Sean McGever (PhD, Aberdeen) is space director for Younger Life in Phoenix, Arizona, and an adjunct school at Grand Canyon College. He’s the creator of Evangelism: For the Care of Souls, The Good Information of Our Limits, and Born Once more: The Evangelical Theology of Conversion in John Wesley and George Whitefield. He has spent a few years finding out, training, and instructing evangelism. This record is the fruit of these a long time of expertise.
Please observe: The books and explanations under are from the sources part of Sean’s Lexham guide, Evangelism: For the Care of Souls. And now, Sean’s high ten picks:
1. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, by J. I. Packer
The title of this traditional guide precisely displays its contents. This guide just isn’t a blueprint for evangelistic ways. As an alternative, Packer’s guide discusses the sovereignty of God from a Reformed perspective and the way that pertains to the accountability of Christians to evangelize. Packer does his finest to untangle a seeming contradiction between God’s sovereignty and human accountability in evangelism. Ultimately, he concludes {that a} understandable answer just isn’t obtainable to people. As he explains this, he gives sensible knowledge and rules for evangelists. Reformed Christians steadily record this as one among their favourite books on evangelism, nevertheless it additionally has a lot to say to evangelists in all traditions.
2. Evangelism within the Early Church, by Michael Inexperienced
This educational guide gives an in-depth evaluation of evangelism within the early church. Inexperienced gives quite a few major supply particulars and presents considerate evaluation on how the early church shared the gospel and initiated new believers into Christianity. This guide shall be a troublesome learn for a lot of fashionable evangelicals as a result of Inexperienced reveals that the early church grew astronomically by way of strategies very totally different from fashionable approaches. Typically talking, early church evangelism occurred by way of non-Christians changing into within the countercultural existence of early Christians; then, when the non-Christian requested concerning the Christian’s religion, a gradual means of initiation started that culminated in baptism previous to changing into a member of the church.
3. Remodeling Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation, by Gordon T. Smith
Smith’s guide is without doubt one of the finest complete remedies of the subject of conversion, written in a cautious however accessible method. He reveals how conversion has been understood within the historical past of the church, and this info lays the groundwork for us to grasp that a lot of contemporary evangelism is spinoff of revivalism. Smith builds on his historic work to point out how we are able to deepen fashionable Christian initiation by studying from the previous.
4. The King Jesus Gospel: The Unique Good Information Revisited, by Scot M. McKnight
This guide takes useless purpose at evangelistic approaches that current the gospel as merely “methods to get to heaven” or “methods to get saved.” McKnight rightly reveals how the trendy conception of a lot of evangelism is off track and reductionistic. Although he reaches additional than is prudent in his try to clarify the Nicene Creed as an exegesis of 1 Corinthians 15, his common level is taken and useful. This guide is a readable antidote for evangelists who’re involved concerning the fashionable discount of the gospel.
5. The Logic of Evangelism, by William J. Abraham
Abraham has his finger on the heartbeat of lots of the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary evangelism. Some readers would possibly wrestle with this guide since his strategy is extra educational than most books on this record. Whereas he’s essential of a few of the practices and rules of evangelism, he responds with cautious, ample, and constructive perception. He joins a refrain of contemporary authors who consider that fashionable evangelism must reorient its proclamation of the gospel towards the dominion of God that’s already current however not but absolutely right here.
6. The Grasp Plan of Evangelism, by Robert E. Coleman
This can be a traditional guide on evangelism, however not in the way in which you would possibly count on from its title. This guide explores methods and ways for management and discipleship with a view to accomplish a sustainable and rising evangelistic ministry. Coleman spends little time explaining the gospel or methods to current the gospel to folks. I ought to add that the guide is a bit dated and embedded with a powerful “wartime” mentality that pervaded American Christianity when Coleman wrote the guide. This guide is most useful for church buildings and coaching organizations in search of to develop management amid evangelistic actions.
7. Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis
When Christianity Right now declared Mere Christianity the “guide of the century,” they offered a easy clarification: this guide is “the very best case for the necessities of orthodox Christianity in print.” This guide presents a powerful case for Christianity because it discusses human nature, frequent conceptions of God, Christian conduct, and an introduction to the Trinity. Other than the content material, evangelists can mine this guide as an exemplar of presenting Christianity in an attractive method folks will hear. It’s each an instance of fantastic evangelism and a very good coaching instrument in evangelism.
8. Fashions of Evangelism, by Priscilla Pope-Levison
This very sensible guide discusses eight approaches to evangelism, comparable to private evangelism, small group evangelism, and visitation evangelism. Every chapter covers a unique mannequin and contains its biblical foundation, theological themes, historic growth, step-by-step methods to implement, and an appraisal of every mannequin. Whereas a few of the fashions shall be extra helpful to readers than others (as an example, her chapter on evangelism by way of media might not be as helpful to some folks), her systematic evaluation of every strategy highlights options of evangelism which ministers would possibly overlook in any other case.
9. On the Incarnation, by Athanasius of Alexandria
On the Incarnation is without doubt one of the most vital works of Christology of all time, and written by one of many church’s most vital theologians. At first, it won’t look like related for contemporary evangelism since Athanasius wrote it within the fourth century, however it is extremely helpful at present. Athanasius’s goal for scripting this guide was to clarify the aim of the cross—which is a subject on the coronary heart of evangelism. Athanasius begins his guide with a dialogue of creation after which strikes on to sin, the cross, the resurrection, and a proof of how individuals are modified by this message. Trendy evangelists can be clever to fortify their understanding of the gospel by way of a deeper understanding of Christ’s work and divinity with this traditional textual content written seventeen hundred years in the past.
10. The Motive for God: Perception in an Age of Skepticism, by Timothy Keller
Keller’s guide is without doubt one of the finest fashionable popular-level apologetics books obtainable. Keller solid his strategy out of a few years of pastoral ministry in a secular context. Keller explores seven of the commonest objections and doubts about Christianity earlier than presenting seven causes to consider. It’s not a guide about evangelism however a guide that does evangelism. On this method, it’s just like Lewis’s Mere Christianity.
