| Books about witnessing This Summary Symbol accompanies most of the descriptions given below. E This symbol lets you see at a glance the topics on which each book can help you. Each book’s major contributions will be shown by printing certain letters in bold red letters. The horizontal row stands for stages in life of the person you are talking to. R: The R’s at the left represent a person who is not yet willing to engage in a conversation about Jesus. Bold print here means the book provides you with insights about showing care and forming friendship: the R stands for relationship building. N: The N’s at the right stand for nurturer. Bold print here means the book will help you with follow-up and mentoring for someone who has become a Christian. The characters down the middle all have something to do with an evangelism conversation. E: Bold print on the top E means the book will suggest natural ways to “enter” into a conversation about Christ. The letters at the bottom stand for the options after you ask the person’s reaction to the message of Christ: O: Bold print on the O means the book will give you ideas for meeting common “objections,” and A: bold print on the A means the book will assist you with someone who expresses interest or “acceptance” toward the message. The four letters in the middle running from top to bottom each represent a major concept of the salvation message. From the book of Acts, we see that the four topics that the apostles never left out are mankind’s problem, God’s answer (Jesus), an invitation to respond (repent, believe, be baptized), and the benefits promised to believers. Thus: S=SIN, J=JESUS, F=INVITATION, B=BENEFITS A letter in bold red print means the book will give you insights into the highlighted concept. To use this book list, scroll down looking at the symbols until you see one that highlights the aspect of witnessing that you want to read more about. The first book below does not have a symbol, since it provides ideas about all of these topics. The number at the end of each book description tells you the year when the website author wrote the book description. the books: My book Great Commission Living (copyright 1993, 1998 by Jim Found) is published by LCMS World Mission. The Table of Contents is divided into 3 parts: Pre-evangelism, Evangelism, and Post-evangelism. Each part contains 10 to 20 pages of ideas. Part three also has a section on teaching in a class room setting, and on leading a witness workshop. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the complete table of contents and ordering information. 2006 Me, An Evangelist, Every
Christian’s Guide to Caring Evangelism, by William J. McKay. St.
Louis: Stephen Ministries, 1992. Each chapter begins with an episode of
a developing relationship between a Christian couple and their
unchurched neighbor. Plenty of chapters deal with relationship
building, but there are also chapters on the content of the salvation
message. ISBN 0-9633831-0-8 The author coordinated the development of
the small group ministry system known as the ChristCare series. 2006 We Believe – Therefore We
Speak, by David J. Valleskey. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing
House, 1995. Part One has a chapter on each important concept of the
salvation message, and always concludes with a section on “how to use
this concept in evangelism.” Part Two is “the practice of evangelism in
the Congregation” and includes sections on building an evangelistic
mindset and on Training Workers. ISBN 0-8100-0539-5. The author is
president of the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran seminary in Thiensville
Wisconsin, and previous to that taught the evangelism course there for
many years. In 1995 his booklet God’s Great Exchange – One Way to
Tell a Friend About the Savior was printed by the Commission on
Evangelism of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. (No ISBN number
on the pamphlet; there is an identification number, 38-2024.) This book
introduces a stick-figure diagram that can be drawn while you are
explaining the gospel. There is an accompanying VHS video with sample
home visits. 2006 Outreach Promises by Phil Bickel. Bloomington MN: Rollercoaster Press. www.rollercoasterpress.com. This book encourages people in witness by introducing the scriptures promises telling us that our witness will not be in vain. These promises indicate that God plans to bring people from all nations to himself. The concepts are applied through life-situation stories. 2006 Link to Reading Guide for the three books listed above more books:
The Defense Never Rests: A Lawyer’s Quest for the
Gospel, by Craig A. Parton. Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House
2003. The author tells the story of his discovery of Christianity, then
of Lutheranism. He describes his thought processes in investigating
Christianity as a lawyer. He stresses how important it is to speak
clearly about the depths of sin and the full power of the gospel. He
explains in detail how to defend Christianity using the evidence that is
available. In chapter 7 he has assembled the widely accepted historical
defenses for the reliability of scripture, the divinity of Christ, and
the probability of the resurrection. In chapter 9 he moves from
juridical apologetics to a “subjective apologetic” for those who may not
be swayed by hard evidence. Here he shows how literary works, music, and
church architecture are useful tools for portraying the gospel. 2008 Why Believe? Reason and
Mystery as Pointers to God, by C. Stephen Evans. Revised Edition ©
1996. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company. As suggested by the
word “reason” in the subtitle, the author discusses in a reasonable,
low-key those questions that reasonable people are most likely to ask.
He shows that God gives us reasons to believe that he exists, but does
not give us so much information that faith is no longer needed. If he
did, our relationship to God would not be by faith but would be
something we have no choice about. He compares the kind of evidence God
provides to the type of evidence that is provided in a courtroom. The
word “mystery” in the subtitle includes discussion of our marvel at
nature, at the existence of a “sense” of right and wrong, and at the
existence of “personhood.” Would a universe without personhood be able
to produce personhood? Along the way, he deals with questions such as
“Is God just a psychological crutch? (page 107);” “Is Christianity
sexist? (page 111);” “Is God the opiate of the people? (page 117);”
“What if I have doubts?” (page 145).” Chapter 8 is devoted to “Was Jesus
Really God,” and chapter nine to “The Problem of Evil.” The author is
professor of philosophy at Calvin College. 2008 The Nature of the Atonement, edited by James Beilby and Paul R. Eddy. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Since the work of Christ on the cross is the core of the gospel message, it is helpful to have this book that deepens our knowledge of that work. The four authors all accept the many ways that the Bible describes what was happening on the cross, but three of them select one of the ways as fundamental for understanding the others. It is possible to read the book and gain from all of the insights without having to pick sides. Thomas Schreiner takes the “penal substitution” idea as most fundamental --- that our sin required a sacrifice so that it would be just of God to declare us not guilty. Greg Boyd tells why he believes the defeat of Satan is the most fundamental. Bruce Reichenbach takes the “healing” of our relationship to God as the most fundamental. The fourth author, Joel Green, says that none of the explanations should be regarded as most fundamental. After each author’s article, the other three authors write a response. 2008
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Irresistible
Evangelism, © 2004 by Steve
Sjogren, Dave Ping, and Doug Pollock. Published by Group Publishing,
Loveland, Colorado. This book provides detailed ideas for forming
relationships with non-Christians. The authors show that just as you
would select a different golf iron depending on how far you are from the
green, Christians can learn the correct tools to help people at
different stages of interest in the gospel. The idea of stages is backed
up by Jesus’ words in Mark 12:34 about someone being “not far” from the
kingdom of God (page 66). A separate chapter is devoted to the different
tools to use as your friend gradually increases in interest toward
faith. These chapters (6 through 9) are titled Active Kindness, Active
Friendship, Active Wondering, and Active Sharing. Here is a sampling
from each of those chapters. Active Kindness means humble acts of
service done without expecting anything in return. One of the authors,
Steve Sjogren, recounts how he engages members of his Vineyard Community
Church in Cincinnati in going out into the community to freely offer
services such as washing cars or mowing lawns, simply saying they would
like to do this “as a practical way to show God’s love.” Active
Friendship emphasizes the importance of developing good listening
skills. Actives listening skills are not taught in this book, but a
training program developed in part by author Dave Ping is described at
his website,
www.equipmin.org. The Active Wondering chapter provides 99 questions
you can choose from as your relationship becomes close enough to talk
about deeper issues. Here are three of them, from page 131: “in your
opinion, how does someone become a Christian?” “Do you think it’s
possible to know God personally?” “Has anyone ever shown you what the
Bible says about how to begin a personal relationship with God?” The
book includes encouraging anecdotes, several lists of mistakes to avoid,
and findings of nationwide surveys. Although this writer would not say
that talking about the “substitutionary death of Jesus is usually
unnecessarily confusing,” because it does not help to “paint a very
relational picture” (page 149), yet was happy to see the idea that “it’s
part of our new nature” (page 77) to show perpetual love to those around
us. The number of ideas presented and their practical nature make this
book very useful in reaching out to our communities. 2008 Why Nobody Learns Much of
Anything at Church, and How to Fix It, Revised Edition © 2004 by
Thom and Joani Schultz. Loveland CO: Group Publishing Co. This bok
promotes well-researched concepts of good teaching that are regularly
taught in schools of education but not always used by teachers. Entire
chapters are devoted to topics like writing clear goals and helping
students master concepts through active, higher-order thinking and
interactive learning. Many practical helps are given for learning to be
good at asking questions. The use of all learning styles is encouraged,
including hearing, seeing, and doing. The importance of debriefing after
experiential learning is stressed, which would include reflection,
interpretation, and the application to daily life. Each chapter ends
with suggestions for how to teach the concepts to other teachers. The
book would be profitable for volunteer teachers at all age levels
including adults. More publications by Group can be found at their
website
www.grouppublishing.com. 2008 Prepared to Answer and
the second volume, More Prepared to Answer, by Mark A. Paustian.
Both published in 2004 by Northwestern Publishing House in Milwaukee.
These books use stories from the life of Christ to answer common
questions about the Christian faith. Though the book will be read by
Christians, the answers are presented in a way that Christians could use
to give answers to a non-Christian. The questions of several different
types. Some are objections to becoming a Christian that might be raised
by a non Christian: examples are “Where is the evidence that God even
exists” and “Isn’t religion discredited by science.” Other questions
have to do with Christian view of morality, such as “But I’m pro-choice”
and “I can’t handle your out-dated view of sex.” Together, the two books
provide responses to 69 different questions. All the answers point to
Jesus and the gospel. The writing is very devotional and sometimes even
poetic in its wonder and gratitude at the love of God. The author cites
well-known writers on apologetics such as Paul Meier and Josh McDowell
as backing for his arguments. The book is written by someone who does
engage in conversational evangelism and answers the questions not merely
theoretically but in practical ways that will speak to the needs of the
person who raises the questions. 2008. How to Share Christ Confidently: a Guide to Comfortable and Effective Personal Witnessing, by Dr. Milton Rudnick (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009). You can order at cph.org. This 48 page booklet fills a great need by providing a wide range of practical advice for encouraging witness and for overcoming fears. Chapter one uses an approach called “desensitization” as a way to neutralize the common fears of witnessing. Chapter two deals with motivation as God’s gift to us. Chapter three is about transformation: believing that God will keep his promises to make you increasingly Christlike and thus to become one who draws people to pay attention to your message. Chapter four deals with clarification: how to speak credibly as we tell about what Jesus has done in our lives. This chapter also makes suggestions for transitions in conversation, using the direct approach, such as “what does Jesus mean to you?” This chapter also reviews the work of Christ in terms of what He has given to us by His death and resurrection. Chapter five is about communication, explaining how to be an effective listener, and how to persuade the listener that our message is worth considering. We are advised to check to see how clearly our message is being received by asking questions. A section on “hidden messages” alerts us that spoken comments may veil a deeper concern, and tell us how to discover that concern. The final chapter shows us why we may witness with an expectation of response, based on careful listening and on God’s promises. Love is to be our dominant attitude. Dr. Rudnick on page 43 urges us to have hope, for “hostility to Christianity is often evidence on an internal struggle against a God-given impulse to believe.“ Dr. Rudnick has been a professor and an interim president at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has been a director of the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach there, and is now actively promoting witness and outreach at his home congregation in Minnesota. Another book on evangelism by Dr. Rudnick is Speaking the gospel through the Ages: A History of Evangelism (Concordia, 1984). [this summary added in Sept 09]
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GREAT COMMISSION LIVING—
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION What is Meant by the Title? ............................................................................................1 What is Evangelism?.......... ...................................................................... ........................2 Three Stages of Discipling. ............ ..................................................................................3 PRE-EVANGELISM Aspects of Pre-evangelism. ...................................................................... ........................5 "~ Building Relationships............ .........................................................................................6 Displaying Jesus in YourLifestyle...................................................................................8 Testimony.......... ............................................................................. .................................9 Biblical Worldview........................................................................................................l0 Starting from the Old Testament .................................................................................... 13 EVANGELISM Aspects of Evangelism....... ............................................................................................ 15 Witnessing Examples in the Book of Acts............ ....................................................... ...17 Some Common Mistakes ..............................................................................................19 Transitions and Openings. ........................................................................................... ...21 Methods for Witnessing in a Single Sitting ....................................................................23 Methods for Witnessing in a Series of Meetings............................. ....................... .........24 Using Diagrams and Objects to Share the Gospel.. .................................................. .......25 t Avoiding Jargon ..................................................................................................... .......26 Consciousness of Sin ............................................................................................ .........28 What Does the Bible Say about Who Jesus Is? ..............................................................29 Explaining the Work of Christ .......................................................................................30 Explaining Faith ............................................................................................................32 Answering Questions..................... .................................................................. ..............33 About Apologetics........... ......................................................................................... .....35 Some Short Answers to Common Objections........ ........................................ .................36 Dealing with Excuses.............................................................................................. .......38 POST-EVANGELISM Aspects of Post-evangelism........ .................................................................................. ..40 Identifying Conversion. .......................................................................................... .......41 Meeting for Nurture........... .................................................................................. ..........42 Follow-up: The First Day. ................................................................................... ...........43 Follow-up: The First Month....... ......................................................................... ...........44 Pre-Baptismal Instruction... ..................................................................................... .......45 A Plan for Ongoing Nurture.... .................................................................................. .....46 Receiving from God ....;... ............................................................................................ ..47 Areas of Response .........................................................................................................48 Ongoing Nurture... .................................................................................................. .......49 How to Lead a Small Group Bible Study. ......................................................................50 / From God's Will to Christian Growth.. ..........................................................................52 The Circle of Application...... ........................................................................................ .54
LEADING FORMAL CLASSES Teaching and the Holy Spirit ………………………………………………………55 Nurture in a Formal Class Setting ……………………………………………… 56 Lesson Planning …………………………………………………………………59 Teaching Activities ………………………………………………………………60 Examples of Lesson Preparation …………………………………………………61
TRAINING OTHERS Personal Strategy …………………………………………………………………63 How to use this Handbook to present a Witness Workshop …………………………65 Discussion Starter: Sharing Feelings about Witnessing …………………………….68 Discussion Starter: Powerful Words …………………………………………………69
TO ORDER: To order (at a price of $6 per book), call toll-free 1-800-433-3954 and ask for extension 1321, Sandi Green.
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