What is the three-circles gospel presentation, and is it biblical?

The three-circles gospel presentation is a graphic method of sharing the Christian gospel. The method is simple and easy to remember and can be an effective, biblical way of presenting the gospel of Christ to unbelievers.



The three-circles gospel presentation features three circles drawn one at a time and labeled with titles and/or basic illustrations.

When sharing the three-circles gospel presentation, the presenter will start by drawing a circle on the left-hand side of a piece of paper. He labels this “God’s Design” and draws a heart inside the circle. This circle represents God’s original creation, which was beautiful and perfect.

Then the presenter draws an arrow from the first circle to another circle on the right. He labels the arrow “Sin.” He labels the second circle “Brokenness” and draws a crooked line inside. This arrow and circle represent how Adam and Eve disobeyed God, rejecting God’s design and breaking their connection to God. We have all followed them in that disobedience, which has led to all kinds of brokenness in our world—anxiety, family problems, pain, economic hardship, crime, etc. We abandoned God’s design, and now nothing in this world is as it should be.

Next, the presenter draws three squiggly arrows from the second circle, explaining that they represent various ways we attempt to escape the brokenness we live in: money, success, achievement, relationships, religious activity, etc. But nothing we try can get us out of brokenness. No matter what we do, we find ourselves back in a broken state.

The presenter then draws an arrow from the second circle to a third circle below the other two. He labels the arrow “Repent and Believe.” He labels the third circle “Jesus” (or “Gospel”) and draws a cross inside. This arrow and third circle represent our only way to escape brokenness: repent of our sin and believe in Jesus. God had a plan to restore His connection to us: He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world—here the presenter draws a downward arrow to the left of the cross. Jesus was fully God and fully man, born of a virgin; He lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead three days later—here the presenter draws an upward arrow to the right of the cross. He explains the gospel: when Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment we deserved for our sin. When He rose from the dead, He defeated sin and death and provided for our forgiveness and eternal life.

The presenter then finishes the illustration by drawing an arrow from the third circle back to the first one, labelling the third arrow “Restored.” This represents the result of what Jesus did for us: by faith, we have been made new and reconnected to God’s original design.

The three-circle gospel presentation is sometimes modified by starting with the second circle (“Brokenness”) and moving from there back to “God’s Design.” Some presenters also add a crown to the top of the third circle to represent Jesus as Lord as well as Savior.

Whatever modifications are made, the presentation is followed up with three basic questions:

1. Between brokenness and God’s design, what circle are you in?
   
   
2. What circle do you want to be in?
   
   
3. [If the person said, “God’s design”] What is keeping you from following Jesus?

If the person is not ready to repent and believe, invite him or her to pray and offer to talk again in the future. For those who are ready to follow Jesus, prompt them to pray for salvation and encourage them to immediately obey the Lord in baptism, seeking discipleship, and participation in a local church.

The three-circles gospel presentation was developed by Jimmy Scroggins, pastor of First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, Florida (now Family Church), in 2008. It grew out of a marriage preparation class Scroggins led as an outreach to young couples. During their first meeting, Pastor Scroggins discovered his couples needed more than marriage principles; they needed the gospel itself. The three-circles gospel presentation was his attempt to reach “people who don’t know the Bible verses and Bible stories, and they’re far from God” (quoted in https://ncbaptist.org/article/the-origin-of-the-3-circles-and-why-its-relevant-to-your-ministry, 3/3/2020, accessed 6/17/2026). Scroggins says that the three-circles gospel “is a great way to talk to people who are far from God. It’s also a great way to talk to people who are close to God. Because this pattern still repeats even after you are a believer” (ibid.).

The three-circle gospel presentation is one of several good methods for sharing the good news. To be effective, the three-circles gospel should be presented with prayer and in full reliance on the Holy Spirit, the One who gives new life in Christ.