? How might your story become an invitation to hope?
You are not alone in this work. The ELCA offers a variety of tools to support congregations in their outreach and witness. Visit the ELCA Resources Center at https://resources.elca.org for free, downloadable resources like the Evangelism 101 Toolkit, Faith Practices for Spiritual Growth, and Stories of Faith in Action. These resources can equip you for conversations, training, and ministry planning as you are deepening relationships in your neighborhood.
Remember: evangelism is relational. It is sustained through conversation, accompaniment, and community. I invite you to reach out to me, your Director for Evangelical Mission (DEM), for ongoing conversations and to connect around initiatives that can strengthen your congregation’s witness. People often come to me to talk about how to connect to ELCA Coaching, how to share faith stories, or how to welcome new neighbors with intention. Others ask about One-to-One conversations, tools to be better stewards, or discerning next steps toward starting a new worshipping community. Whatever the question, we begin with relationship - and we walk forward together.
The Spirit is already moving ahead of us, calling us into places where love and justice meet, and where new life takes root.
Let us step boldly into this moment, carrying the good news as a joy to be shared.
By Branden Dupree
Director for Evangelical Mission and Advocacy Coordinator