I'm pretty sure this guy has been interested in me for a few years, but just recently he seems to be making an effort to flirt more. He is a nice guy but other than church I really don't see that we have much in common. Do I say something before he asks me out? And how do I go about that without hurting him? Is Facebook (PM) a good idea (so that he can save face)? We only ever hang out at group events so I worry that doing it in person may end up being hard on him.
The thing with rejection is this: It's going to hurt, no matter how you do it.
I feel bad for anyone who gets rejected. It never is fun and it always hurts. But, sometimes, it has to be done. I'm not trying to sound cruel, ha. But, rejection is very real.
Obviously, rejecting him in grace and love is still better than being brutally awful about it. But, even if you do it in grace and love, it will hurt. Rejection is never, ever fun but it happens and there are ways to do it gracefully.
And, btw, "flirting" doesn't necessarily mean a guy is interested.
And, how do you reject him? Ignoring, shunning him, is not the answer. Communication is key and you still need to treat him like a son of God. You should just talk to him and just say something among the lines like, 'Hey, so lately, I've just been having this feeling that you might have some type of interest in me. That's just how it's been coming off to me. Am I totally off?"
And, technology is never a good way to reject someone. I know it's hard, but you're taking the easy way out by texting him. When you text or tell him via technology, it can come off as you not actually caring. I know it's easy to do, because it protects you and it feels much "safer" when you do it behind a screen. However, if you want to "save face" him by texting him by Facebooking him, what's the difference between doing that and doing it in real life? You're essentially doing the same thing.