Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Mike Bechtle's book, Evangelism for the Rest of Us: Sharing Christ within Your Personality Style, (Baker Books, 2006).

You know that God wants you to share His Gospel message and you’d genuinely like to see others come to know Him. But if you’re an introvert, you probably dread evangelism, because the traditional methods turn you off. Knocking on strangers’ doors?  Forcing conversations with people in public places? Not for you.

Still, God has called introverts to evangelize just as much as extroverts. There are many ways to share your faith. You may never preach the Gospel from a street corner, but you can evangelize just as successfully as any extrovert. In fact, as an introvert, you have unique strengths that extroverts don’t have, and tapping into those will help you share your faith in powerful ways.

Here’s how you can use your unique strengths as an introvert to share your faith:

Stop trying to be someone you’re not. Trying to act like an extrovert when you evangelize will only frustrate you and make you less effective. You’ll work hard with few results and likely give up. So instead of trying to be faithful to someone else’s idea of what evangelism should look like, be faithful to God’s customized idea of how you should evangelize. Keep in mind that God designed you the way He did so you could carry out His purposes in a unique way. If you try to evangelize like someone else does, you rob the people you want to reach for Christ of the distinct blessings God wants to give them through you. So be yourself when you evangelize.

Recognize your advantages. As an introvert, you have some advantages in evangelism that extroverts don’t. Some of those advantages are: You tend to be sensitive when you approach other people. You tend to be more aware of your dependence on God to work through you rather than relying on your own personality to draw people. You tend to have the patience to let God use you over a long period of time in someone’s life instead of focusing just on that person’s immediate decision about Christ. You tend to build deep relationships with the people you reach.

Keep key biblical principles in mind. Take unnecessary pressure off yourself by remembering these key concepts of evangelism: Evangelism is a team effort, so you’re just one of several or perhaps many people who God will use to move someone closer to faith. Hanging out with non-Christians is essential; you can’t influence people toward faith if you’re not involved with unbelievers. You don’t “do” evangelism; God does. It’s God’s job to actually draw people to Himself. Your job is simply to lift God up before other people. God will use you the way He made you. The more you get in touch with your uniqueness, the more effective you’ll be sharing your faith and doing whatever else God calls you to do. Satan does the opposite of what God does, so be aware that he’ll try to discourage you and render your evangelism ineffective. Learn how to resist evil so your evangelistic efforts will be successful.

Distinguish between form and function. Although the form of evangelism can be different for different people in different situations, the function is till to bring people to Christ. Focus on the function and be open to whatever form works best for you to share your faith, as God leads you. Don’t restrict yourself to traditional forms of evangelism. Be creative and open to hearing from God about to share your faith in different ways.

Overcome your fears. Face your fears about evangelism: from being the focus of attention and wondering how you’re being perceived to being embarrassed after saying the wrong thing and risking rejection for what you say. Notice the common element that runs through all those fears – a focus on yourself. Shift your focus outward, toward the people you hope to reach for Christ and their needs. Remember that God will empower you do whatever He calls you to do, so you won’t have to try to muster enough strength on your own. Instead, simply pray for God to work through you, and trust Him to do so. Focus on loving the people you’re trying to reach rather than your technique in reaching them, because perfect love drives out fear. Pray about your fears and expect God to help you, working through you in powerful ways.

Become a channel of God’s grace to people. You can communicate God’s grace to unbelievers in ways they’ll understand if you pray for the wisdom to do so well. Keep in mind that you don’t always have to communicate through speaking; you can share your faith in powerful ways through writing, as well (such as through e-mailing non-Christian friends). Stay close to God so you can see where He wants to use you and how He wants you to respond in each situation. Relax and let God work through you in His way, in His time, and in His strength.