MEET THE ENGLE SCALE

 

James Engle introduced a scale that shows the different levels of receptivity a person goes through in their relationship to Christ. The Engle Scale helps us to see evangelism as a journey, moving people from no knowledge or awareness of God to becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. We have often seen the back end of this journey--discipleship--as a process, but failed to see the front end of the journey as a process as well. Look at the scale listed below:

Level	Description	God Is	Man's Task
-12	No God framework	Confirming	Prayer
-11	Experience of emptiness		Presence
-10	God framework	Revealing
-9	Vague awareness and belief in God
-8	Wondering if God can be known		Preparation
-7	Aware of Jesus	Guiding
-6	Interested in Jesus
-5	Experience of Christian love		Proclamation
-4	Aware of the basic facts of the gospel	Convicting
-3	Aware of personal need
-2	Grasp the implications of the gospel		Power
-1	Challenged to respond personally	Converting
0	Repentance and faith
+1	Holy Spirit and baptism	Transforming	Encouragement
+2	Functioning member of local Church	Empowering
+3	Continuing growth in character, lifestyle and service
+4	Part of Team Leadership		Support

On this scale you see the two right side columns.  One column describes how God presents Himself to the person moving along the scale.  

The other column shows what our task is with the inquiring person.  At first, all we can or should do is prayer for the person and making our self available to God to be used in the life of the person.  Then we become more involved and slowly plant the seeds of the gospel and begin cultivation.  Sometimes development is rapid, sometimes we don’t see any movement.  But we should never give up on the relationship.

If we lived in an area (or maybe I should say “era”) where everyone was a -4 or -3 then we could just share the gospel and see pretty positive results.  However, I think we are all aware that we mingle among people who are on all different levels of the scale, beginning at -12 on up.

I am sharing this to help all of us understand that evangelism is a process that is highly individualized.  We need to recognize where a seeker is on the scale and develop ways to move them to the next level.  The other important thing we need to consider is that it will take some time, depending on where they are on the scale.  The further down they are, the longer it will take.

That is why we stress inviting every member and every prospect to every class party or function every time.  Those times of fellowship are valuable in moving a person through the levels to the point where we can share the good news of Christ without fear because they are at a point where they are eager to hear it.

Make it a goal for your classes to provide ample opportunities for your members to develop relationships with prospects and make sure they are equipped to know what to do when God opens the door for the gospel to be received.

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR CHURCH & COMMUNITY – DevoHub, providing daily devotional material directly to your smart phone or tablet - http://devohub.com/

FOR CHURCH PLANTERS: Helps in starting and sustaining new church starts - https://newchurches.com/

FOR LEADER TRAINING: Leadership Pipeline Conference, October 13 & 14 - http://myleadershippipeline.com/

FOR LEADER TRAINING: On Track National Sunday School Conference, Hendersonville, TN, March 17 & 18, 2017 - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/OnTrack?type=events

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERS: Growing Groups Forums, October 6, 13, 20, & 27 (check the link for a location near you) - http://gabaptistgroups.org/2016-growing-groups-forums/

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERS: Become a Bible Study Insider - http://biblestudyinsider.com/bsi-order-form/?emid=BSI-08232016#.V8rwpjXEKkU

FOR BIBLE STUDY LEADERS: smallgroup.com – tailor-make your Bible studies or discipleship groups topics - http://home.smallgroup.com/about

FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: National Sunday School Director Seminar, October 22, 2016, Norman Park, GA - http://www.lifeway.com/event/Leadership-Training-National-Sunday-School-Director-Seminar-2016-Norman-Park-GA

FOR SMALL GROUPS: How to Start a Small Group in 9 Easy Steps - http://www.lifeway.com/Article/ministry-a-Small-Group-Bible-Study-Plan

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Disciples Path OR The Journey, two options for developing disciples - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Disciples-Path

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken (a great follow up to the “Insanity of God” movie - http://www.lifeway.com/n/product-family/insanity-of-obedience

FOR MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT: Marriage Getaways at Ridgecrest, NC - http://buff.ly/2b7VhXI

FOR MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT:  A Beautiful Design by Matt Chandler, recognizing God’s design in men and women - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/A-Beautiful-Design?emid=adult-enewsletter-abd-70576

FOR FAMILY MINISTRY: ETCH (Equipping The Church & Home) Conference, Nashville, TN, October 3-5, 2016 - http://etchconference.com/

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Living Proof Simulcast with Beth Moore, September 17, 2016; host one at your church or in your home – http://buff.ly/2b7VOc6

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: 5 Top Women’s Studies for the fall - http://buff.ly/2aO1FZ4

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Mistakes we make in Men's ministry. http://buff.ly/2bBDsCC

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Onward by Russell Moore, confronting today’s culture with Christ - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Onward?intcmp=Men-MTX-Slider-Onward-20160314

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood – http://www.lifeway.com/Product/stepping-up-a-call-to-courageous-manhood-leader-kit-P005764897

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: The LIFT Tour for developing student leaders - http://www.slulead.com/lift-tour

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Join the Student Pastor Network.  No one should do student ministry alone. http://buff.ly/2bzBQfJ

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: Disciples Path for students – a new series for developing your student’s discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/Disciples-Path/Youth/c/N-1z0znzeZ1z141ym?intcmp=DisciplesPath-MTX-Text-Students-20150625

FOR STUDENT MINISTRY: It’s Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke, the Christian Life is more than receiving a pass into heaven - http://www.lifeway.com/Product/its-not-what-you-think-student-leader-kit-P005782007

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Training Videos on sharing the gospel through each of our Kids curriculum resources - http://www.lifeway.com/Kids/Video/c/N-1z10cb8Z1z10do1Z1z141rs?cid=RDR-kidsgospelpresentation

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: 6 Ways to Touch the Hearts of The Parents - http://buff.ly/2bCITnK

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: What You Wish Volunteers Understood about you - http://buff.ly/2bltMt7

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: TeamKid’s “Catching Air”, the newest cycle is this discipleship bestseller - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/TeamKID?intcmp=teamkid-erdr-314