The Birth of the First LiFe Seminar

The origin of the LiFe Seminar goes back to Walter, a loyal friend to his neighbors, John and Elisabeth. After six years of genuine friendship, he invited them to a discussion group where they could ask honest questions without judgment. No pressure. No scripts. Just authentic relationships. In these meetings, John and Elisabeth finally encountered Jesus.

Their hearts were filled with great joy, and they didn't want to keep it to themselves. They came to me with an idea: "What if we invited our friends, neighbors, and family members to explore faith the same way Walter did with us?"

Together, we designed the first five-evening LiFe Seminar around the questions that seeking people still ask today: How can we become happy? Why does God allow suffering? What is the meaning of life?

We made one crucial decision early on: the setting mattered as much as the content. We met in welcoming spaces with food, drinks, and an atmosphere more like a birthday party than a church service. Small group members prayed strategically for three friends each, then invited them to explore faith together in a safe, comfortable environment.

The first LiFe Seminar was so blessed that our church decided to multiply this new evangelism tool in and around Zurich for the growing number of small groups in the coming years. No one was more surprised than us when the results came in. In our first ten years, we held 155 LiFe Seminars. Out of 723 guests who attended, 415 decided to follow Jesus.

This amazing and unexpected success led us to the next question: "How can we help other churches to have successful LiFe Seminars?"

We began training churches across Switzerland and other European countries. On one hand, we received excited reports from Ukraine, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Egypt, and other countries. But soon we stumbled onto something profound. We noticed that some LiFe Seminars led to more decisions than others—but it wasn't because of better speakers or fancier venues.

Our observation was this: When believers truly walked alongside their guests—building relationships before, during, and after the seminars, answering questions over coffee, and caring for them holistically—those guests opened up to the Gospel in remarkable ways.

It was the important step of combining evangelism with discipleship! We have seen churches experience real multiplication because new believers quickly became disciples who made disciples!

The Birth of the LiFe Toolbox

This observation became a revelation that transformed our entire approach. We created new teachings to enable churches to carefully prepare for their next LiFe Seminars:

• The parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates the game-changing role of a companion walking alongside a seeking friend.

• The Engel Scale helped us see evangelism not as a single event, but as accompaniment across every stage of a person's spiritual journey—from awareness to decision to discipleship.

• The Fishing-Net prayer became an important tool for prayer, helping the church unite in a season of intercession and inviting friends for the next LiFe Seminar.

The addition of five more lessons also allowed us to use these ten topics according to very different local needs and cultural habits. To our surprise, we have seen a development from the LiFe Seminar to five different adaptations of LiFe Evangelism in different countries and cultures:

1. Traditional LiFe Seminar (as we started)

2. LiFe Lounge: five meetings with a higher emphasis on the needs of guests

3. LiFe on Sundays: five sessions within the local church service

4. LiFe Project: during a vacation week or a church youth camp

5. LiFe Celebration: a larger gathering with creative elements, special decorations, coffee, cookies, and music

What We Mean by "Life Everywhere"

Everywhere, people are seeking answers.

Seekers all over the world are interested in these five core topics:

• How can we be happy?

• Why does God allow this?

• What is the meaning of life?

• Discovering the gift of God.

• Life in new dimensions.

Everywhere, churches need preparation for evangelism.

The example of the Good Samaritan challenges Christians to become true companions to their seeking friends. The Engel Scale illustrates the vital connection between evangelism and discipleship. Furthermore, clear "Three-Minute Testimony" and the "Fishing Net Prayer" are essential tools for successful evangelistic projects.

Everywhere, the Holy Spirit wants to empower Christians.

Ten deeper lessons illustrate what it means to be "in Christ," how the "circumcision of the heart" helps us live a holy life, and how the fruit of the Spirit unites the body of Christ to communicate the Gospel powerfully.

We are ready to equip you.

We stand ready to equip pastors and churches everywhere with the ten lessons of the LiFe Toolbox and the ten lessons on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. You are invited to join our Zoom meeting every Thursday to receive more information. We are here to serve you and answer your questions about successful evangelism.

Dr. Daniel Schmid