When crisis strikes, hearts are raw and questions are close to the surface. It is natural to want to speak quickly, but often the best gospel witness begins with gentleness. Here are ten ways you can bring the hope of Christ into conversations after a crisis:
- Listen to their story before you share your own. Ask questions, being quick to listen and slow to speak.
- Demonstrate genuine concern. Remember that the people you serve are image bearers of a God who loves and cares for them.
- Offer tangible help in any capacity that you are capable of. If you see a physical need that you can meet, meet the need.
- Be cautious in making promises and fulfill the promises you make. Don’t exaggerate the help you’re able to provide or make promises that you can’t guarantee. If you say you will do something, do it.
- Avoid using manipulative actions and words. Trust in the Holy Spirit to open and change hearts. Remember that it is the Lord’s kindness that leads people to repentance.
- Realize that unbelievers may not act or behave like followers of Christ. Avoid seeming judgmental and condemning. Remember that faith and repentance is about a transformation of the heart, not mere behavior modification.
- Be prepared to share your faith story. Your story in Christ is a powerful tool in God’s hands. Share what God has done and is doing in your own life to make much of Him.
- Be prepared to help them understand how they can experience salvation. Share what it means to accept Christ, repent of sin, believe in Christ, and confess Him as Savior and Lord. Share how they can respond to the gospel.
- Allow time for questions, conversation, and the possibility of follow-up. Leave room to engage them in conversation, to ask what they’re thinking, and to talk through any questions they have.
- Pray with them. This is appropriate even if they are not ready to make a life-changing decision. Thank the Lord for His offer of salvation to us through Christ, and ask for His favor on the life of the person you’re talking to.
Crisis conversations are tender places. You do not need the perfect words, only a faithful heart that points people to the hope of Jesus.
For more on how to make the most of opportunities to share the gospel in the aftermath of a crisis, check out Send Relief’s free course on How to Respond to Crisis.
Published October 15, 2025