Q: What is an ‘Envoy‘?
A: A messenger or representative, especially one on a diplomatic mission.
“…we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
(2 Corinthians 5.20, NLT)
Taking seriously these words of the Apostle Paul, the Church Army has devoted itself to equipping God’s people for the work of being Christ’s ambassadors – His ‘Envoys’, if you like. They believe (in keeping with the entire thrust of the New Testament), that we are all witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus, and that it is possible to make our evangelism a way of life.
So many people think that evangelism is all about inviting other people to ‘Christian’ events, where someone else will do all the talking, but it is so much more than that! Just as anyone who exercises knows that the best way to get in shape is by having a consistently healthy lifestyle, so it is with evangelism – it works best when it is a consistently positive way of life.
But how do we live like that? Where do we start?
What many of us need is an Evangelism Coach. Someone who can come alongside us, restore our confidence in the Gospel, and help us work out how to communicate well in our own particular contexts. We also need a group of peers who will cheer us on, ask us how we got on, and encourage us to keep chatting on about Jesus – as a way of life!
That is what ‘Envoy‘ is all about…
Now clearly, that is the ‘souped up’ marketing video, and that approach may (or may not) have worked for you! In case it didn’t, please don’t switch off just yet. For a flavour of what it is actually like to be coached within an Envoy cohort, just click on this link, which will take you to a very real, low budget video, featuring one of Envoy’s experienced Evangelism Coaches.
If any of what you have read, seen and heard about Envoy appeals to you, and you would like to know more, please visit the Envoy web-site, whose bespoke URL is simply: www.envoy.website. I was personally involved in an Envoy cohort last year, during the second lockdown, and it significantly helped me to navigate my way through a particularly tricky season for personal evangelism!
So, watch the videos, visit the web-site, complete the ‘Connect With Us’ section, or get in touch directly with the Envoy course leader, Neville Barnes: neville.barnes@churcharmy.org. As you do this, may you be reinvigorated in your enthusiasm for evangelism, and faithful in your witness to the greatness of Jesus. May evangelism become for you a fruitful and joyful way of life.
Dan Rogers, Joshua Centre Director