have to admit that my husband and I weren’t praying for open doors when we began rollerblading more than a decade ago. It was another sport for him to conquer and I was just thrilled to be able to stay on my feet, since I never got the hang of ice or roller-skating.

Once I mastered the basic techniques, we hit the bike trails. We soon struck up conversations with fellow rollerblade enthusiasts we passed. We became friends with one couple and arranged to meet up with them a few times. However, they broke up, and we then spent hours talking to one of them, giving him a shoulder on which to lean. Soon, he was coming to church with us.

We also went to “rollerblade night” at the local skating rink. As my husband expertly sailed around the floor, he made small talk with other rollerbladers or skaters. We found ourselves talking to many singles, and most were going through challenging times.

As we began to know them better, we invited them to church, and many accepted our invitation. We soon had so many singles attending church from our “rollerblade ministry” that we established a singles Bible study at our apartment.

By making the initial contact with these people and bringing them to church, we followed a practice the Apostle Paul talks about: seed planting. In 1 Corinthians 3: 6, he says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”

We weren’t the only people who took an interest in these singles. Other couples from the church reached out, opening up their hearts and their homes. Our pastor and his wife also watered the seeds, getting to know the singles and counseling many of them in various areas. Also, as time went on, the group members reached out to each other.

In my own past experiences, it’s been hard for me to know how to share the gospel with others or, in fact, simply how to invite others to church. Others have shared that opinion with me. My belief is that the best practice, which I learned from my pastor, is “friendship evangelism.”

Aside from taking up rollerblading, here are some ideas for arenas where we can practice friendship evangelism:

1. At a kids’ sports program, get to know the parents and grandparents who come to the games.
2. If you own a business, go to city meetings; get to know neighboring business owners and make it a point to be on a first-name basis.
3. Look for ways to practice “random acts of kindness” in your neighborhood or business area such as shoveling snow off sidewalks.
4. If you find out someone struggling in a certain area, offer to pray for the individual or recommend a book that might help.
5. When mentoring a coworker or classmate, look for ways to share how the Lord helps you be successful in your endeavors.
6. People love receiving greeting cards on special occasions. Send or e-mail one, including one of your favorite scriptures.
7. Invite a friend out or to your home to see a movie that has a gospel theme, such as “Fireproof.”
8. In times of tragedy, such as the death of a loved one, people often give more thought to eternity. Take the opportunity to share your faith and hope.  
9. Of course, Easter and Christmas are always wonderful opportunities for anyone to invite others to church.

In all of these ventures, tailor your invitations to church to the individual’s needs. You may even offer to buy lunch after Sunday services.

There are many ways to practice friendship evangelism and have an impact on coworkers, teammates, classmates, neighbors and others. The key is realizing you have to build a relationship first.

Another important aspect of friendship evangelism is what the Apostle Paul admonished people to do: pray for open doors. In Colossians 4:3, he says, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message ....” Then we just need to remember to watch for those doors that God opens, then plant a seed and invite others to church.