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Gospel Tea Parties

“Who will volunteer to open their house for an evangelistic tea party?” I asked my students in the evangelism class I was teaching. A number of people put up their hands. There were more people willing to host than I hoped. So I chose three families and divided the class into three groups of ten to help put on each tea party.

Using tea parties to reach out to non-Christians during Christmas season has gained popularity in Taiwan churches in the past decade. “Tea party” in the Taiwan context refers to the time between 2:30 and 4:00 in the afternoon when people gather for light food and drinks. (Ironically, there may not be actual drinking of tea!) For an evangelistic tea party to succeed, the Christians who plan it must invite their non-Christian relatives and friends to attend.

The program of a tea party includes singing, a gospel message, and of course, eating together.

Why is this method of evangelism popular here? The basic reason is that it introduces the gospel to non-Christians in a culturally appropriate way. Most people in Taiwan do not know much about Christianity (95% of the population are non-believers), much less about a church. For many, going to a temple is natural, cultural; going to a church is alien, cross-cultural. Also, for some, going to church is taboo. One of the selling points for the evangelistic tea party is that it is usually held in a home. It is much easier to invite one’s relatives and friends to a home than to invite them to a church.

Second, the home is an ideal place for evangelism. Relatives and friends may have been to the home and are familiar with it. It is a non-threatening place. They know how to behave in a home. (They would not feel so comfortable in a church.) A home is a cozy place where one relaxes. Inviting friends to a home gives it a personal touch without religious connotation.

Third, both non-Christians and Christians enjoy tea time; it is a happy, informal time of eating and drinking together. Not only are non-Christians favorable towards it, so are Christians. Pastors find it easier to get Christians to host a tea party than to host a dinner, because it involves less work. (Some churches even subsidize the host family for the expenses incurred.)

Fourth, the gospel message provided at a tea party is usually presented to the non-believers through a testimony (by means of a VCD or DVD). This form of presentation is more palatable to non-Christians than the old way of preaching the gospel only through words. The audience easily understands and identifies with stories of real people.

Fifth, breaking up into small groups after the message gives the Christians opportunities to interact with and understand how much the non-Christians understood the message. It also provides a platform to share the gospel in a more personal way and to answer some of the questions that the non-Christians may have.

From the above, we realize that the evangelistic tea party is a good evangelistic tool.

But why hold evangelistic tea parties at Christmas? Due to commercialization in recent years many in Taiwan are made aware of this festive occasion. Not many, however, know its true meaning. Many celebrate Christmas by having special meals and shopping. Christians then have an excuse to invite those non-Christians to a Christmas tea party to help them understand the true meaning of Christmas. Non-Christian friends, curious to know more about Christmas, are more likely to accept such an invitation.

In the evangelistic tea parties we hosted last December, about thirty non-Christians came to the three homes. For most of them it was the first time they had heard the gospel.

Christmas is coming soon. Many churches in Taiwan will again encourage their members to host evangelistic tea parties. Pray that as we faithfully sow the seeds, the Lord may cause them to grow and bring many into His kingdom.

Chi Pin-Hoon - Kaohsiung