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**Guest post by Demian Farnworth, keynote blogger at Fallen and Flawed**
Imagine you’ve just stepped out of the subway and bumped into a co-worker who looks sad. You ask him what’s wrong.
He lays this on you: his wife left him that morning.
Just as the elevator opens–full of people–he turns and levels his eyes at you. He says, “So, what do you think?”
You’re about to step into a crowded elevator with only have 30 seconds of his time. All eyes are on you. What do you say?
Introducing the Elevator Pitch
With such a short period of time, it’s obvious: You need an elevator pitch.
What is an elevator pitch? It’s a ridiculously short summary of what you believe. And your elevator pitch should be grounded in these two principles: the authority of scripture and the exclusive claim of salvation through Jesus.
Don’t get distracted by side issues like “Isn’t God compatible with evolution?” or “What does the parable of the sower really mean?”
You don’t have time for that.
You make it plain. You make it simple. And you stick to the point: the authority of the Bible and the exclusivity of salvation through Jesus.
To help you create your own elevator pitch, let’s look at these key points.
The Authority of the Bible
How do we know that the Bible is the ultimate authority? Norman Geisler and Frank Turek give a sound explanation in their book I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. The argument goes something like this:
- Jesus affirmed the Old Testament to be the inerrant, imperishable, inspired, unbreakable, historically and scientifically reliable supreme Word of God.
- Jesus promised the same for the New Testament.
- And if we know that Jesus is God, then what he says about the Bible must be true.
Your next point centers on the uniqueness of Jesus.
The Exclusivity of Christ
Couple of things to note here.
- No other world teacher claimed to be God.
- No other world teacher proved his claims to be God through fulfillment of prophecy, a sinless life and resurrection from the dead.
- And no other religious leader offered salvation by faith, apart from works, to clear guilt for human sin.
Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus made it clear: he only offered two choices. One that saves. And one that condemns. The narrow gate or the wide gate.
Read Phillips Only One Way? to learn more about the Bible’s teaching that Christ is the only way to salvation.
This Is What I Would Say
So, what would I say if I was about to step onto that crowded elevator? Something like this:
You know, I believe in the inerrant, infallible and inspired Word of God–the Bible. And I believe that the Bible reveals God’s plan to reconcile a rebellious people to himself through his son, Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, was crucified on the cross, died, was buried, and three days later raised from the dead. And I believe if we confess Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins, we’ll receive forgiveness, avoid the punishment of our sins in hell and enjoy eternal life with God. That is the only truth that matters.
I’m not saying this would be easy. More than likely I’d sweat like a racehorse in 102 degree heat and my chattering teeth would sound like pounding hooves. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I said it.
Cheat Sheet for Your Own Elevator Pitch
Having trouble coming up with your own elevator pitch? Then memorize 2 Thessalonians 5:9-10. Or Ephesians 2:4-6.
And once you’ve memorized it, practice reciting with your friends.
Do you have an elevator pitch for the Gospel? Share it with us in the comments.
Demian Farnworth
My Blog
who am i? 
If you’d like some help from an actual atheist:
completely unconvincing.
That’s the beauty of the gospel, Mr. morsec0de…I don’t have to convince you. That’s not my duty. Articulating the gospel is.
Except I meant both you and your gospel.
Your duty as a believer is to present the gospel. We are told to “go forth into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) We plant the seed, someone else waters, but it is God who gives the growth. Thank you for this page, Demian, I’m currently attempting to witness to a homeless, transgender friend who has turned to prostitution and found your page in my search. Don’t let Mr. athiest discourage you, simply pray for his soul. =) Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Not sure what you mean by “both you and your gospel.”
What I meant is that I found neither your 30 second pitch nor the underlying gospel, which I have read, to be convincing in any way. The only way it would be convincing is if I already believed. Which defeats the point.
morsec0de,
Suppose for a moment that the biblical account of Jesus is historical, and this description of the gospel does reflect reality.
If it were, would you really expect a 30-second statement to be convincing? That would involve unraveling all the mistaken or half-true assumptions & logic present in your mind–everything that contributes to your current viewpoint.
That’s quite a tall order for a 30-second statement.
“If it were, would you really expect a 30-second statement to be convincing?”
Then why is he giving himself that time limit? I didn’t give it to him.
I’ll answer that though it were a sincere question, though it looks like you meant it as a rhetorical flourish.
He didn’t give himself that time limit. He talked about a situation where someone asks him what he thinks in an elevator. This is answering “How do you describe Christianity in situations where the other person is going to leave in 30 seconds?”, not “How do you make the case for Christianity?”
It’s like you’re dismissing a 30-second explanation of the gold standard because it doesn’t include an adequate case for adopting it as the nation’s monetary policy.
morsc0de, “The only way it would be convincing is if I already believed.” That’s not how it works. Just ask any Christian.
I certainly didn’t go looking to be convinced or had a smidgen of desire to want to believe before I was a Christian.
Salvation is when God invades your life and gives you the gift of belief. And he does that through the articulation of the gospel. That’s why I don’t have to be convincing. I just have to be obedient to open my mouth and share the truth that God’s wrath is pacified through Jesus Christ.
Whether you or any atheist believes…that is out of my control. As it should be. As I WANT it to be.
So that you rebuff it isn’t the least bit surprising. That’s to be expected. And it’s not so much an intellectual argument as it is a moral and emotional one. A spiritual one. Namely that your spirit is dead and you can’t believe until your spirit has been raised from the dead. And that’s the prerogative of God…
A God to whom I pray that he’ll open your eyes to see the beauty and majesty of Christ. I say this in utmost humility, in fear and concern for your soul. I don’t know you, but I urge you to reconsider. Sincerely, Demian
Demian, this is a great topic and something we should all think about. Even our atheist friends should have an elevator speech ready, so they can explain why they believe (or is it disbelieve?) what they do and offer hope to those around them.
morsec0de, would you be willing to provide your own brief explanation of your beliefs – in 30 seconds or less? I don’t think elevator speeches should be limited to Christians.
Please don’t be offended if I respond by saying I don’t find it convincing.
Thanks,
Derek Ashton
“morsec0de, would you be willing to provide your own brief explanation of your beliefs – in 30 seconds or less? I don’t think elevator speeches should be limited to Christians.”
Why? Nothing about my beliefs in any way requires me to try and convince other people of them.
If you seem to be hurting people because of your beliefs, then I’ll try and convince you you’re wrong. Or I’ll just do it because I enjoy the conversation. But either way I have no compulsion to limit myself to 30 seconds.
I wrote about this not long ago on SBCVoices: http://sbcvoices.com/sharing-the-gospel-incorporating-advice-from-bill-hybels/
Here is the 35 second presentation I came up with:
It’s our purpose to glorify God, but instead we’ve violated His law. Since God is just, He must punish sin with His wrath. God’s wrath for us means eternity in hell. Jesus is perfect and lived without sin but was killed on the cross. Jesus didn’t deserve this fate, we do. He took the wrath in place of everyone who repents and believes. Repent by rejecting your sin and seeking God’s strength to stay away from it. Believe by trusting in Jesus alone to save you. On the third day Jesus rose from the grave and is alive now.
To me, giving a 30 second speech to a hurting soul seems cold. Instead, I think I’d say “how bout we talk about it over coffee”. But then again, I’m a woman and if someone said that me if my husband left me, I think I would feel like no one cared. Maybe an elevator pitch might work in some cases, but I think that if I said that to someone, I’d look like a jerk who didn’t care about his problems. Yes the gospel message is what matters, but I’m not sure if I could ever present it in that way. I get there are times that you might just need to be blunt and state something like this to someone who needs to hear it. I just don’t think I could ever do that…it sounds uncaring.
Yeah, I would just want to put my arm on that person’s shoulder and say “Oh wow, that has got to be hard! You must be hurting terribly. I’ll pray for you, and your wife.” rather than give the apologetics presentation. But I think I need to get better at both, and both are useful in the right context.
Derek and MB, I’m totally with you…but it’s not so much the situation I care about but the question can you articulate what you believe in 30 seconds or less.
Maybe I used a bad example. 😉
I certainly understand Derek and MB’s point. There are times when the only appropriate thing to do is weep with those who weep. But it’s not necessarily a bad example. Your point (I think) is that there are times when you may only have a few seconds to say something of eternal importance to someone, and caring about their soul may mean saying something in those few seconds that sounds uncaring.
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I think the example is bad.
I agree with morsecode. Unconvincing. Also inappropriate. It’s clear that our hypothetical “you” doesn’t care about the situation that “your” friend is in, only in relieving our conscience of the duty of “witnessing” to him.
I think the GREATEST testimony of the Gospel is to show people that it causes US to love THEM, rather than trying to get all theological in 30 seconds.
And having to say all that stuff “right” is one of the greatest deterrents to actually love people that there could possibly be.
And yes, I fully and totally believe that your “friend” needs the Gospel. I just think you’re trying to say WAY too much.
Barry – “caring about their soul may mean saying something in those few seconds that sounds uncaring.” Interesting. I hear this in a lot of “Christian circles”, but I really don’t buy into it. I’m pretty doggone sure that if we really care, it will be obvious. I know human psychology is pretty tricky, but this is pretty much a “hate the sin, love the sinner” problem that don’t sit well with me. And I’m not a liberal. Whatever that is. 🙂
Bernard, I understand your objection to my statement, but I think it’s true nonetheless. I find many examples in the gospels of Jesus (who loved better than any of us ever will) doing precisely that. Someone comes to him in need, and he says something that sounds quite harsh at times, but it is without a doubt designed for that person’s eternal good.
Oh, and by the way, if I messed up the above comment, it’s probably because I was trying to write it all rather quickly, and it still took much more than 30 seconds, which is further proof that we need to be really really really really careful about how we respond in these situations that Demian is describing.
A couple of points come to mind:
First, nothing in Scripture implies that this (or any) situation is one in which to attempt to bear witness to the Gospel. Knowing that our sovereign God has arranged this seemingly too short meeting for a purpose, the most obvious reason would be that you can intercede in prayer on your friend’s behalf.
It doesn’t matter the least what the friend thinks of YOU, what matters is that he/she needs Christ’s intervention, and no one is better equipped to set that up than God Himself. Call out to Him. Perhaps later you may get another, longer, opportunity– perhaps not. No matter.
This view is not a denial of the Great Commission, but we are not told to take the Gospel to every creature at every moment. Especially not in circumstances wherein an abbreviated version could be more confusing than not.
Second, drop the “I believe” from any and every witness to Christ’s Gospel. The Word of God is to be spoken with authority. Even when it is unintentionally misquoted or poorly handled, the Truth rides upon the power of God the Holy Spirit. Be as accurate as possible and speak from a base of love rather than duty, but place your trust in your Lord, not in your own ability.
Anyone, hearing you preach Christ will KNOW that you are telling them what you believe (otherwise why would you be telling it?). “I believe” weakens the presentation from an authoratative message to a mere opinion, carrying no more weight than “I believe it may rain.”
When speaking for Christ, “I believe” goes without saying. So let it.
Okay, I apologize: It’s my fault every one is getting hung up on the scenario. It was a bad example.
But that’s NOT the point of the post.
The point of the post is this: Do you understand what you believe? And can you articulate it in a simple message? If you can’t, you DON’T understand what you believe.
Al, I think it’s okay to say “I believe” as long as you have reasons for your belief. That’s why I spent considerable time demonstrating a defense.
Bernard, you said you weren’t convinced. My reply to morsec0de applies to you as well.
And by the way, I agree with you that loving people is a great testimony to the spirit of Christ in our hearts and…what better way to do that than tell them about the hope of Christ?
Demian,
I think your not-so-great-scenario is actually helpful because it forces us to think about when and where the “elevator speech” is appropriate, and also how to respond to other types of situations when we don’t deem the “elevator speech” to be appropriate. Love compels us to think about these things, and from what I know of you I believe it is Christ’s love that is motivating you to ask us these questions.
In this regard to the phrase “I believe,” Acts 27:25 might be worth a visit . . .
Blessings,
Derek
Correction – I didn’t say I wasn’t convinced. I intended to communicate that your discourse wasn’t convincing. 🙂 Bit painful to get the same response that an admitted atheist gets.
I do understand what you mean. And I largely agree with your response to morsec0de, especially in regards to whose responsibility it is for someone to get saved or not. It breaks my heart every time I hear a well-intentioned Christian say “we gotta witness to these people or they can’t get saved!” You obviously understand how un-true that is. Thank you.
However, your 30 second discourse is “unconvincing”. That’s just my first grab on it. It’s great theology, and I agree with it 100%. It just reads like you’re trying to jam everything you learned in an evangelism course into 30 seconds.
Being able to describe our beliefs in 30 seconds is a great thing, but PRESENTING THE GOSPEL in 30 seconds, to a totally unsuspecting unbeliever, perhaps needs to be contextualized carefully. If someone asks “What do you believe about God?”, that’s a whole different question to “What on earth does this blanked up mess of my life mean?”
Sorry for the multiple comments…. I missed this before I wrote the last one..
Al – “Second, drop the “I believe” from any and every witness to Christ’s Gospel. ”
Understood (not that you were talking to me…), but I think there’s a good way to say this and a wrong way to say it.
In a genuine discussion, I believe we do Christianity terrible disservice if we are not willing to admit that we have interpreted some pieces of it very differently from others. I do not like to take the hardheaded, knucklebusting fundamentalist approach that says I’ve got it ALL figured out perfectly.
As well, I believe (lol) that it’s critical to pass the message on that we REALLY DO BELIEVE what we are telling the person. Not just that some evangelism coach in Sunday School programmed us to say certain things. This is real belief. This is not parroting. I’m not reading you a script, neighbor, I REALLY BELIEVE THIS. As well, if we bounce on down the line to tell the person that YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THIS in order to be saved, please tell me why on earth it is so wrong to say “I believe” during the presentation of it?
If “believing” is no more important than “believing it will rain”, then there’s a major problem with John 3:16. My reading of the Bible tells me that my eternity depends on what I believe. Period. I don’t see that as trivial or that it should be eliminated from a presentation of the Gospel.
I believe it has it’s place. 🙂 🙂 🙂
By the way, Demian, can I quote this in my personal belief statement?
“You know, I believe in the inerrant, infallible and inspired Word of God–the Bible. And I believe that the Bible reveals God’s plan to reconcile a rebellious people to himself through his son, Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, was crucified on the cross, died, was buried, and three days later raised from the dead. And I believe if we confess Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins, we’ll receive forgiveness, avoid the punishment of our sins in hell and enjoy eternal life with God. That is the only truth that matters.”
I like it.
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Bernard, you said, “It just reads like you’re trying to jam everything you learned in an evangelism course into 30 seconds.”
I went back and read it again and I have to agree. I see where you’re coming from now.
By the way, I’m honored you even asked to use that for your own belief statement. Feel free.
And also, I appreciate your thoughtful reply to Al.
D, you are quite right in saying that I, at least, got caught up in the scenario & missed the point of the post, which is that one should know what one believes and why one believes it. Please accept my apology. It is an excellent and imperative point.
It seems I’m getting my payback in that apparently no one gets the point of my comments, above. It happens– some days you’re the pigeon, some days the statue. 🙂
Blessings,
al
Sorry, Al, I didn’t mean to offend or poop on ya. Perhaps I shouldn’t say so much in my first visit to Barry’s blog. My apologies.
No apologies necessary!
I agree with the point of the post, and also with the critiques. I think that the gospel can be presented in any situation, including to the coworker mentioned above, but I think that it requires different approaches in differing situations.
It seems to me that the solution would be to have different “elevator pitches” for the different situations. Definitely the first one to prepare would be a straight gospel approach like Damian lined out above. A close second would be to have a quick statement ready for a nonbeliever in the middle of a crisis, one that would be empathetic, but also point to Christ, and invite a more in depth discussion.
The first thing I do in a situation like the one presented in the post is pray. I pray for the person, for my heart, and for wisdom, while listening to the person, and then while speaking.
I know it’s corny, but they (hurting unbelievers) really don’t care how much (or who) you know, until they know how much you care, or if you care for that matter.
Hey Bernard, no offense taken.
I always value your comments, whether or not we agree.
The pigeon/statue remark was simply a generalization– nothing personal implied.
Honestly, I think I would be offended if someone pitched these words my way, especially after such experiencing such devastation.
Demian, it sounds like you are trying to relieve yourself of an obligation, rather than to offer comfort. The listener would see through it and reject your words not for what you said but for your delivery method.
What you said is Biblically correct, but not appropriate for the moment. You are taking a marketing pitch and trying to fit the gospel message into it. That is why people are disagreeing with you here.
Better to tell your co-worker that you’re available to talk when he is ready, trusting the Holy Spirit to make it so. Let Him guide your words and, please, keep it authentic.
I agree that you should know and be able to articulate your belief. And I love the elevator speach concept!
I also agree with AL that “God has arranged this seemingly too short meeting for a purpose.”
There is something of value and purpose in all circumstances and experiences. (Opportunity to learn and grow)
In any situation (short or other wise) we should be looking to ” God the Holy Spirt” for guidence by asking how can I help right now? It may be as simple as praying for the person, it could be asking for more time over that cup of coffe! Trust the Holy Spirit as your guide and you will always get it right!
A few points points:
(1) Other passages you might find helpful as brief summaries of the gospel: Romans 5:8-9, Titus 3:3-7. Good summaries there, and you can point people back to the broader contexts if they’re curious.
(2) Thirty-second presentations might be better suited for the answer to “What do you believe?”–leaving you with the opportunity to elaborate if interested. It’s usually better if it’s clear that it really is what you believe and know, ie. “The best way to sum it up is by just letting the Bible say it for me: [passage]. There’s a lot more than just that, but that’s the foundation and the basis of everything else.”
(3) Whether this would be an appropriate response to a coworker is really difficult to say. While I am sympathetic to those who note that this would just offend, I also think that it depends on how much of a relationship already exists, and simply what God leads. Relationships are deeply helpful and valuable in sharing Christ. However, we can put too much emphasis on them just as easily as too little… most of the evangelism we see in the New Testament has little or no connection to ongoing relationships in it. By all means, let’s evangelize relationally and sensitively–but let’s also evangelize boldy and yes, confrontationally, even with people we don’t know! Discernment and wisdom!
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My pitch:
God Is. He is real. There is no true happiness without God. Belief is a choice. Decide today to accept his love and salvation. It is that simple.
Tom, generally speaking a simple, uncomplicated proclamation of the truth, spoken out of genuine love for a person, is the best thing we could possibly do. It is important, though, as Demian pointed out, that our proclamation is heavily weighted with the fundamental truths of the gospel, since the gospel itself “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16).
Personally, if a co-worker of mine spouse just left them and they asked me what I thought I would say, “I am so sorry to hear that. Do you want to go to lunch together? My treat.”
I don’t see how bringing up something like God or Jesus will make him feel any less alienated. We don’t know if this co-worker was raised Catholic and was married in the Catholic church and as such he might get the idea that God had left him/her to fend for himself/herself. S/he might very much think they are Christian and blindsiding someone with God after being blindsided by someone they thought would always be there is just mean. Lunch gives you a chance to get to know them better so you know where they are religiously and gives you the chance to pray with them for Gods will in their lives.
MamaMay, I think most people would agree that would be a good way to approach this particular situation. In principle, though, I think it’s still good to be able to articulate the gospel succinctly (as Demian did in his example) for those occasions in life where you may not have the opportunity to meet later. Thanks for commenting!
Hear Rom 10 9-10, believe, repent, be baptized in the likeness of his death Rom 6, and live faithful even until the point of death Rev. 2 10. You cant leave this out..
Thank you all for your discussions from 2010. It is informing me as I prepare an Easter sermon in 2016. Mark 16:1-8 “Go, Tell.”