There are aspects of Friendship Evangelism which the leaders in each congregation will want to consider as you reflect on the advantages of this type of approach. in some respects these might be viewed as "negatives". It is important, however, to think realistically, set proper expectations, and make adjustments which meet your local situation. in the few paragraphs which follow, these "real" considerations are discussed.

First, Friendship Evangelism does not work well as a "program" The meaning here is in the traditional sense, i.e. a specific set of activities which often have a definite beginning and ending, such as a "visitation" program. You might think that the congregation can be organized in some fashion, a concerted push made for Friendship Evangelism to begin, and run things that way until the "steam runs out". You will probably find the results to be disappointing. The reason for this is that Friendship Evangelism produces results in a slower, more steady way than our expectations for a "program" will allow. A more realistic evaluation of how well your efforts toward Friendship Evangelism are progressing should include a measure of how many in your congregation are at some meaningful relationship with individuals and the quality of those relationships. Is there progress toward the goal of those friends responding to the Master?

Because of this feature of Friendship Evangelism, it is important to continue to plan specific "events" or "programs" which will allow for the individual decision and response of interested "friends" to take place. Short term (six weeks) home Bible studies that deal with "first principles" are an excellent means to facilitate friendships turning into responses. Gospel meetings can help. An evening Vacation Bible School series linked with a special adult program, which we call a Community Enrichment Seminar, can also provide a non-threatening introduction to church for non-members. There are numerous creative opportunities that we can use to touch the "felt needs" of the non-Christians.

A second aspect of Friendship Evangelism that can sometimes occur relates to the response to baptism by some who have become our "friends". We find in more cases than might be expected, that our friends do not see baptism as that "all critical turning point" in their lives. Perhaps this is because our friendships may not allow for much confrontation of specific sin. Therefore, the "conviction" that precedes repentance and baptism has not been firmly established. This may lead to a conviction by our friends that they are "born again" or "baptized believers", when they do not have proper understanding of Biblical concepts of conversion. Also, in just the last few years, we are discovering that there are more and more "baptized believers", who were immersed for the right reasons, but not by one of "our" people. All of this confusion can be mitigated by making sure that there is strong basic teaching available to supplement the "friendship" part of evangelism.

Friendship Evangelism has several positive congregational benefits which are also based in reality. The integration of the new convert into the "body life" is much smoother and more natural than with other evangelistic approaches. That built-in "friend" obviously helps the transition and integration. Additionally, when other activities are planned with the knowledge that friendships are a foundation of a congregation's evangelistic emphasis, the complete outlook of a congregation can be transformed. As an example, it becomes easier to answer questions like "Should we have a ladies class?" or "Do we need a strong youth program?" A significant part of the answers to such questions is revealed when we determine the needs that the non-churched in our communities identify. Meet the needs of the friends of your local Christians and you will be meeting the needs of your congregation-at-large, too.

Friendship Evangelism is something for which everyone in the congregation can be positive and for which everyone can feel a part. That may be it's greatest strength. If it can be made a unifying force, the "glue" that helps hold a body together, then its benefit goes beyond the obvious. Our love for our lost friends and our collective efforts to reach out and share Jesus with them is the same "glue" that holds us all together.