The Soul-arium Train
The Soul-arium Train? A Slightly Different Approach to Evangelism Strategy.
by, Brian Frye, Collegiate Ministries, SCBO
In October 2009 the evangelism team of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry Network sat down to tackle the issue of evangelistic effectiveness in Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) circles. As we met, we knew that several BCMs, evangelistically speaking, knock the ball out of the park. We also knew (and this may sting a bit for some), that many BCMs don’t tackle evangelism quite as well as they could.
As the evangelism team pinged discussion to and fro in our war room, we threw out all kinds of ideas about what we could do to help collegians become more effective in their evangelism. It was tough and it got messy…but at the end of the day we arrived at an idea, or better said, a question
“What one concept could we champion that would help every BCM student engage more people with the gospel?”
As the committee fussed, discussed, and mindstormed together, we realized that the greatest challenge in motivating or influencing Christian students to share the gospel is simply helping them to engage people in evangelistic conversation. Most Christians know the gospel (and yes this is somewhat of a self-evident statement), but many of our college students are challenged when it comes to sharing it. It was in light of this thinking that our evangelism team arrived at our goal—motivate and mobilize college students to engage more lost people with the gospel.
Enter Soularium. Developed by some Missionaries in Spain, Soularium is an evangelistic engagement tool that uses pictures to segue regular conversation into spiritual dialogue, and ultimately, to a gospel presentation. The Soularium creators explain it this way:
“Soularium provides 50 images and a few simple questions to allow you to enter and explore the lives of people around you…[it] allows you to come alongside another person on their journey by exploring where they’ve been, where they are now, and where they’re headed. Asking questions and genuinely listening can open a door to significant spiritual conversation about Jesus.”
As we thought about Soularium and its application, we began to realize that because of the tool’s simplicity, Soularium could be used in a variety of ways and in many different contexts. Further, we realized that Soularium’s dialogical approach of image-based spiritual questioning was remarkable. With a Soularium box in hand, college students are enabled to engage more deeply and relationally into the lives of the persons with whom they share. It masterfully sets the table for gospel presentation and acceptance.
Soularium is by no means a “silver bullet” of evangelism, nor is it intended to replace successful evangelism tools and methods currently in use. What is intended with Soularium is a universal, system-wide increase in the number of college students reaching into the lives of non-believers, and ultimately, leading more of the lost in the only relationship that can save.
As each non-believer explains why certain pictures resonate with him or her, a dialogue opens that can allow the sharer to see into a person’s soul.
If you’re interested in learning more about Soularium, check out the Soularium website at http://www.campuscrusade.com/WSN/soul.htm. If the price scares you a bit, we’ve got good news. Through a Cooperative Program partnership with the North American Mission Board (NAMB), we are able to get you Soularium kits at deeply (Marianas trench-like) discounted prices. For more information, contact Brian Frye (bfrye@scbo.org).
Enjoy your ride on the Soularium train. All aboard!?
