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# Belong Before You Believe: The Celtic Way of Evangelism
- URL: https://blog.makeprayerbeautiful.com/belong-before-you-believe-the-celtic-way-of-evangelism/
- Published: 2026-08-22T18:54:08.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-22T18:54:08.000Z
- Description: Relationship itself is an advance for the kingdom.
- Author: Amy Lykosh
- Tags: Calling & Your Lane

In *The Celtic Way of Evangelism*, George G. Hunter III talks about how the Celts practiced evangelism in a completely different way than the Romans.

In the Roman model, a missionary goes to unbelievers and presents the gospel, using propositional truth. The missionary invites people to join, and if they do, then the community welcomes them. 

The structure goes like this:

• Presentation

• Decision

• Assimilation

This seems so self-evident to me, I found it hard to fathom any other way.

And yet the Celts practiced a completely different model.

They first established community and brought others into fellowship. 

In a modern context: bring in the passionate yoga teacher, and the college student about to be expelled because he spent the last year gaming 14 hours a day. Bring in the drunk, the foul-mouthed, the needy.

Then, within fellowship, have conversations. Invite them to join in ministry. Pray and worship. 

Rather than propositional truth, use stories, visuals, and poetry whenever possible.

Then, over time, invite them to commit. 

The Celtic structure goes like this:

• Fellowship

• Ministry and conversations

• Belief (or at least an invitation to commitment)

“The experience of fellowship enabled them to believe and commit” (54).

What if, instead of trying to fix theology right away, we invited people in to relationship first?

What if we considered that relationships were an advance for the kingdom of God, and trusted that God would reveal opportunities for conversations and ministry?

*Lord God, in this hurting world, we long to be lights, to reveal your glory in the midst of the darkness. Give us eyes to see those who would like to be in fellowship with us. Give us life-giving words to speak to those around us.* 

*Lord, you say that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Send more workers, Lord. Let Jesus receive the full reward of his suffering.*

Rejoicing that all might come to the obedience that comes from faith,

Amy Joy

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