Evangelism | The Branch

"I have yet to meet someone that was offended that I knew personally that I asked to pray with. Not one. They've always been touched by that." — Pastor Anthony Lombardi

What do you talk about when you are excited about something?

That is where this episode of the Branch Podcast begins. Pastors Anthony Lombardi, Matthew Johnson, and Chris Reed open the conversation the way most people talk before they even realize they are talking. Running. A TV show. Creatine. The natural overflow that happens when something good happens to you and you cannot wait to tell someone about it.

That impulse, they argue, is not just human nature. It is a window into what evangelism is actually supposed to feel like. Pastor Matthew pointed to a thought from C.S. Lewis that sharing joy somehow completes it. When you experience something good and keep it to yourself, the ceiling on that joy is lower than it needs to be. The same is true of faith.

Pastor Mary Johnson had made this point the previous Sunday in a way that landed hard for Pastor Matthew. She said that people are so quick to share the temporary and so slow to share the eternal. A restaurant recommendation takes no courage. Mentioning Jesus does. The episode is largely a conversation about why that gap exists and what to do about it.

Before getting practical, the pastors take time to define what they are actually talking about.
Pastor Matthew describes evangelism simply as telling someone about the gospel — the good news that God wants to be in a relationship with people and that Jesus has made that possible. But he is careful to frame evangelism as a means to an end, not the end itself. The goal is not a decision or a prayer. The goal is a living relationship with God. Evangelism is one part of how people get there.

Pastor Chris connects that to the broader mission of God. The world is full of people pursuing things that promise fullness and deliver something far less. Jobs, pleasure, approval, achievement — all of it falls short of what only God can provide. Evangelism is how the church participates in pointing people back toward what they were actually made for.

He also introduces the concept of witness alongside evangelism. Evangelism is the proclamation of the gospel. Witness is the demonstration of it. The life a believer lives either supports or undermines the message they are sharing. Both are necessary. Neither alone is enough.

One of the most freeing parts of this conversation is the discussion around what evangelism does not require.

Pastor Matthew is direct: most Christians avoid sharing their faith because they believe they will have to debate theology and they know they cannot win that debate. He pushes back on that fear with some historical perspective. The kingdom of God expanded for centuries before the average person owned a Bible. The printing press did not arrive until the late 1400s, and affordable Bibles in homes were not common until the 1800s. The gospel still spread. How? People shared the hope they had.

He turns to John 9 to make the point personal. When the Pharisees pressured the man born blind to discredit Jesus, he did not produce a theological argument. He said what he knew: he was blind, and now he sees. Nobody could argue with that. A personal testimony is not a debate position. It is simply a true account of what God has done, and that is something every believer has.

The pastors also address the quote often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi about preaching the gospel at all times and only using words when necessary. Pastor Anthony points out that Romans 10:14 asks plainly how someone can believe in a person they have never heard. Actions matter. They open the door. But at some point, words have to walk someone through it.

The conversation turns to 1 Corinthians 3, where Paul writes that some plant, some water, but God causes the growth. For anyone who has ever felt the weight of trying to convert someone, this passage offers real relief.

Pastor Anthony extends the agricultural metaphor in a way that is worth sitting with. Before a farmer plants, he tills the soil. He prepares the ground. In the context of evangelism, tilling the soil looks like kindness, consistency, and genuine care for a person before the gospel ever comes up in conversation.

He also points to Acts 16 and the encounter between Paul, Silas, and the Philippian jailer. Paul and Silas are in prison, praying and singing. The other prisoners are listening. When an earthquake frees them and the jailer is about to take his own life, Paul stops him. That act of care — choosing to protect this man's life rather than seize the opportunity to escape — is what prompts the jailer to ask what he must do to be saved. The witness and the word worked together. One set up the other.

Pastor Matthew shares something personal here. He has invested years in people and seen no visible fruit, only to find out later that person is on fire for God somewhere else. His first reaction used to be frustration. His second reaction was recognition. He planted or watered, and God brought the growth somewhere else. That is still a yes.

A word the pastors return to throughout the episode is relational. Evangelism that feels transactional — like a sales call or a presentation to get through — is not only ineffective. It misrepresents the gospel, which is itself an invitation into a relationship.

Pastor Matthew reflects on how he approaches social media. He keeps most of his posts personal or humorous because he has learned that if he burns relational credibility on every controversial topic, he loses his voice on the things that matter most to him. He wants a hearing when he talks about Jesus. That requires not disqualifying himself everywhere else first.

He also names something that has been consistent throughout his years in pastoral ministry. He has never once asked to pray for someone he knew personally and been turned down. People respond to genuine care. When the relationship is real, an offer to pray does not feel like a pitch. It feels like a friend.

The back half of the episode is full of things people can actually do. Pastor Anthony offers several that fit inside the idea of relational hospitality: being a blessing to the people around you, sharing meals, asking good questions and listening well. These are not strategies. They are expressions of care that naturally create the conditions for honest conversation.

On prayer, he describes three levels. There is the behind-the-scenes prayer where you are asking God to open a door or soften a heart. There is the moment when the Holy Spirit prompts you to offer to pray for someone in person. And there is what he calls praying the gospel — including elements of the gospel in your prayer so the person hears what you believe even if the conversation does not go further that day.

He also talks about letting God be a natural part of how you tell your own story. When someone asks how he ended up in Lancaster, he cannot tell that story honestly without talking about what God was doing in the middle of it. When you talk about God in a personal, normal way, people who believe in some version of a higher power hear something they do not yet have — a personal God who leads and moves and shows up. That is compelling in a way that Christian vocabulary often is not.

The pastors are equally honest about what works against a person's ability to share their faith.

Pastor Matthew talks about a disagreement with school administration over a production he felt was inappropriate for his children. He had every reason to get heated. He chose not to. His witness mattered more than winning that argument. The conversation ended on a relational note, and the next time he saw those administrators, there was no awkwardness. The door stayed open.

He names other things too — the way a person posts on social media, how they behave at a youth sporting event, how they treat people at work. These things either build or cost relational credibility. That credibility is what gives a person a real platform in someone else's life. A platform on social media is not the same thing as a platform in a person's life.

Pastor Chris adds that the language Christians use matters as well. Vocabulary that signals insider status can close doors just as quickly as bad behavior. The goal is not to sound like a super-Christian. The goal is to talk about God honestly and naturally in the same way you would talk about anything else that has genuinely shaped your life.

The episode closes with a challenge that is simple to understand and harder to live out. Be intentional about the people God has placed around you.

Pastor Anthony says it directly: until intentionality becomes part of how you think about the people in your everyday life, nothing else in this conversation is going to produce fruit. Intentionality is what fuels the prayer. It is what fuels the relationship-building. It is what keeps you ready when God opens a door.

And when you do step through that door, even without all the answers, even imperfectly, you get to be a small part of something God is doing in someone's life. That is not a small thing.

If you are searching for a church in Lancaster or a church in Logan, The Tree Church would love to have you join us.

We gather at two campuses in Ohio:

Lancaster Campus Sunday Services at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM

Logan Campus Sunday Services at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM

Whether you are new to faith or looking for a church home where you can grow, The Tree Church is a place to take your next step. We would love to welcome you this Sunday.